Re: Zew 92 <sigh>
> Hello again Brian:
>
> He's right ya'll. Brian Hart made part of that station for
> several years.
> Sean Sullivan is also very well known and I believe most of
> the years I
> really enjoyed the station Sean was the afternoon drive guy.
> He moved to
> mornings and Brian Hart made his way to afternoon drive.
> The initial concept of the station, as I understand it (long
> before I ever found it) was you'll never know what you'll
> hear next. I remember the days of going from Tori Amos
> (cornflake girl) to Paul Simon (diamonds on the souls of her
> shoes...Sean's favorite song)....to Walking in Memphis
> (sean's least favorite song heh), to "new" music - - that
> granted had been out six months - - but the station's
> management never pulled the "new music" promo. The new
> music was a bit overbearing at times....but hearing the
> older stuff mixed in as well as the unique mix of music made
> it for me.
>
> When I worked there, I went out on a limb a little bit - we
> had a playlist created by the music director (whoever was
> bold enough to try for it that month) and we pretty much
> went by the music playlist. However, from time to time,
> we'd play all the songs in an hour or a song would have been
> played last hour and seemed a bit overplayed. I remember
> one Saturday I was covering a shift and got bold and played
> Dave Mathews "so much to say" - a song from 1995. This was
> 2000. No one had heard that on the radio in years. Sean
> Sullivan was either doing a remote or was listening and
> called up and complimented me on the selection. I now notice
> (although it's 5 years later) that song is still in the play
> list and is played from time to time.
>
> I know other people who have heard the station or even
> worked at the station and who have completely burnt out on
> it. I have been burnt out on it maybe twice...and I tuned
> in something else, but the funny thing is, before I setup
> streaming (this was before the station did the streaming),
> i'd long to return to Mobile **just to hear the zew**. It's
> nuts...almost like a woman you've nearly fallen in love
> with.
>
> Another point i'll make - when I started working there a
> gentleman named Mark was doing overnights. His voice was
> pretty rough but his heart was in the music. He came up with
> an underground music show he aired at night. He eventually
> became the night jock then eventually moved on as many
> people have done - frustrated with the management (or lack
> thereof). I learned a long time ago as a part time weekend
> jock to not get too involved in the politics of a station -
> the management probably did not even know who i was. Mark
> made some good suggestions to the mix and at about that
> time, the station played a wide variety of live music as
> well as regular music. (i remember during the gumbo shop, at
> 12 noon, for a while...probably at least a year, i'd almost
> always hear dave mathews's typical watchtower....too long
> for "normal radio" - especially during the lunch
> hour.....but the jock who did the gumbo shop them knew how
> to make the listener jam. I wouldn't call it
> overplayed....but it was played probably once a week. Good
> song. I got hooked.
>
> The mix of live paul simon music also did it for me - the
> concert in the park album which I had never heard any music
> from promptly became one of my favorites. In fact - the
> FIRST SONG that got me hooked on the station my first year
> in Mobile (I was at USA studying computer science from 1997
> to 2000) was You Can Call Me Al from the concert in the park
> album. I had never heard such a rocking version of the
> song....and heck, in north alabama, it's hard to find that
> song played anywhere (occasionally right now 107.3 out of
> florence will play it).
>
> The zew is unique. The zew is different. Unless you listen
> to the zew nearly 24/7, the zew is unpredictable. Even now,
> with all of it's changes in format and it's tweaking with
> the music to tweak with the ratings it's completely
> different than it was six months ago, and even more
> different than a year ago. I haven't heard 88 lines about 44
> women in a very long time.
>
> Amanda "Gene" has been bought in as the evening jock - she's
> been with the station probably...well as long as i've been
> listening to it...since 1997 (how many stations can keep
> someone that long?!) , she used to do weekends like I did
> too. She's very knowledgeable on the music and the trivia
> and in my opinion can put together a heck of a radio show.
>
> The jocks of this station have done a heck of a job (yes,
> even you Brian) considering what **i think** they had to
> work with. I don't know how much revenue this station brings
> in and I don't think the jocks know either. I think
> management is very hush hush (as is management of many
> stations) but there is a very....vivid....following of this
> station in Mobile.
>
> I hear rumors from time to time about the format changing. I
> remember the weekend I started working there it was 80's for
> a whole 2 days. I remember Sean's "taking back the station"
> by force skit he did when they went back to the regular
> format. In fact, I believed he truly locked himself in the
> control room and wouldn't let the management in to put the
> 80s back on. (was that your idea Brian? hehe...i mean was
> the 80s your idea?) Oddly enough I started working there the
> next week and found out Sean Sullivan was now the music
> director. That lasted probably six months or so.
>
> For not being very involved in the station, I've kept very
> close tabs on what goes on there for as long as I possibly
> could. Each jock there has their good traits and their bad
> traits. All of them have been frustrated before. All of them
> have been happy before. 92 zew is not a corporate radio
> station. It's "local" - it's "heritage". it's not just a job
> to the people who work there.
>
> i can't remember if i said this before, but if you like 92
> zew, you should also try out
www.kozt.com which is out of
> california. it's another locally owned and run radio station
> with a killer playlist. i discovered that station because
> the dr. demento show, which used to play on 92 zew,
> "streamed" on kozt as well. i still listen to it regularly
> sunday nights at 11 central time. (it used to air at 10 on
> the zew).
>
> ok....all you people out there in the know......correct me.
>

>
> -jay fuller
>
>
>
>
> > It was the best of stations, it was the worst of stations.
>
> >
> > I used to work there. It's undergone several management
> > changes in the past few years resulting in a lack of
> > direction. So basically what happens is they change the
> > focus of the station every 6 months or so never giving it
> a
> > chance to grow. A real shame, it could be something great
>
> > in the area, even given it's limited signal.
> >
>
Jeeez I am getting Old! I got my start in Radio at ZEW - Uncle (Tim) I think was the night guy. I got hired to run the Jazz Show on Sunday Nights and worked a few swing shifts overnights. Catt Hired me on my 15th Birthday after hearing a tape I made at WBCA- AM - No I am in Dallas Getting paid to do what Started 13 years ago. 2 Great Stations in the Mobile area ZEW and ABB. Thanks for the extensive update on 92 I enjoyed reading the history.