SYNOPSIS
As his lifelong career inches towards obsolescence, a radio journalist sets out to ignite interest in salvaging a local radio station after a hurricane throws it off the air.
For 48 years, John Koch has served his North Florida community as a radio journalist.
As corporatization drains resources from his local station, John witnesses the fallout: fewer newscasts, less local coverage, and the slow deterioration of what was once a community pillar.
When a major hurricane renders the radio station inoperable, John's worst fears are realized. Determined to preserve what he's dedicated his life to, he sets out to reignite interest in the station.
John makes his case to officials, local and beyond, in hopes of restoring the station to it’s original purpose: to be a source of trustworthy information for the community, no matter what.
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
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I made this film because I had never met anyone quite like John before.
For fifty years, his commitment to serving his community as a journalist has never wavered. Even in the face of corporatization, dwindling resources, and the overall declining popularity of radio, John remains steadfast in his belief that radio is an essential public service.
I was gripped by his sense of duty, and found myself reconsidering who and what we're quick to label as archaic.
In the Dark is ultimately about someone holding onto purpose and fighting for what they believe in, even when the world seems to have moved on. But the struggles of a small-town radio station also raise larger questions: As natural disasters grow more frequent, are modern forms of communication as reliable as we think? When technology fails, who gets left behind?
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