By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Two weeks ago, country station Kicks 101.5 announced CJ Lusk as its replacement for Jenn Hobby at mid-days.
But management had its eyes on adding someone else: Ali Mac, formerly of Star 94. Once they were able to sign her on, they made another change. Move Mac into mid-days, Lusk to afternoons and drop Chris Carter as afternoon host.
Confusing? A little. Mac is back in Atlanta after 16 months hosting a morning show in Vero Beach, FL. She had worked with current Kicks program director Scott Lindy as a night jock when he led Star. This is her first gig in country music.
Lusk is from out of town. He last worked in Memphis and Charlotte. He did mid-days for a couple of weeks at Kicks before moving now to afternoons.
Like a lot of stations, Kicks seems to like a female mid-day host and a male afternoon host.
Lusk will be Kicks' fifth afternoon host since Bill Celler left the post in early 2010 (He is now a realtor out of Marietta.). The four intervening hosts were Tim Michaels (2010-2011), Mike Macho (2011-2013), Tug Cowart (2013-2014) and Carter (2014-2016.)
Prior to Hobby, Kicks had Sari Rose as mid-days from 2008 to 2012. (Small world: Rose later worked at nights for a brief time on Star under Lindy.)
Like Mac, Carter also worked with Lindy for a time at Star 94, where he did weekends and fill-in work for many years. He left that station in 2011 to go to Cumulus, which owns Kicks and what was then the oldies station at 106.7.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
Kicks has had the same morning show for seven years (Cadillac Jack and Dallas McCade).
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