Morning Show Stunt Makes Sensitive Point

(WJIS, Sarasota – Serving Central & Southwest Florida) – A carefully designed and executed morning show stunt made a serious point about the average person’s response to the pleas of those who beg for food, money, etc. on busy street corners. The Morning Cruise with Dave and Bill sent producer Kris Byerly to a random location, dressed casually, with a sign that read, “Need free tickets? God Bless.” Byerly stood at his makeshift post for almost 45 minutes before anyone other than local police acknowledged his presence. Meantime, morning show hosts Dave Cruse and Bill Martin told listeners to look for Kris, “out in the open, giving away free tickets to Toby Mac’s Winter Wonder Slam.” After the stunt, Byerly returned to The Joy FM studios, accompanied by Salvation Army representative Ashley Canesse to discuss the experience and help listeners learn how to respond to the increased demand for benevolence they must regularly confront especially at this time of year.

According to the 2004 U.S. Conference of Mayors Study, homelessness among families rose by 7% in 2003, with 41% of the current homeless population made up of families with children. The Florida Gulfcoast, with its warm weather and dense population, is a winter haven for the homeless, creating problems for some municipalities and a moral dilemma for those who want to help. “It was horrible,” said Byerly of his experience as an apparent vagrant, “I was invisible. People would pass in their cars without even looking or making eye contact.” The Salvation Army’s Canesse verified both Byerly’s report and the dilemma for would-be givers: “There is a callousness that builds up in people’s hearts toward the needy because of those who manipulate the public; while many different cases exist, most of the truly needy are without because of just a missing paycheck or a lost job. We try to help all kinds, but it’s difficult for people to sort out genuine need.”

Canesse spent about an hour with The Morning Cruise, taking calls and talking with Cruse and Martin about how to help. During the hour, callers contributed their experiences of giving or trying to help the destitute, often with frustration but ultimately out of Christian convictions. Byerly summed up their comments, saying “The hardest part was that when I looked at the cold faces in the cars that passed, I saw myself.”

Audio highlights and Byerly’s blog can be found at www.TheJoyFM.com by clicking on The Morning Cruise icon and finding the As HEARD section for Friday, December 08, 2006.

The JOY FM is a network of non-commercial, listener-supported contemporary Christian music stations serving Southwest, Central and North Florida since 1986. It is owned by Radio Training Network, and is recognized by the IRS as a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization.