J. B. Miller returning to the air

[EZ103.3FM]

This story was posted on J.B.'s facebook page and was shared by Kindred's Paul Swann on his page which is where I saw it. It's not actually on the herald-dispatch website, but is listed as a print exclusive. So I copied and pasted this from the facebook entry. I just saw J.B. when I attended the Cancer Survivors event at Cabell Huntington Hospital on Sunday.

One other thing to add - a comment on Paul Swann's sharing of the story from Bill Cornwell: 'The next shoe will drop in a few months....'\

J.B. Miller to join Kindred radio station
The Herald-Dispatch

HUNTINGTON — A long time Huntington radio personality will be back on the air next month .
...
J.B. Miller, who lost his job last year at Magic 97.9-FM, will return to radio as the morning show host on Big Buck Country 101.5-FM. Both of those stations were part of Connoisseur Media, based in Connecticut, before being purchased last month by locally owned Kindred Communications.

“It’s probably the easiest decision we ever made,” said Mike Kirtner, president of Kindred Communications. “By the ‘Letters to the Editor’ we’ve seen and the people always asking where he was, we knew. Now on Big Buck, they can hear the country music that they grew up with with an announcer that they grew up with.” Kirtner said his stations used to compete with Miller, and now he’s happy to have him on his team.

Miller begins on July 9 and will be on the air from 6 to 10 a.m. on 101.5-FM. He also will continue in his current job as manager of Huntington Area Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore .

“I never knew, after 36 years in radio, there was anything else. ...

That’s all I’d ever done,” said the 51-year-old of Ashland, Ky. But he went into his job at Habitat “with gusto” and he’s enjoyed working to have a positive impact there.

The ReStore accepts donations and sells used furniture, appliances and other items at discounted prices, with proceeds going to Habitat. After spearheading several charitable projects over the airwaves, Miller said working for a charity seemed a natural fit, and he’ll continue working to open new doors for the organization. For example, when he started, they’d never sold traffic lights. He suggested they give it a try.

“Now we’ve sold 75 traffic lights that were going to be thrown away,” Miller said. “People hang them up in their garages. I have one in mine.” He’s kept his weekends busy with DJ work, emceeing parties and local events such as the Ironton Memorial Day Parade and Cabell Huntington Hospital’s Cancer Survivor celebration. But it will be nice to have a regular radio program again, Miller said.

Now when he thinks of a story that would be interesting to share over the air, he once again has an outlet to share it — something he’s missed.

“Radio, obviously, that’s my first love,” he said.

[Ace Purple]

Congrats to J.B. on landing the new gig. AllAccess.com has a story with similar information up on its website.

http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archi ... or-morning

[cgarison]

“It’s probably the easiest decision we ever made,” said KINDRED COMMUNICATIONS Pres. MIKE KIRTNER. “By the ‘Letters to the Editor’ we’ve seen and the people always asking where he was, we knew. Now on BIG BUCK, they can hear the Country music that they grew up with an announcer that they grew up with.”

I grew up with Jim "The Flying Dutchman" Schnieder, Dave McLain, and Chuck Black. Maybe he is talking about someone younger than me.


[Another one of those "Damn, I'm Old!" momnents.]

[Jay Nunley]

I know there are reasons that Connoisseur Media made some of the decisions they made, but I can't figure them out from the outside.

#1 Getting rid of a revenue generator like Miller. Yo, J.B. I told you that you wouldn't be off the air forever.

#2 Abandoning a market you just bought into (and selling for less than you paid).

#3 Going great guns with marketing, kicking ass, and then just stopping.

#4 That stupid "Jack/Bob/Fartsniffer or Whatever" format. The only places that horseshit ever worked was at stations with strong air talent and research. You can't jukebox that shit and the proof of that was all over the place BEFORE they did it.

There are more. Can someone with more inside info explain some of this to me? The company doesn't seem to make decisions like this in their other markets.

[the jive talkin one]

“It’s probably the easiest decision we ever made,” said KINDRED COMMUNICATIONS Pres. MIKE KIRTNER. “By the ‘Letters to the Editor’ we’ve seen and the people always asking where he was, we knew. Now on BIG BUCK, they can hear the Country music that they grew up with an announcer that they grew up with.”

I grew up with Jim "The Flying Dutchman" Schnieder, Dave McLain, and Chuck Black. Maybe he is talking about someone younger than me.


[Another one of those "Damn, I'm Old!" momnents.]

Dave McClain...

Believe it or not, I produced the first spec aircheck he ever did, when his cousin Dave Shaffer (a parttimer at WCMI when i was there) brought him over on a visit from California. He had never been in a production room before! Just a few years later we were working together at WTCR. When he got the chance to return to Cali to substitute host for Bob Kingsley on American Country Countdown, it was nothing short of surreal!

[ralphallen]

Mister Jay Nunley!

What you said! Right on! You go man! Righto! You have it right! I want to remember this quote! This is poetic...ponderous man...you ARE my brother in spirit...well said...you rock!

#4 That stupid "Jack/Bob/Fartsniffer or Whatever" format. The only places that horseshit ever worked was at stations with strong air talent and research. You can't jukebox that shit and the proof of that was all over the place BEFORE they did it.