10 Questions with ... AJ McCloud

BRIEF CAREER SYNOPSIS:

It all started with the high school newspaper, then on the campus radio station at the University of Louisville. My first radio job was in Elizabethtown/Fort Knox, KY. Then after a couple of jobs in Louisville, I was hired on at WHAS and then moved over to WAMZ. I spent 12 years at WQXK in Youngstown, OH (where I got 2 CMA Broadcast nominations). After a few years in Lexington and Frankfort, KY I came to Alabama, first at WDXB in Birmingham before being moved to WDRM in Huntsville (where I've been since 2006).

1) Your bio says you knew your career direction, even in high school. What drew you to working in radio at such a young age?

I loved sports, and played through my junior year, and then became Sports Editor for our high school newspaper. I loved entertaining classmates in elementary school, that's why my conduct grades were always lower than my academic grades. I remember listening to "The Duke of Louisville" Bill Bailey, Coyote Calhoun, and many others entertain on 790 WAKY. I grew up listening to Van Vance call University of Louisville games and Cawood Ledford call University of Kentucky. I was so inspired I would sneak my dad's transistor radio to bed and listen to every AM radio station that I could pick from around the country. I would even wet my hair down and slick it back like Barney Arnold, a news and farm reporter for WHAS radio and TV.

2) How did you land your first gig in radio and how old were you?

I was working at the campus station at University of Louisville (WLCV), when a guy told me he was leaving his part time position at a radio station (WWKK) in Elizabethtown/Fort Knox, KY. So, I applied and drove about 45-minutes for the interview and was hired.

3) What do you remember most from your first years in radio? What has changed the most in radio since then?

I remember being in awe that I was actually getting to do something that I enjoyed so much. I've gone from playing 33s and 45s (try curing up a 45 that has a cue burn) to carts to CDs to everything being on a computer. Internet plays a big role in show prep now. Voice-tracking has certainly made a difference. One thing that hasn't changed is the heart and soul, what a difference I can make when I open the mic, how I can connect with a listener, and better yet when I can shake a listeners hand and talk to them in person.

4) Do you like the programming side or being on air the best and why?

I love being on the air, entertaining, informing, connecting and being a part of listeners lives. However, I've had a chance to work with some people in programming that I never thought I would have the opportunity to know, much less work with them, and what I've learned from them is invaluable.

5) While at WQXK/Youngstown, OH you hosted their top-rated midday show for 12 years and were nominated twice for CMA Personality of the Year. What do you think made that show so special?

Creating fun during people's workday, having fun with the listeners, and my philosophy was to always be the listener's neighbor on the radio (like neighbors talking over the backyard fence). I had listeners there come out to a remote to meet my dad who was visiting from out of town, I had listeners tell me they had the radio on during my show when their children were born. Like our PD Chuck Stevens said, any radio station can play music and have a powerful stick, but it's what you do between the songs and it's the people.

6) What are you the most proud of since joining WDRM?

There are so many things, but the simple answer is, keeping WDRM #1 in the market.

7) You also did sports play by play at WSOM in Youngstown, OH and host the WDRM's High School Football Scoreboard Show. Have you always been a sports nut?

Absolutely, and football is year round in Alabama. I remember going to ballgames with my dad. He was a high school basketball referee for 19 years and I went to every game I could, plus I've heard him called everything you could think of, and a few things you wouldn't think of. Then while broadcasting Georgetown College sports, my son got to travel with me some. In both situations those are memories I'll cherish for a lifetime.

8) I know being involved in the community is very important to you and you even conduct church services at a jail and at an assisted living facility. How did you get involved with that and have you found any loyal WDRM listeners behind bars?

When I got back in church I was praying that God would somehow use me, so a guy from our church invited me to join him at his church service at jail, I said okay but told God that's not what I had in mind. God changed my mind after I attended my first service and now I've been going for 13 years. Yes, there are inmates who tell me all the time that they listen and see me on TV on WHNT.

9) You also host the weekend events segment on WHNT-TV in Huntsville. Do you find TV to be harder than radio or are you just as comfortable on camera?

I love both. I hosted a weekly video show in Canton, OH for several years. Once I get past the first show and start getting to know the people I work with I feel comfortable, and no, I don't find it harder. I'm still communicating, informing and entertaining the audience. I do remember when I sat down to write my first video show, I thought, ok how am I going to fill 30 minutes. After the first show, it was like, how am I going to fit this into 30 minutes. I could've filled 60 minutes.

10) Out of all of the radio contests and promotions you have gotten to be a part of over the years, what one has really stood out to you as a favorite?

There have been so many great ones, but the following two for a couple of reasons. I remember doing the Secret Sound as a station. We would play 1 second of a sound, next week 2 seconds, the clues would increase and so would the money. The receptionist at my doctor's office called me at home while I was mowing the grass to ask me what the sound was. Also, What's My Wife Cooking as a personal favorite. I would give ingredients from one of my wife's recipes and the listener had to tell me what my wife was cooking. Listeners who knew our phone number would call my wife and ask her what she was cooking. Most of the time I didn't tell her when I was playing the contest, so she would have no idea what was going on.

1) What do you do with your wife for fun when you actually have some time off?

Since our boys are 22 and 18, we usually have fun playing with our dog, Rocky. He loves to play keep away with his toys. We actually have so much fun with Rocky, he may get jealous when the grandchildren come along.

2) What is the first concert you ever attended?

Jerry Reed and Lynn Anderson performed at the Horse Show at the Kentucky State Fair, I went with my parents. As a teenager, the first show I attended by myself/with others was Boston & Eddie Money at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY (late '70s). The surprise unannounced special guest was Sammy Hagar.

3) What's the best meal in Huntsville?

Loaded pork baked potato or pork salad at Big Bob's BBQ in Decatur, AL. The reason I say "or" is because the portions are so big I can't eat both.