One Night at a Time; Recovery Radio Struggles to Survive

For the past nine months, Neil Scott has heard it all: Stories of desolation and despair, as well as personal portraits of humility and gratitude for reclaimed lives. From those who are homeless, to those of affluence, they all have one thing in common: ongoing recovery from addiction, one of America’s leading causes of death and family destruction.



Scott is not a member of the clergy or a therapist, he’s the host of RECOVERY - Coast to Coast, America’s only national two hour nightly radio talk show, produced and broadcast locally on1590AM KLFE from 10PM – Midnight PDT, Monday through Friday. The show receives email from all over the country with questions, comments about their own personal situation, and simply saying thank you for being there.



RECOVERY - Coast to Coast is carried nationally in streaming audio with many previous shows available on-demand at www.recoverycoasttocoast.org The show features authors, treatment professionals, musicians, celebrities and news makers in the first hour. Among recent guests were Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame legend Dion (Dion & the Belmonts); Joseph A. Califano, former U.S. Secretary of Heath, Education and Welfare and now the president and chairman of the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University; former Los Angeles Dodger Maury Wills; best-selling authors J.A. Jance and Anne Lamott; and Christopher Kennedy Lawford, son of the late Peter Lawford. In the second hour Scott interviews a diverse group of everyday individuals who have at least one year of continuous recovery, who share their experience, strength and hope with others who are still hurting. The show just celebrated its 200th live nightly radio broadcast.



“The power of these incredibly inspirational stories is nothing short of miraculous,” said Scott, “it provides heartfelt hope to those who are still struggling with addiction, including family members. If these people can get well, anyone can! They are living proof that you don’t have to die for a drink and there’s no such thing as a hopeless alcoholic or addict, with hope and help so readily available.”



This fast-paced, entertaining program is also where listeners learn about numerous addictions, from alcohol and other drugs to gambling, sexual addiction and eating disorders. Listeners get a better understanding of treatment options and discover resources to find and maintain a healthy well-balanced recovery.



America’s nightly voice for recovery, however, is being threatened with silence. The organization that has sponsored this unique and innovative media awareness project is having trouble raising money to keep the show on the air. The Alliance for Recovery, a Seattle-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has been searching for solid funding since the program went on the air last October, without much success. They now face going off-the-air at the end of the month without additional funding.



“Addiction is one of the hardest causes to raise money for. The stigma that surrounds identification and treatment, also surrounds recovery,” says Scott, who also produces the nightly program. “Alcohol and drug related problems are one of the top three leading causes of death in America. Yet the support per victim is among the lowest of any recognizable illness.”

According to Scott, it’s difficult to get corporations and foundations to fund a disease where stigma, stereotypes and misconceptions are so strong. Yet, addiction runs deep into the fabric of our society, directly affecting everyone.



Sadly, it’s a lot more socially acceptable to fund programs that help children or the so-called ‘respectable diseases’ like heart, cancer and diabetes. The reality is that alcohol and other drugs play a huge role in those diseases, as well. “We are hoping to raise immediate emergency funding from foundations, corporations and grateful people in recovery to stay on the air and then to expand the show,” said Scott.



Scott has great plans for the future. “We’d like to have every Friday night’s show be by, for, and about young people. We plan to find and mentor young people in recovery and then let them produce and host their own show and talk their own language to their own audience of young people about the harmful use of alcohol and other drugs,” said Scott. “We also have plans for a regular women’s night, dealing with gender specific issues, “but it takes financial support, which we are significantly short on at the moment.”




RECOVERY - Coast to Coast is similar to another show that Scott produced and hosted in the early nineties, Straight Talk - Recovery Radio for the Northwest which aired on KEZX in Seattle for four and a half years, before the station was sold and changed formats. “Many think that because we are a non-profit organization that the radio time is free. We were fortunate that KEZX donated the air time back in the early nineties. The situation in radio broadcasting, however, is different today. KLFE is in the business of selling block radio time, so we have to pay for those two hours every night. It gets very expensive very quickly,” said Scott.



Scott mortgaged his home, donating the proceeds to the Alliance for Recovery to start the program and has had limited financial help along the way. Seattle businessman Ken Alhadeff, a grateful recovering alcoholic, contributed $5,000 when the show first went on the air in October. When funding recently ran out, Scott secured a personal loan from Alhadeff to keep the show on the air through the end of July. Those funds are nearly exhausted.



Scott remains optimistic.” We are doing something positive in the fight against addiction and the harmful misuse of alcohol and other drugs night in and night out. We are truly making a significant difference in the lives of thousands, educating people about addiction, offering hope to family members, sharing resources, and motivating people to seek treatment, as well as sharing personal stories of successful long-term recovery from individuals who have gotten well through a variety of different recovery programs. We’ll continue to carry the message as long as we can.”



About Neil Scott



Neil Scott is a 30 year radio veteran who also covers the Seattle sports teams for ESPN Radio, the Fox Radio Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. He is also a fill-in update anchor on SportsRadio 950 KJR in Seattle. In addition to his broadcasting career, he has also worked professionally for many years in the addictions field. His interest is both professional and personal. Both of his parents died from alcoholism, and he has dedicated his life to helping others get well by carrying the message of hope and the promise of recovery to those whose lives have been touched by addiction, one night at a time, always reminding his listeners that the bright side of addiction is recovery.



(end)