jstone336 said:
Stick, You guys were the best morning show on radio during your era. I lived in Virginia and I used to get up every morning with the 94-Z Morning Zoo. I remember Jesse Helms doing school lunch menus, and all the wonderful skits you guys made so popular. I think you definetely made your mark in radio history in this area and there has never been another Morning program close to the quality and fun you guys provided in your day.
Thanks. Truth to tell, we had a management mandate to copy the Q-Zoos in Houston and Tampa, the latter just before Shannon went to Z100 in New York. He told me during a phone conversation back in the day, after we sent him a copy of the 94Z Morning Zoo "best of" tape, that ours was one of the better rip-offs he had heard, which I took to be a compliment. We worked hard and I believe eventually found our own voice. I lost track of the Zoo after I departed in summer of '86, but the occasional news I encountered after gave me no reason to believe it didn't continue to thrive, and even get better. (The best-of is still on cassette; one day I'll get around to digitizing it.)
A few random notes: John Van Pelt is indeed working as a stormchaser, among other things, and evidently quite successfully:
http://www.stormstudy.com/.
Scooter Davis, aka Kyle Whitford, is apparently at WSOC, and still does voiceover work. I believe he had a website until not too long ago. Scooter was one of the coolest cats in the biz, and one of the most talented; no doubt still is. He was very kind, and very generous with his knowledge. After I left, Eric Bohlen stepped into the Zoo producer's shoes and evidently worked with Kyle on a series for the Zoo titled "Rednecks in Space," which I have been told was excellent. Eric was another very talented man who I hope is doing well.
I don't know where Mike Edwards is now, but after G105, he headed to WKSE in Buffalo, New York in 1989, just before I wound up there producing Rocky Allen and so had the opportunity to get to know Mike and work with him until 1991, when I left for NYC. I know he later worked in Wilkes-Barre and a few other places. Anyone know where he is now?
A 94Z Fan said:
Actually i do have an update where Heavner is at now. He lives of Highway 54 east of Chapel Hill he bought an old catholic church and convert it to a house hes like 61 now. As far i hear hes doing fine.
Mr. Heavner's got to be more like 69 now. He was in his middle 40s at least when 94Z signed on. Good to know he's doing well.
A 94Z Fan said:
Is the old 94-Z studios still around?
The building is. We rented a floor in a facility located at the intersection of Blue Ridge Road and Lake Boone Trail, across from Rex Hospital.
For all of its challenges, 94Z signed on the air with a state-of-the art facility, a top-notch staff, a willingness to spend money, and an earnest (though perhaps improperly executed) commitment by ownership and management to create top-market-sounding radio in Raleigh. Whether or not it succeeded depends largely on taste more so than on numbers, the latter of which were never where we wanted them to be. Still, I believe that the one thing 94Z certainly achieved was to set the bar higher for all subsequent comers. Not to mention that when it signed on, WQDR had just flipped from AOR to country and WRDU had just signed on to fill the void, so there was lots of new energy in the market. It really was a time of very intense growth and redefinition there.
Always fun to reminisce -- hope I haven't put anyone to sleep...(!)
