Radio briefs: Fox morning show, Bert’s replacement up in air, Sandra Parrish
My Fox FM, which plays classic rock, wasted no time replacing “Southside” Steve Rickman and Geoff Cole with a new morning show.
Owner Chris Murray moved Fox’s afternoon host Tom Sullivan to mornings and paired him with Dave “Cappy” Caprita, a longtime radio personality who had been doing news for Rickman and Cole.
Sullivan and Cappy launched their show this week, less than a month after Rickman and Cole were taken off the air.
My Fox FM is a collection of radio stations that simulcast classic rock music. In Atlanta, those signals are 102.1 near downtown Atlanta, 100.1 in Smyrna, 99.3 out of Newnan/Peachtree City and 100.9 in Marietta.
It can also be heard on the FM dial in Macon, Warner Robins and Columbus. Murray has plans to expand later this year to Savannah and Augusta.
Murray hired Sullivan in 2022 as an afternoon host given Sullivan’s long history in Atlanta radio. He began as a mascot for former top 40 station 790/WQXI-AM in the late 1970s, then joined 94Q, which became Star 94 in 1989. There, he gave Ryan Seacrest his first job, then signed on as a sidekick on the “Steve & Vikki” show before it ended in 2007.
Murray, who owns My Fox FM as part of the Georgia Radio Alliance, said he needed a morning show with less talk.
“It’s difficult to sound good with a lot of commercials and a lot of talk,” Murray said.
In its first week, Sullivan and Cappy played about 11 songs an hour compared with five or six under Rickman and Cole.
Sullivan said his goal is to ensure his in-between song banter with Cappy clocks in at two minutes or less.
“The music is the star,” Sullivan said. “We’re just the spice thrown in there between songs.”
Murray said Sullivan and Cappy complement each other well. “Tom never seems to have a bad day,” he said. “He’s a naturally optimistic person. Cappy has more of a rock attitude. He moved to Fayetteville to retire, but retirement was driving him crazy, so he joined my station.”
Sullivan admitted he has avoided morning show hours since he left Star 18 years ago, but said yes in this case out of pragmatism.
“It’s better to have a gig,” he said, “than not have a gig.”
Sullivan on Monday did something unusual: He gave Rickman and Cole a few minutes of airtime to pass the baton.
“It was important to me,” Sullivan said. “They are my friends and they didn’t get a chance to say goodbye.”
Rickman, who is now doing a “Yeah C’mon Show” podcast, was gracious, telling Sullivan that “you have a huge heart. I appreciate how upset you are. I want to tell all the Fox FM listeners don’t be hating. Tom Sullivan is the man. You have the blessing of one ‘Southside’ Steve and Geoff Cole to go forward, entertain and play great music on independent radio.”
‘Bert Show’ replacement still unknown
Top 40 station Q99.7 is taking its time finding a new morning show after the personality-based “Bert Show” ended its quarter-century run in late October.
More than two months later, the pop station is running music with no live jocks during mornings.
Brian Philips, chief content officer for Atlanta-based Cumulus Media, provided the AJC a brief response when asked when a new morning show was coming: “Q1.”
It’s unclear if former “Bert Show” host Kristin Klingshirn will be part of whatever new show the station decides to launch. On the final episode of “The Bert Show,” she said she would be staying in Atlanta radio without providing specifics.
Klingshirn, who joined “The Bert Show” in 2011, didn’t reply to a text seeking comment on her future.
Abby Murphy, who joined “The Bert Show” in 2023 as a full-time cast member, said she will be ready to announce a new job soon.
Several radio stations in other markets that had carried “The Bert Show” in syndication found immediate replacement shows.
Sandra Parrish returns
Sandra Parrish, who worked as a WSB reporter for 28 years before leaving the station in 2023, is getting back into radio in a modest way: a Saturday show on 101.1/The Pulse (WJLA-FM) out of Jasper.
Her show starts Jan. 17 from 8 a.m. to noon.
“It will be a magazine-type show with music,” she said. She plans to tell local human interest stories and talk to local leaders.
The station, which debuted a year ago as an unusual format largely featuring Christian music by country artists like Jelly Roll, Brooks & Dunn and Trace Adkins, features several Fish alum on air, including Dan Ratcliffe, Kim Fitz and Parks Stamper.
With Parrish, “we have more than 100 years in radio experience,” said Darien Southerland, president and managing partner at Carriage Radio, which owns the Pulse. “She brings a level of professionalism that’s unmatched.”
Parrish, who bought a place in Ellijay in 2016 and moved there full time in 2019, said she listened to WJLA when it used to play Southern gospel and has been impressed with Southerland’s revamp of the station.
“Darien has done a great job growing the station and its audience,” Parrish said. “He made a small local radio station into a regional one that covers most of northwest Georgia. I’m excited to jump aboard.”
Parrish has been a real estate agent for several years and has been acting in local theater. She will continue to do both, including an upcoming role in “Smoke on the Mountain,” a comedy at the Blue Ridge Community Theater.
About the Author
Rodney Ho writes about entertainment for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution including TV, radio, film, comedy and all things in between. A native New Yorker, he has covered education at The Virginian-Pilot, small business for The Wall Street Journal and a host of beats at the AJC over 20-plus years. He loves tennis, pop culture & seeing live events.
