Melody Emm and James "Baymes" Grundy are the most recent WJPZ couple in our history, and today we learn about their significant contributions to the radio station. Baymes, a New Jersey native, toured SU on the recommendation of his high school English teacher, and fell in love with the campus the moment he arrived.
Melody has a unique origin story in the radio station's history. Her Mom, while in high school, was a frequent WJPZ contributor, though never in an official capacity. Folks like JD Redman and Mark Zimmerman would utilize her for bits and jingles and more. She joined Z the moment she got to campus, and it wasn't until she and Baymes started dating that she recruited him to join.
Today, you'll hear the cringe-worthy story of their disastrous first date, and how Fate brought the two of them back together later.
Their tenure at Z involved some significant moments in the station's history. Melody was on staff when the signal was upgraded to 1,000 watts. She then became VP of Programming and General Manager. She had to hand-schedule music for 10 months due to a G-Selector issue, and was GM in 2020 when COVID hit. She had to hand the reigns to Kyle Leff and work out a succession plan in those "unprecedented times." And unfortunately, for so many in the Class of 2020, this meant being robbed of their final shows on Z89.
Baymes spent quite a bit of time on-air with Z Morning Zoos. But he really found a passion for production and more "behind-the-scenes" work. You'll hear some samples of that work in today's episode. In fact, when he was looking at options after graduating, he decided to pursue a masters from SU. And honestly, additional years of "eligibility" at WJPZ may have played into that decision. His production chops have made him quite a help in the production of the WJPZ podcast, having collaborated with JAG on both this show and various client work.
Throughout today's episode, you'll hear some themes that have been recurring over the last half-century, including the passion to pay it forward, and what a family WJPZ is.
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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