Post by Bornthrilla on Jun 11, 2010 7:56:48 GMT -5
Busta Brown finds his way back to radio
By Jon Kirby
When traversing the FM dial in the Triad, few voices are as familiar or as dependable as that of Manard "Busta" Brown.
A San Francisco native, Brown spent 10 industrious years at 102 Jamz (102.1 FM) before moving to sister station WQMG (97.1 FM).
In recent years, his show, "The Afternoon Thang," had become an institution -- a finessed mixture of message and music that had legions of loyal listeners and garnered a mighty market share.
But on March 19, Brown's show vanished.
"(They) wanted to go in another direction," says Brown of his former employer. "They wanted more music than talk, and I wanted to continue to give my listeners what they had grown to love -- the information, the building of lives, the different things like that. So we couldn't meet halfway there. I wasn't going to compromise, and they weren't going to compromise."
Although WQMG declined to comment on the reactions they've received, Brown says he felt his listeners' frustration.
"They were blown away," Brown says. "They were more concerned with 'Where are we going to get the information? How are our voices going to be heard now?' Because my show mattered to them; it was about them having a voice."
Over the years, Brown's show had evolved from a say-something-crazy drive-time show to a sophisticated forum, capable of entertaining and educating the masses on topics such as money, nutrition, fitness and love.
Brown's firm grasp on the afternoon slot left little room for competitors -- even the nationally syndicated powerhouse Michael Baisden, whose show was exiled from the dial by the hometown favorite.
When WQMG pulled the plug on "The Afternoon Thing," Brown knew he still had a commitment to his listeners.
"A lot of women were like, 'Who's going to tell us we're beautiful?' " Brown said. "I've had several women come up to me and say, 'You know my whole life you're the only person who's ever told me I was beautiful and that I was loved, ever, and I've never met you.' "
Read more:
gotriad.news-record.com/content/2010/05/19/article/busta_brown_finds_his_way_back_to_radio
By Jon Kirby
When traversing the FM dial in the Triad, few voices are as familiar or as dependable as that of Manard "Busta" Brown.
A San Francisco native, Brown spent 10 industrious years at 102 Jamz (102.1 FM) before moving to sister station WQMG (97.1 FM).
In recent years, his show, "The Afternoon Thang," had become an institution -- a finessed mixture of message and music that had legions of loyal listeners and garnered a mighty market share.
But on March 19, Brown's show vanished.
"(They) wanted to go in another direction," says Brown of his former employer. "They wanted more music than talk, and I wanted to continue to give my listeners what they had grown to love -- the information, the building of lives, the different things like that. So we couldn't meet halfway there. I wasn't going to compromise, and they weren't going to compromise."
Although WQMG declined to comment on the reactions they've received, Brown says he felt his listeners' frustration.
"They were blown away," Brown says. "They were more concerned with 'Where are we going to get the information? How are our voices going to be heard now?' Because my show mattered to them; it was about them having a voice."
Over the years, Brown's show had evolved from a say-something-crazy drive-time show to a sophisticated forum, capable of entertaining and educating the masses on topics such as money, nutrition, fitness and love.
Brown's firm grasp on the afternoon slot left little room for competitors -- even the nationally syndicated powerhouse Michael Baisden, whose show was exiled from the dial by the hometown favorite.
When WQMG pulled the plug on "The Afternoon Thing," Brown knew he still had a commitment to his listeners.
"A lot of women were like, 'Who's going to tell us we're beautiful?' " Brown said. "I've had several women come up to me and say, 'You know my whole life you're the only person who's ever told me I was beautiful and that I was loved, ever, and I've never met you.' "
Read more:
gotriad.news-record.com/content/2010/05/19/article/busta_brown_finds_his_way_back_to_radio
