Faithful listeners of KLUC radio’s “Chet Buchanan and the Morning Zoo” know that they can count on the show for their daily dose of top 40 hits, and playful banter.
But those same fans also know that when tragedy strikes, they can tune their radios to 98.5 for help in healing.
“I just want to say thank you so much you guys,” a woman called in to say. “I love you. You’ve been there for us through 9/11, [Hurricane] Katrina, [Hurricane] Harvey and now this. You guys are our counselors.”
“You are better to us than we deserve,” Buchanan tells her. “We are just doing what we need to do.”
“I know what we’re there for,” Buchanan said in an interview after Tuesday’s show wrapped. “You know that people are hurting. You know people have things they need to get off their chest.”
An employee at Sunrise Hospital’s surgery center called in during the show Tuesday.
“Honestly I could take up the rest of your guys show with the stuff that I saw yesterday. After my shift yesterday I sat in my car for a good hour,” he said, before thanking the show's hosts for giving listeners a place to share their voices. “You guys at the radio station [and] The Morning Zoo kind of just prepared us to unite the way we have.”
Las Vegas has seen an outpouring of community support, including long lines at blood banks over 1,000 people long.
One woman called in with words of praise for the everyday heroes that prevented the tragedy from becoming even worse.
“I can’t thank everyone enough: first responders, nurses, doctors-- everyone at the concert who stopped and helped someone who was injured.”
While Monday’s calls reflected the disbelief and confusion surrounding what happened at the Route 91 music festival Sunday night, Tuesday’s became a bit more hopeful.
“I think as the days go on you’re more hopeful. You start to dig out. You’re grateful. You go from sadness and disbelief and shock and pain to—there’s just a lot of gratitude.”
Buchanan says that while Wednesday won’t be what he would call “back to normal,” they are getting there.
“We’ll keep inching in that direction,” Buchanan says. “Every time I think ‘Okay, let's just go and start playing music then the phone lines crank up.’”
“I don’t know if we’re special,” Buchanan says, adding that they’re just there “to let them know they’re not alone.”
