SYNOPSIS
Facing the deterioration of his life long career, a radio journalist sets out to ignite interest in salvaging his local radio station after a hurricane throws it off the air.
John Koch, a semi-retired radio journalist, has witnessed firsthand the decline of resources and funds being directed towards his local radio station due to corporatization, and worries about what this trend means for the future of his rural community.
John’s worries are confirmed when the main radio station is rendered inoperable as a major hurricane hits his town. He sets out to garner interest in revitalizing the station as a pillar in the community.
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.
What does it mean to watch your life’s work slip into obsolescence?
As natural disasters grow more frequent, what happens to rural communities?
In an age of digital dominance, are modern forms of communication
really as indestructible as we think?
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
In The Dark is both a portrait of one grappling with purpose, and a reflection on how the quiet struggles of a small-town radio station echo broader questions about how we share information in the 21st century.
I made this film because I saw someone fighting, not for recognition or reward, but because of his unshakable belief in what is right. John believes deeply in the power of words, the necessity of truth, and the importance of serving a community that might otherwise be overlooked.
I’m drawn to people who push the boulder up the hill, knowing it might roll back down. John sees the cracks in the systems we rely on, and in the face of the corporatization of independent stations, he knows that radio, a medium that most young Americans find archaic, is still worth protecting.