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Let's hear it for Fat Kid

M

Merlin Berlin

From R&R on-line this morning:


Changes at WDOD (96-5 The Mountain)/Chattanooga, TN: Afternoon guy Brad Steiner moves to mornings, joining Jason Walker; night guy Oz heads to afternoons; and former WNNX (99X)/Atlanta morning stuntboy Jeremy "Fat Kid" Powell joins for nights.
 
Well...certainly, congratulations are in order. Glad he got work in his chosen profession and I wish him luck.

That being said: there's a LOT more to being good on the radio than having spent 6 months as a stunt/sidekick on a (arguably, failed) morning show. One of the hard adjustments to make is the discipline required to, daily, make liners and station positioning sound fresh, particularly when the sum total of your experience has been mostly free-form morning show yacking it up.

Since there's no shortage of people who'd kill for a live on-air gig, whatever "cachet" that's being brought to the table courtesy of the 99X experience had better parlay itself into good, consistent on-air work. Or he'll be replaced, and fast. If he's smart, he'll take direction from his PD and do what he's told. In my experience, this is hard for ex-morning show second and third wheels to do, because most of their "training" came courtesy of the usually insane/anti-management/over the top ego of the main morning person(s) they were working for. Respect for PDs is typically in short supply with those folks.

I'm not saying this is impossible for Fat Kid to do--not at all. Just that it's something he really needs to concentrate on in the short term. Best of luck and I truly hope this works for him.
 
I think that he has probably been guided by those in the industry who knew him on how to get his wheels rolling in the right direction. I think he will be fine.
 
Ditto on what RadioFreeNC said. Leslie Fram reportedly helped him out, and regardless what some on this board may think about her on air. They lady knows the biz, and what she's doing.
 
I travel to Nashville a lot and I have had the chance to hear Fat Kid on the air a few times. The station he is on, 96.5, is pretty strong. I pick it up around Lake Allatoona and it doesn't fade until I am over Mont Eagle mountain on my way to Nashville.

Fat Kid sounds great on the air. He is not polished at all, but you really get the feeling that he is having a lot of fun being there. Also, you can hear Leslie's influence. He relates a lot about the artist and the music that I don't think he knows, but he preps.

I am happy for him and I think he is going to be able to break away from the stunt guy mold. Even though the morning show did have him go out and get some audio from the Riverbend Festival that was going on in Chattanooga last week. It was very tame, but still pretty funny. It was posted on the station's website the other day, I don't know if it is still there.
 
Follow up on my comments--I agree completely about Leslie and her helpful influence. I am sick of the idiotic and moronic negativity emanating from the wanna-be's on this board about her. She's first class. Ask anyone who knew Linda Alter. Leslie is the best and hopefully those at Cumulus (ya listening, Jan?) will realize the resource they have in her and will appreciate that.
 
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