For 9th time, Atlanta’s Star 94 tries to excise the ghost of Steve & Vikki

Over the weekend, when Bret Mega told a contractor at his Alpharetta home about his new job as morning host at Star 94, the man asked, “So you’re taking over for Steve & Vikki?”

Steve McCoy and Vikki Locke indeed helmed a powerhouse morning show for Star 94. But they left the station 19 years ago after almost 18 years together.

Four U.S. presidents later, the pop station is still struggling to find a true Steve & Vikki replacement, cycling through show after show to no avail.

“The Bret Mega Show,” which debuted this week, is Star’s ninth morning configuration since early 2008.

JR Ammons, vice president of programming for stations in multiple markets including Houston and Atlanta for Audacy, decided to drop morning hosts Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott earlier this year, soon after taking over Star 94. That duo had been on air with Star for less than a year after a quarter century at the now-defunct Christian station Fish 104.7.

“I am a little surprised they cut Kevin & Taylor,” said Mark Owens, part of the Star morning show in 2019 and 2020 with Jenn Hobby. “Established names. Built-in audience. Good people. But I wish the new show lots of success. Radio needs more live and local personalities.”

Bret Mega’s journey back to Atlanta

Ammons, who declined to speak to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, worked with Mega in St. Louis and decided to move him to Atlanta with Anna Bohlmann, one of his co-hosts. Ammons is no stranger to Star: He was assistant program director and music director from 1995 to 2006 during Steve & Vikki’s reign, then returned as program director between 2008 and 2011.

Mega, a 38-year-old Chicago native with a wife, Katie, and three young kids, also has history in Atlanta.

He spent two years in Atlanta as a producer for top 40 station Power 96.1’s morning show from 2014 to 2016 with Scotty K and Riley Couture. Mega said he and Katie, who was his high school sweetheart, enjoyed life as a couple in Atlanta before they had kids.

“We did so much while we were here,” Mega said in an interview with the AJC. “We went to Music Midtown. We went hiking in Stone Mountain. We fell in love with the city.”

iHeartMedia let Mega go without a publicly stated reason in February 2016, just six weeks before he was set to marry Katie, a clinical therapist.

“There was no worse feeling in the world than watching your wife and her dad walk down the aisle and I’m supposed to take care of his girl,” Mega said. “I had no job! So I made it my mission I would stop at nothing to be successful ― or at least outwork everyone.”

When he heard there might be an opening at a station in Dallas, he took what little money he had left in his bank account to fly there. He and Scotty K talked their way into a morning job at Hot 93.3. “We never got past the big station Kiss in that market (in ratings), but we were a thorn in their side,” he said.

In 2021, Mega landed a morning show at St. Louis adult pop station Y98, where he stayed for five years. “We were doing pretty well there and were dominant in the female 25-54 demo,” he said.

But when Audacy offered Mega the job in Atlanta, he was excited to return to the South. He convinced Bohlmann, a single 26-year-old St. Louis native adept at social media and video editing, to join him.

“I trust Bret a lot,” Bohlmann said. “He’s never steered me wrong. He’s a great leader. He just cares a lot. He’s confident this will work. He’s moved so much in radio. He’s done all the moving for me. This could be very permanent.”

A different kind of Star 94 morning show

The AJC watched part of the show at Star’s Colony Square studio in Midtown Tuesday morning. Mega is new at running the board, meaning he is responsible for the technical aspects to ensure the show flows smoothly between commercials, music and talk.

Outside of a minute of dead air on Monday when the show first began, he handled the tech with aplomb.

“If the first thing you do is dead air, you have no way to go but up,” Mega joked Monday on air once he realized his snafu.

Mega said his goal is to be authentic, which his mentor Bert Weiss specialized in on Q100 for a quarter century before retiring a year ago.

“I love Bret,” Weiss said. “What a great opportunity for him! I find myself in a bit of a weird spot. I’ve been there for Bret for years and now he’s going up against the station that was so good for me for so long. So you can understand how I’m a bit torn.”

Mega said now that he has three children who rely on him, his desire to succeed has only grown.

