Dave fell in love with radio when he was a board op in college. He booked a punk club in Michigan, worked as a shipping clerk for Alligator Records in Chicago, deejayed at Phyllis’s Musical Inn, owned and ran Leo’s Lunch Room and started a video production company before moving to Florida to take care of his grandmother. He taught film at Manatee Community College, co-founded Fogartyville Cafe in Bradenton and was a co-founder of WSLR.
“We’re celebrating the continued struggle that it takes to make people connect with their community and build community,” said Beaton, openly troubled by the events unfolding in Ferguson, events he believes could have been stopped, or at least tempered, by a stronger sense of community. “It’s a really disturbing time in this country and WSLR is an alternative to the mainstream media. It’s people-powered media and though we have our differences we come together and make this station work. It happens through volunteerism and building friendships and relationships that are deeper than the things that divide us. That’s what we’re celebrating.”