Ok, I'm going to be bold now and speak for a change too. Hi, I'm Jay Fuller. I'm a self employeed network administrator who handles networks all across his hometown of Cullman Alabama. I also help to administer a broadband network using wireless technology to rural parts of Cullman and hopefully to rural north alabama.
I worked in oldies from 1994 to 1997 in Cullman and fellin **LOVE** with the station known as 92Zew when I went to college in Mobile in 1997. I'll never forget the first time I was on a date listenin to the zew after a movie and the part timer on friday night played "you can call me al" from Paul Simon's concert in the park album. OMG. I was sold. I'd never heard that arrangement....and heck, I'd hardly even heard that song on the radio in north alabama.....and i'm upset it's not played there again. Unique music....live music....music you don't hear much is what I like.
Another good example....KOZT (kozt.com) in california.....our friends just call us the coast.
(back to 92Zew...) I eventually wound up calling this station a lot overnights and wound up working there part time and met wonderful people like Amanda Murduck (who recently left the station, in disgust over the blandness of management and management's non-ability to adapt to what it's listeners wants....and moreover, lack of respect for the people who make the station work).
No offense to 92Zew....I loved working with Brian, Sean, Amanda, and I even like what Gene has done with the station since he's taken over PD duties there and frankly, 92zew is on nearly 24/7 steaming....and on top of that, before they had a stream, i had my own pirate stream....cause it's all much better than anything up here. It's better than satellite radio. It's better than music choice on satellite...I'm sorry, but it is.
I've heard stories of when they nearly shut the zew down before i went to mobile...and the people en mass stopped it. Rumors....urban legands...who knows. I know who Katt Sirtin ? (sp?) is and I know what Nashville's Lightning 100 is. I don't consider myself an expert on AAA but for me, my background, and who I am, AAA is for me.
The presents in my car up here in north alabama are as follows...WQLT in florence (107.3....and thanks for giving me a job guys, I'm enjoying helping out there now in a part time fashion, even if it's overnights on weekends), 95.1 the rocket out of hsv (Jimbo Wood's old station, and yes, Reg/Scott, I've heard your show on there, and frankly, if I wanted classic rock, i'd change to one of the overplayed stations - oh lord - 99.5 out of bham, wzrr, , or 106.1, tak, out of hsv, or even 106.9 out of bham...im sorry, but i go soooo burnt out on that ten years ago it's not hardly even on my presets anymore. Number three....would be 100.3 the river now out of hsv - another corporate experiment (but better than most...) - and no, groovin' bruce, i know you don't work a night shift followed immediately by an AM shift....gimme a break. Obviously no one is at that station. Number 4....5...i'm not sure i ever make it to them and they change regularly - yes, the vulcan (and i'm sorry, i *do* miss the vintage vault from the X...i was a regular listener!...even more often than i'd wake up for reg....) , 94.5 (since ya'll think they're changing...i thought i'd see why), 96.5 occasionally (everyone says they hate it...why? it's not a bad mix...) - 99.1, lord knows...96.9....who is calling themselves locally owned....are they really?
I flip almost constantly when i'm in the car....which is a lot. Admitingly, I've always listened to WQLT more, and they lost me a good bit when they started adding in more classic rock (i asked Bo Davis there why...long story, i'll keep it off here)....but right now it's a pretty doable mix...heck, if it weren't , i wouldn't be working there.
So there ya have it. I'm 29 years old. I'm semi professional - at least in my sense of the term. If I had money to blow right now (hey, i'd like to soon) - I'd risk the experiment of AAA in Birmingham. Sooner or later the corporate tank will explode....92.1 here in Cullman might fail, or heck, even the Crawford folks might wanna get rid of talk (but not anytime soon cause you know what? a lot of folks are tired of radio...and the same songs played over and over and over again, and guess where they turn to get something fresh? Amazing...I think Crawford had a great idea with the source....I'm kind of following it closely too).
Yes...I like radio. No, I'm not sure I'd ever want to own a station. Amanda Murdock and I have already talked about getting dreamy and doing a station RIGHT...afterall, we talk to the listeners. Management doesn't (usually). Corporate radio has a long way to go to touch base with the user base....and bless they're hearts...maybe they're trying. I'm just not sure.
I've ranted enough - but Reg/Scott, I agree, you do have a good show. And advertising is half...no 3/4ths the battle of having a station. Your ratings can absolutely TANK...who cares. If you're billing and you have the sales staff to keep you nicely in the black...some people don't even pay attention to ratings.
Oh, and I leave you all with this final thought. Has a study or a consultant ever actually IMPROVED a station? I have yet to find an example....
-Jay Fuller
Cullman Alabama
[email protected]
