WTJU Rock Promos au Go Go

 

 

The recent WTJU Rock Marathon fund drive was a huge success, with a stellar week-long lineup of specially-curated programs that was a joy to hear. WTJU, the Sound Choice in Central Virginia, really doesn't fundraise like anyone else -- it's like an explosion of sound AND a rock 'n' roll history lesson from some of the coolest music fans around (and also people like me).  

Take a listen to EVERYTHING that WTJU does -- from folk and blues to jazz and rock -- by listening at wtju.net. 

For the big Rock Marathon, I was once again honored to collaborate with the nimble Lewis Reining and the Mighty WTJU Promo Art Players to crank out another batch of (mostly) wacky marathon promo spots. These radio ads have been compiled together in one combustible place! Hear 'em all right here.  

Thanks to all of the gang:, Erin O'Hare, Brian Keena, Dave Moore, Jenn Lockwood, Rick Clark, Nathan Moore, Zoe Krylova, and Sunny the Promo Dog, who is giving me direction, as shown.

You don't have to wait for a big WTJU fund drive to donate. Go to the easy and secure donate page at wtju.net/donate. 

(Photo by the mighty Zoe Krylova!!) 

My Radio Life (an update)

Hey, this is pretty cool. A radio commercial that I produced and helped to voice just copped WTJU 91.1 FM a "Best Station Promo" award from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters.

This is the third of these beautiful statues that I've helped WTJU to snag (he said humbly) over the years. Thanks to brilliant engineer Lewis Reining, and "The Mighty WTJU Art Players" -- Erin O'Hare, Colin Powell and Nick Rubin.  And, of course, WTJU station manager Nathan Moore. Check out the winning promo, entitled "Rocco," by clicking here.

I hardly ever put stuff about my radio work on this blog, so I guess this is a good time to mention Radio Wowsville, which I co-host on WTJU 91.1 FM and http://wtju.net with fellow DJ Colin Powell (pictured right). "The Wow" (as the kids call it) is heard every Sunday night at 11PM EST, and has been broadcasting new, obscure and often audacious music across the Central Virginia airwaves since the Eisenhower administration.

Listen to WTJU's live online stream right here. And to call back past WTJU shows, including the last two weeks of Radio Wowsville on Sunday nights, go right here.

That's the music side of my radio life. I also co-host a news-talk show, Open Source RVA, that airs every Friday at noon EST on WRIR 97.3 FM and http://wrir.org.


Open Source RVA covers mostly Virginia topics, with a focus on the Richmond region, and brings listeners long-form interviews with politicians, newsmakers, musicians, artists. chefs, writers and historians. On the hosting front, I'm joined by fellow journalists and writers Kate Andrews, Piet Jones, Angela Lehman, Dina Weinstein, Dale Brumfield, Bryce Maddox, Baylen Forcier, and the intrepid ladies from RVA Dirt, Melissa Vaughn and Jessee Perry. Each week on the Source, producer Krysti Albus and I (pictured) try to inject a little fun into local coverage of people and events, and we pack each episode with everything from original news coverage to stories about the arts, literature, music and theatre.

Listen to WRIR's live stream right here.  And to  hear previous Open Source RVA broadcasts and special audio features, go to the show's Soundcloud page right here.

Writer of the Year Nomination

This doesn't happen everyday.

I've just learned that I have been nominated for the 2014 "Writer of the Year" award by the National City and Regional Magazine Association. 

This is for work published in Hampton Roads Magazine -- now Coastal Virginia Magazine -- last year.

Special thanks go out to my editor, Melissa Morgan Stewart, for not only putting up with me, but for having the confidence to nominate me. Thanks Melissa!  To read some of the articles I have written for HR and CV, click right here.

The National City and Regional Magazine Award winners will be announced in May at their annual conference.  I'm going to be impossible to live with now.