by jon bosworth jaxvillain@yahoo.com
There isn’t enough local radio in town. If you haven’t noticed, most of the radio stations in town are featuring fewer and fewer local people on the airwaves. Think about it. Who is your favorite local radio celebrity? Take your time. There aren’t many left. When Cool FM went the way of The Eagle, they also dropped their morning show. Lex & Terry can hardly be considered local these days, and I haven’t really kept up with Planet since they moved their homogenized rock to a different place on the dial, but I have definitely noticed a decline in Klinger Road Rage bumper stickers. The point is, there isn’t much that is “local” on local radio these days.
Is that any kind of surprise? The stations that Clear Channel doesn’t own, Cox does, and these are enormous media conglomerates. But there is a safe-haven. Renda Communications specializes in Jacksonville radio and the company is owned by Tony Renda, a local radio man. One of their latest success stories is Gator Country 99.9 FM. In an effort to show his ties to the community, Renda has brought one of Jacksonville’s favorite morning show teams back to the airwaves, but instead of surrounding their morning antics with Britney Spears songs, Amadeus, Eden, and Steve Sutton will be goofing off with you in the mornings between George Strait and Faith Hill songs. I caught up with the morning team just after their first show back on the air. After twelve years on WAPE, the crew left Cox (on good terms) and waited out their no-compete contract.
Finally back on the air, they didn’t miss a step.
“After 12 years, we know when we’re going to speak. And the music here is a hundred-fold better than the music from before,” said Sutton.
“It more closely reflects our lives. Personally, it’s the songs that have a message that is more important than top forty. Love, family, romance. These are things we are passionate about,” added Eden.
“It’s awesome to be back on the air. There are no words to describe it, it’s like being back home,” said Amadeus.
Although Amadeus was reluctant to say anything negative about the old digs at Cox versus the new studio at Gator Country, he did admit that a Mom and Pop organization is more of his speed and he definitely feels as though he’s being treated better by Renda. “The difference is being in a company that is run by radio and broadcasting experts, not lawyers. Renda does radio and that’s it. Cox sells automobiles and newspapers and they don’t concentrate on one thing. Tony Renda has a commitment to radio, and that’s what we love,” said Sutton, “It’s nice to work where you’re respected for your knowledge and experience rather than being treated like another number.”
Tune into Gator Country on 99.9 FM every weekday between 5:30 am and 10 am to listen to their zany antics in the morning, or just tune in for the latest country artists and the newest hits on Jacksonville’s newest country station. From the standards, such as Kenny Chesney or George Strait, to artists so new that they haven’t even hit yet, like Whiskey Falls and Emerson Drive, Gator serves up cutting edge country every day. Listen to Michele Chase from 10 am to 3 pm or check out the program director’s show, Jeff Davis.
“Jeff discovers the next big artists and puts them in rotation weeks before anyone else has even caught on to them.”
The crew is excited to be back and they hope to hear from all of their loyal listeners.
“There are so many things coming up, concerts and events. We can’t wait; we know we will be very busy. We have interviewed close to a hundred artists in the last two weeks. We just got back from Nashville, it was so amazing. We are looking forward to this next year,” said Amadeus emphatically.
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