“I don’t feel pressure,” Mega said on air. “I’ll take this shot and see if I make it. If I screw up or get fired, I’m losing everything for them. I have to be the strong one for them.”

Mega also gives plenty of airtime to producer Chris Smith, an Atlanta native who joined the station last year and worked with Kevin & Taylor.

“The name of the show is irrelevant,” Mega said. “I want this to be as much Chris and Anna’s show as mine.”

Between songs by Katy Perry, TLC and Olivia Dean, the trio cranked out a mix of personal stories and bits. There was a contest where a caller trying to win Matchbox Twenty tickets had to answer more pop culture questions correctly than Bohlmann. They talked Hollywood gossip regarding Selena Gomez and her changing voice. Mega, who loves pumpkins, gave one away to a caller in Palmetto, and the two made plans for him to drop it off to her.

Mega took suggestions from callers on what neighborhoods Bohlmann, who is still living in a hotel in Midtown, should move to. Smith talked about a friend’s Nigerian wedding he recently attended that involved “money spraying,” a tradition where guests shower newlyweds with cash on the dance floor.

“Anna and Chris send me journals of their life,” Mega said. “They send it to me on Sunday and we go through and plan content for the week.”

“It’s a learning process,” Smith added.

“You have to observe the world through this lens where it can be content for the show,” Mega said.

He tells listeners that he wants the show to feel like friends sharing their lives. “If you want perfection, go watch the new ‘Baywatch,’” he said. “We are here to share the good, the bad and the ugly.”

For instance, on Wednesday’s show, he described on air how his move was so hectic, he forgot to get the water turned on at his new home, leaving his family with no way to bathe or wash the dishes. “It was only 24 hours, but so stupid!” he said.

While Mega’s primary job will be to host the local Star 94 show, he will continue to do a syndicated version of his show for other markets like Philadelphia and Kansas City. “The Bret Mega Show” in St. Louis will include existing hosts Hannah Gibbs and Kevin Berghoff, who have stayed to create local content for that station.

After Steve & Vikki, Star tried a variety of approaches with its morning shows, but multiple ownership changes, management shifts and music tweaks hampered the station’s ability to find a consistent winner to take on “The Bert Show.” It tried moving its afternoon show to mornings, bringing in personalities from outside the market, recruiting two Bert Show alums and most recently, importing a duo best known in the Christian pop world.

With “The Bert Show” gone, Star has a better chance to establish a successful morning show. Q99.7, former home of “The Bert Show,” launched a new show in late March with three relative unknowns in the market. Mega also faces B98.5’s more established show featuring Tad Lemire, Drex Renner and Kara Leigh, which ranked No. 2 in the Nielsen ratings in September among women 25 to 54.

Mega said he isn’t paying attention to competition, which also includes podcasts, streaming services like Spotify and YouTube.

“I honestly think my biggest goal is to do great radio, connect, do something that’s relatable, be vulnerable and make a difference,” he said. “I think when you do that, you win.”

Star 94’s morning shows since 1990:

1990-2007: “Steve & Vikki Morning Show” with Steve McCoy and Vikki Locke. This show was a huge success until “The Bert Show” took away a bulk of their younger listeners.

2008-2009: “The Morning Mess” with Marc “Marco” Orem, Shannon Murphy, and “Superphat” Mikey Dennison. This show, which was meant to pivot Star much younger, lasted all of 14 months.

2009-2012: “Cindy & Ray Morning Show” with Cindy Simmons and Ray Mariner. They did well from 2003 to 2009 in the afternoons. While their ratings were OK in the mornings, they were not able to make much of a dent against “The Bert Show.”

2012-2014: Cindy Simmons & Jimmy Alexander. Mariner’s departure was shrouded in mystery. Alexander was an out-of-towner. Star’s audience didn’t take to the duo, who only lasted 21 months.

2015-2016: “Drex, Cassiday & Tingle.” Star tried a new trio again: Drex Renner, Cassiday Proctor, and Steve Tingle. New owners dropped them after 18 months. Drex is now part of the B98.5 morning show.