For my first interview, I was fortunate to get in touch with Rodney Baucom, General Manager and Morning DJ of Gospel Radio Station, JoyFM.? I’ve enjoyed Rodney’s broadcast for years, especially while traveling through the Piedmont area of North Carolina.? When I’m not traveling, I often listen to JoyFM’s online stream of their broadcast.?
Rodney has recently began a? new venture with a Top 20 broadcast of Southern Gospel music.? Rodney gives us some more insight on himself and his new Top 20 countdown program below:
AE – Before we start on your career, tell us a little bit about you and your family?
RB – By today’s standards we’re a large family. It’s me and my wife Kelly with four children: Chandler (15), Kylee (12), Reagan (8) and Casie (4). We live in Mooresville, NC and stay busy with school, church and soccer games.AE – How did you get your start as a DJ and how long have you been doing it?
RB –I started in Christian radio when I was in college at Appalachian State University. I worked part time at an AM Christian Talk station in Charlotte, then did mornings for an AC Christian Station in Charlotte, WRCM. We started a Southern Gospel station 10 years ago in Winston Salem, NC called JoyFM. I’ve been there happily since.AE –Funniest moments?
RB –Most of our funniest moments come from impromptu moments during sharathon. However, recently, I was announcing a song by Jessica King, and called her Jessica Simpson. We had some laughs with that.AE –Do you enjoy what you do?
RB –Like a lot of other announcers, I enjoy the music, and love to sing it. I sing in the choir and in a quartet at my church. Southern Gospel has been in my blood since I was a child, and I still love it today.AE –What, if any, Southern Gospel artists have influenced your life? Do you have favorites or as a DJ, are you allowed to say?
RB –Roger Bennett and Glen Payne were great encouragers to me. Brian Free has shown by example the importance of living what you preach. Ernie Haase has encouraged me to have fun.AE –Do you sing or play any instruments?
RB –Sing a little bass . . . play a little bass guitar, but I can’t play and sing at the same time. And I can’t walk and chew gum at the same time either.AE –Was the Top 20 countdown something you came up with?
RB –Yes. I thought that the industry needed a chart that was more in-step with what was currently being played at stations.AE –What is the criteria for making the top 20 each week (Singing News Charts, Requests, JOY-FM playtime, etc.)?
RB –We have a list of participating stations that report their chart. I cannot divulge them, because I don’t want them to receive pressure from promoters or whomever.AE –What are your goals for this new venture?
RB –I’d love to see the list of affiliates grow. I want to have fun on the countdown, so that listeners can have fun, and realize that it’s great to be a child of God.AE –What time each week is the Top 20 Countdown aired and is the program broadcast over the internet as well as radio?
RB –Each individual affiliate station can determine the broadcast time. We’ll be delivering the program on CD format to each of the station’s. I might suggest that a countdown program sounds good on Saturday between 10-12.AE –Have you considered creating an archive of the weekly program that could be listened to online?
RB –I don’t plan on having any audio on the website. Perhaps in the future.
Rodney’s Top 20 countdown may be heard on JoyFM at the following times:
Thurdays: 7-9 PM
Saturdays: 12-2 PM (repeat broadcast)
Tune into JoyFM if you’re in the listening area of the radio broadcast or listen online at www.joyfm.org.? If you have a radio station that plays Southern Gospel music in your area, call them up and tell them you want to hear the Southern Gospel Top 20 Countdown.?
(For more information on becoming an affiliate and broadcasting the show in your area, contact Rodney at the Southern Gospel Top 20 Countdown’s website: www.southerngospeltop20.com)
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