"Kid" Michael Rock grew up taping Casey Kasem and trying to talk up the songs himself. So it's not surprising that he applied to Syracuse, and only Syracuse. And he set out to find WJPZ before his parents had finished unpacking him into Flint Hall. Who was the first person he met at the station? BB Good.
Kid got his FCC license and was soon doing every airshift, including mornings with Steve Donovan (then "Abe Froman"). Ironically, they'd end up competing against each other years later.
Rock retells the WJPZ at 50 stories of Spunky the Midget Wrestler and getting drunk on the air with a police officer from his perspective. You'll also hear about his brilliant move to take his girlfriend to Phantom of the Opera in Toronto - and what he did to blow the weekend.
Michael says as much as he learned about radio at WJPZ, he learned even more about management. They are lessons that have served him well in his current role as director of content for Fun 107, a station he's been at for decades.
Many jocks don't want to spend time on the "internet" aspects of their show, but Kid tells us why it's so important to focus on more than what's just coming out of the FM speakers at that exact moment.
For someone who's worked in local radio for so long, how does he see the industry surviving? By staying local. Rock elaborates on that and how he does it.
The WJPZ at 50 Podcast Series is produced by Jon Gay, Class of 2002, and his podcast production agency, JAG in Detroit Podcasts.
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