One of our customer service people got a surprise one morning on his way to work. Stuck in traffic during his usual commute, Mordecai turned on the radio to his favorite talk show. That’s when he heard Andrew Carter, the morning guy on CJAD, mention Kars4Kids. For those unfamiliar with Carter, let us explain: Andrew Carter’s talk show is the largest English-language radio station in Montreal.
When Carter spoke about Kars4Kids on his show, there must have been thousands of Montrealers listening in. Like Mordecai, they were on their way to the office. And all of them heard Andrew Carter speak about the great experience he had in donating his car to us. We sure appreciated on-air mention of our car donation program. We know it can only bring in more donations to help fund our programs for children.
Andrew Carter’s On-Air Mention of Kars4Kids:
He’s a celebrity, but clearly, Andrew Carter is also one of the good guys. As such, we thought he’d make a great candidate for a donor spotlight. We decided to reach out to Carter to see if he’d take part in a short interview. The popular radio show host didn’t hesitate to agree, and gave generously of his time to answer our questions:
Kars4Kids: Can you tell us a bit about how you became a radio talk show host?
Andrew Carter: After a long career as a newscaster and reporter and traffic reporter and second banana on a series of radio morning shows, the opportunity came up to have my own show and I jumped at it.
Kars4Kids: How many people listen to you each morning? To what do you attribute the success of your show?
Andrew Carter: Roughly 40 percent of English-speaking Montrealers who are listening to radio listen to my show on a daily basis. The show is informative and fun and the CJAD radio is a heritage station with a very loyal following.
Fun and Informational
Kars4Kids: There seems to be some controversy regarding whether talk radio can be considered radio journalism—some say that over time, talk radio has become more “newsy.” What are your feelings on the subject?
Andrew Carter: My show is fun and informational. There is not a lot of controversy.
Kars4Kids: Tell us about the car you donated. Why did you decide to donate your car?
Andrew Carter: It is a 2008 Land Rover that I purchased from a colleague for my daughter. When it ran, it was great, but it was never dependable enough. I took it over from her and used it mostly for short trips and for transporting wood and stones to fuel my hobbies. It was going to be scrapped because it faced costly repairs and I would have received almost nothing from the dealer for it. Kars for Kids offered me a fairer amount in the form of a tax receipt.
Kars4Kids: How did you come to choose our charity as the recipient of your donation?
Andrew: Carter: You are a frequent advertiser on our radio station and acquaintances told me they had good experiences dealing with you.
The Donation Experience
Kars4Kids: We were so excited that you talked about your donation to Kars4Kids on your show. What made you decide to describe your donation experience to your audience?
Andrew Carter: It was a positive experience and I frequently share stories of my life.
