A Brief But Heartfelt Note of Thanks and Credit

As I continue remastering all of the audio content for the station to take advantage of its new 64 K MP3Pro bitrate, which is now thankfully showing signs of being almost completely done, I am reminded of the many different personalities, friends, supporters and colleagues who've contributed in material ways over the years to what PLANET ZEB! has become... and what I think it stands for, in a sense.... a cooperative venture among some very talented radio professionals and some very classy, enjoyable listeners to make a magnificent period in American rock/pop music live again in full glory!

I've said, and continue to say, my thanks to loyal listeners on the station website at www.planetzeb.net, because they're a daily reminder of why I always found radio so much fun; it's an opportunity to surround one's self with great music, and simultaneously to share that music with like-minded friends and build a sense of community around shared experiences and emotions. But here's what I was reminded to note while remastering some of my on-air liners the other day: I'm a very lucky guy, because I have some fantastic friends who've contributed their vocal talents and other professional skills to build upon PLANET ZEB!'s on-air presence! I don't mention them often because I figure they have a right to privacy and peace of mind after cutting liners and/or other production for the station. But here's my brief tribute to them all the same, because THEY are as much the voice and spirit of PLANET ZEB! as me or any listener:

Don-- a friend from WIBR and KAJUN 103 FM in Baton Rouge, and a truly, magnificently brilliant production talent and "power radio" production voice. In fact, you'll probably also hear Don's voice on some regional and/or national radio and TV campaigns at some point in your life; he now runs his own successful production studio in Baton Rouge. We used to come up with some of the funniest damned dialogues and/or jokes at WIBR when we were on the air together, and it was all spontaneous; were I the kind of announcer who worked my best in a team (I'm not), I would have easily picked Don as a sidekick and partner among the names at the top of my list. Well, except for one thing. I sense that he much prefers production to on-air announcing. :)

Kevin-- before WIBR, there was KAJUN 103 FM (the first time I worked there). And Kevin, now a broadcast engineer who still does ripper production in KY, was my first-- and probably, in the end, my only reliable-- friend there. I am naturally attracted to people with very bizarre senses of humor and open-minded approaches to thinking through problems or on-air campaigns. I have yet to find someone who combines these qualities any more naturally than he does. He's the "newest voice" to PLANET ZEB!, and I'm thrilled to have his vocal talents on the air!!

Frank-- I could spend six pages of this blog telling you all the funny radio stories I've collected (or lived) over the years that have involved Frank, beginning back when I met him at WQXY-FM in 1980-81. In fact, technically he HIRED me for my VERY FIRST EVER "professional" radio gig at "the Q." I'll spare you those stories for now, except to note that no one got arrested, and they were almost ALL better than some of the funniest WKRP in Cincinnati episodes that ever aired. Frank is now a TV engineer-- like Kevin, I think he very much enjoys the wires and diodes of radio moreso than the announcing, presenting and production-- but Frank was actually the FIRST non-Zebby voice ever to grace the airwaves at PLANET ZEB! He kindly provided his talents to a "liner reel" I asked him to do waaay back in late 2000 and early '01.... and they've been on the air ever since.

Jennifer-- I adore this woman, if not for the fact that she has one of the strangest senses of humor I've ever come across, then for the fact that she is the best "professional radio" non-professional I've ever known. She has been a dear friend for many years, and while at WIBR, I got her to create a "Fawn" character voice that quickly became a popular favorite in some of my drop-ins. After that, I started bringing her into the studio on a few occasions to do live shows with me.... and dammit if she didn't make those shows more entertaining than I could. She never worked professionally in radio, since her interests when I first knew her were in drama and theatre (and makeup, right, Jen?!). The little black cockles of my heart are warmed by having re-established contact with her a year or so ago, and finding out that she was healthy, happy and enjoying her new life with husband, dog and new baby in the United Kingdom! She was very kind to embrace my request enthusiastically to "reincarnate" Fawn in the way of liners for PLANET ZEB! So when you hear that irresistably ditzy giggle and sing-songy Valley voice on any of the liners, you know that Fawn strikes again... compliments of Jen. :)

Alan-- speaking of England, the male English voice you hear on PLANET ZEB! is, in fact, actually English. It's also, along with Frank's, one of the earliest non-Zebby voices to have appeared on the station. Alan is a part-time radio and full-time bingo announcer/entertainer in the north of England; he has also been the UK's Bingo Caller of the Year, and has risen to national prominence with a national parlor/club chain and in certain advertising and promotional materials (including computer software!) there because of his fantastic voice, outstanding diction and (yet again) bizarre sense of humor (pardon me-- humour)!! Long story about how I met him, but I will always relish his friendship and colleagueship. And the liners he cut and emailed to me which still today grace the airwaves at PLANET ZEB!

From time to time, I also find other material to put on-air... the invitation has been standing for some time now for listeners to record their own announcements, testimonials, etc. and email them to me! Variety is the spice of life, after all! But in the meantime, here are five talented and wonderful people who've become, collectively, the voice of PLANET ZEB! And while remastering those liners the other day, I realized that the chance to thank them yet again for their generosity and support was long, long overdue. :)