❓ FAQ for the Opposition thinkers... Round 2
Chuck Helstein
Radio Infrastructure Rebel | AM/FM Owner | AI + Public Safety Innovator | Open-Source Broadcaster | Speaker | Zero Trust Radio Architect
Q: “Do you actually think you can change an entire industry by yourself?”
A: Hell no. I can barely cook my own food without Googling it. But I can be loud enough, stubborn enough, and irritating enough that the people who can change it run out of places to hide.
Q: “Why are you airing all this in public instead of working behind the scenes?”
A: Because behind the scenes is where they hide the mess and handshake the deals. I’m not here to sip Merlot in a hotel ballroom — I’m here to roll the dumpster fire into daylight and make everyone watch it burn.
Q: “Aren’t you worried you’ll get blacklisted?”
A: From what? The NAB shrimp cocktail buffet? I’m not your glad-handing VP of Nothing — I’m the guy who runs MacOS i cant use their systems anyway...
Q: “Do you just enjoy making enemies?”
A: Not really... Only if those enemies are outdated rack systems, overpriced middleware, and vendor reps who think ‘security’ is a sticky note with a password on it. If you’ve got a name badge and a golf handicap, relax — you’re not my type.
Q: “What if you’re wrong about some of this?”
A: Then I’ll admit it, fix it, and post a 3,000-word explainer that still gets more reads than your last corporate press release. We win or we Learn... Fail Forward... (corp thing here)
Q: “Isn’t this all just too much?”
A: Too much is my Red Bull intake, my post length, and the number of hours I’ve spent in a transmitter shack wearing sandals. This? This is me pacing myself.
Q: “Why does it seem so personal for you?”
A: Because I promised my kid I’d build something worth inheriting. Because my dad worked harder with a wrench than half this industry works with a million-dollar budget. And because I’m ADHD enough to make every ‘you can’t’ into a demolition derby.
Q: “Lemme guess only child and private school — what’s your story?”
A: Guilty. I went to Manlius Pebble Hill in DeWitt, New York — the kind of place where your parents have a real nice marriage and you get taught table manners before algebra. Then I grew up to run a radio station out of a shed, swear on LinkedIn, and solder things at 3 AM. So… yeah, that tuition paid off. Maybe...
Q: “Do you even sleep?”
A: Only during firmware updates — and even then, I’m shaking like the star of Shaking Bad: MS Edition. Coming soon to a transmitter site near you.
💥 “Tell me something these people don’t know about me… I’m outtie.” 🎤