After 30-Plus Years on the Radio, This Phone Call Hit Different

I've been fortunate to spend 30+ years on the radio here in the Capital Region, and I've learned one thing: you truly never know who's listening.

Sure, we meet listeners all the time. At concerts, live broadcasts, Secret Star shows, and occasionally someone will recognize us out in public and say they listen.

And believe me, we always appreciate it. But I'd bet 98% of the people who listen to us every morning are people we've never met.

You Never Know Who's Listening

Sometimes I'll see a story on the news, good, bad, or otherwise, and wonder if the people involved are listeners. Maybe they've laughed at something we said, played one of our contests, or found a little comfort in having us along for their morning commute.

Most of the time, we'll never know. But today, we found out.

A Heartbreaking Tragedy in Troy

Last month, I wrote about the devastating house fire in Troy that claimed the lives of three people: Alicia Ruefle, her fiancé Dominick Rizzo, and their young daughter, Abigail

Only her 12-year-old son, Dominick III, survived; he was rescued by a good Samaritan who attends RPI.

I didn't know the family. I just knew the story was incredibly sad, and I wanted to help spread the word about a GoFundMe set up to support them.

What I didn't know was that one of the victims, Alicia, was part of our GNA family.

Alicia listened to our show every day. She played our games, attended our Secret Star concerts, and loved being part of GNAtion, and I had absolutely no idea.

A Phone Call We'll Never Forget

The morning after Wednesday night's Secret Star show at Proctors, Alicia's sister, Tiffany, called in.

She told us how much Alicia loved GNA, how they used to attend concerts together, and how much our show had meant to them over the years.

Despite everything Tiffany and her family have been through, she took the time to thank us. Not just for sharing her family's story, but for the music, the laughs, and the memories.

Tiffany also shared a particularly emotional moment during the concert when The Band Perry performed "If I Die Young." Given everything she's been through, the song hit especially hard. But she also felt that, somehow, it couldn't have been more appropriate for how she felt in that moment.

It's crazy how the universe works sometimes.

Thank You, Tiffany

After nearly 35 years, it's easy to get caught up in the day-to-day routine of doing a radio show. We talk, laugh, play music, give away stuff, and we hope that we're making someone's day a little better.

But most of the time, inside that box, we have no clue don't know if anything we did, said, or tried to do landed with a single listener. But once in a while, something happens that reminds you there's a real person, with a real life and a real story, on the other side of that radio.

To Tiffany and her entire family, thank you for sharing Alicia's story with us. We're so sorry for your unimaginable loss, and we're grateful that GNA could be a small part of the memories you shared with your sister.

And to Alicia, thank you for being part of our listening family. May you, your fiancée, and beautiful daughter rest in Peace.

You just never know who's listening.

Listen to Tiffany's emotional phone call to GNA below.