Radio Host Aims to Reunite the Broken Media

“The idea was really born from my unique experiences in America,” Letson said. “For more than 8 years I was a flight attendant flying all over the country, but I was also doing poetry. So I would use my flight benefits to go to different cities to perform. I ended up being connected to so many different artistic communities and it taught me that there was a different narrative playing out than what I was hearing and seeing on television. When you’re out there dealing with real people, things are a little more nuanced.”

Around the time that Letson began conceptualizing “State of the Re:Union,” President Obama was running for office. Naturally, hope and change became central themes in his message.

“At the end of every episode, I sign off by saying, ‘remember, things fall apart. But our job is to put it back together.’ That’s what my mission has been with poetry, theater and this radio show. All sorts of bad stuff is gonna happen, but what’s important is how you get up to fix it. That’s what the show is about, that’s what I’m about,” Letson said. “I think art without purpose is vanity, and I don’t want to be involved in that vanity.”

The modest dilettante quickly adjusted to his new role as small business owner and media figure, branding his ability to connect with the average person into a symbol of working class hero.

“The show really speaks to people and I think that it has made me a business person,” Letson said. “Right now I have 7 employees that work for me, so it’s made me into a small business owner. I think that our success on what happens next really depends on what we do business wise. I think we’ve got a good business plan that will take us into the future. We’re making a great product and I think Americans are hungry for the way we do our stories. A lot of our media is focused on how things are coming apart, but we don’t really deal with that. We tell the stories of everyday people living in America. And people are longing for that connection.”