Pace kicks off Mississippi Morning internet radio show

By Rupert Howell

Local radio personality Johnny Pace is putting his all behind a local morning Internet broadcast he hopes will gain the attention of a spectrum of listeners who like and miss local news, events and happenings mixed in with their morning coffee and drive to work.

Pace has been busy lining up sponsors and has already begun streaming his Mississippi Morning show working out potential kinks in advance of his official start date next Monday, August 14 from 6-8 a.m. on Undefined Radio.

Pace decided a niche was there after hearing people talk of missing their early morning local news.

“I hear it a lot. They miss having a local show about things going on around here—about stuff that is going to happen,” he said.

Pace began radio work in his hometown of Winona and carried it on through college at Miss 98 in Oxford.

John Ingram offered him a job in 1996 while his wife was practice teaching in the local school district. Having previously spent time at Sardis Christian Camp, they later visited Batesville Church of Christ and knew so many members and were welcomed so graciously, they decided Batesville was the place to be.

Pace has also been involved in the insurance industry over the past few years when he joined Ricky Swindle on his Local Yokel Show. That show recently moved from the radio waves to the Internet and Pace saw an opportunity to make a move of his own.

Pace is using the same studio to broadcast as used for the Yokel show and notes the generosity of Josh Hawkins allowing them to use a room of his insurance agency in Tradeway Village on Highway 51 in Batesville helped seal the opportunity.

Pace also thanked Swindle and Undefined Radio founder Chad Martin of Senatobia for helping him get his project off the ground.

“Chad has been very supportive and is about as excited about me doing this as I am,” Pace said explaining that Martin does not have the radio background that Pace brings to the table.

Pace noted that streaming radio and broadcast radio were different animals stating, “People have to go to it on purpose. It’s not already set on your radio pushbuttons.”

The Undefined Radio app can downloaded online and is free.

Batesville Library is offering assistance to persons who may find it difficult using apps on their smartphones.

Other local personalities have found a voice on Martin’s internet waves, including Rip Copeland’s “Rip’s Red Dirt” and Crenshaw Mayor Oscar Barlowe’s “It’s Bell Time” show.