(I used to write a bi-weekly
column, RadioRadio, for Players magazine in the Tampa Bay area.
The following story appeared in 1991.)
Interview: D.J. Prior
By
Bob Andelman
D.J. Prior is one of those jocks who gets around.
KQKS in Denver, KSON in San Diego and stops in New Orleans,
Kansas City and Wichita all mark the 18-year trail which led
him this summer to his first East Coast job - at WYUU FM, U92,
in Tampa Bay.
"I thought it was a great way to see the world without
joining the military," says Prior. "I'm a preferred
customer with the moving company because I'm a regular."
How many stations have employed the veteran? He won't say,
exactly.
"I'm not shy; I just can't count that high," he
says.
Prior took over the 7 p.m.-midnight shift at U92 from Q105
alum Jo Jo Walker. The "habitual jock" goes by "D.J."
because the station already had a "Dennis" when he
arrived. "People ask me what 'D.J.' stands for and I say,
'Da Jock.' If I was a crane operator, it would be 'C.O. Prior.'"
It's not the first time he's used a name other than the one
he was born with, however. Ever heard of "T.J. Bryant"
or "Cat Summers"?
"The program director at one station said, 'We gotta
come up with a real name for adults, but one that appeals to
the kids as well,'" recalls Prior. "I said, 'How about
MY real name - Dennis?'" The PD preferred "Cat Summers."
"I was 'Dog Winters' to my friends," says Prior.
Cat Summers didn't last long at that station, but the same
PD who tagged him pushed Prior into comedy writing, for which
he's grateful. Prior - who once did improv with a San Diego group
called Today's Reality - sells his jokes on a regular basis to
stand-up comedians and is a contributor to the syndicated Byron
Allen TV show.
Prior prefers writing to performing these days ("I'll
write it, you bomb," he says). "I'm popping stuff in
the mail every week to Leno and Letterman," he says. "I'm
trying to cover my bases with Letterman, sending my stuff to
NBC and ABC."
Talk Ain't Pretty! WFLA 970 AM is tinkering with its
late night and weekend lineup. Bruce Williams, who relocated
his residence and business from New York to Pasco County, joins
WFLA on a tape delay basis Mon.-Fri. from midnight-2 a.m. and
Saturday afternoons from 4-8 p.m. Picking up Williams pushes
Tom Snyder off to the 2-5 a.m. dead zone on weeknights and caused
the cancellation of "Cop Shop" and "Your Money
and Your Life" on Saturdays. Mercurial talk show host Freddie
Mertz left the station to do afternoon drive at WFLA's Atlanta
sister station, WGST, which opened up additional weekend time
for Rush Limbaugh reruns, now heard Saturday & Sunday from
noon-4 p.m.
The only comment RadioRadio can make is that we think
Tom Snyder keeps getting a raw deal in Tampa Bay. First at WTKN,
now at WFLA. Too bad.
On another note, you may have heard by now that former WFLA
bad boy Bob "Mad Dog" Lassiter was canned at WLS in
Chicago. While it seems unlikely Lassiter will turn up on the
air in Tampa Bay at this time due to the paucity of talk stations,
WFLA's Gabe Hobbs won't close the door entirely.
" ... unless Lassiter wants to do a part-time weekend
shift. I'd be happy to talk to him about following in the footsteps
of Freddie Mertz," jokes Hobbs. "I would, in all seriousness,
talk to him about part-time. We have heard he may come back to
Tampa to live while he looks for a job."
Cleveland in Tampa! Another legend of local radio,
Cleveland Wheeler, is also looking for work. The station he went
to in Houston with Nancy Alexander changed format twice in six
months and bought out Wheeler's contract when it finally went
country.
We hear Wheeler may return to Tampa while he looks for work.
Non-compete or no, don't expect to hear him on Q105 or Mix 96
anytime soon.
In Concert! Tampa-based saxophonist Richard Elliot
will be featured on WHVE 102.5 FM in a concert recorded at My
Place in Santa Monica, Ca. The show airs Oct. 26 at 10 p.m. If
you can't wait that long, he'll also be perming at the Tampa
Bay Performing Arts Center on Oct. 12 in support of his new album,
"On The Town."
©2003,
All rights reserved. No portion may be reproduced without the
express written permission of the author.
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