Ryan Cameron will have his radio show heard on multiple radio stations at once for the first time in his career thanks to a new syndication deal.
He will remain at the Majic 107.5/97.5 headquarters in his hometown of Atlanta. Urban One’s Reach Media, which is overseeing syndication, has not said what other stations Cameron will be on just yet.
Cameron has been an Atlanta radio legend for three-plus decades, including successful runs at V-103 and Hot. He joined Majic in 2018 as afternoon host after leaving V-103′s morning show.
“Syndication was something I have been floating around for a while,” Cameron said. “You have to be dominant in your market and we’ve been doing really well. I also felt the show could resonate in other places.”
Majic came in No. 1 among 25- to 54-year-olds in the latest March monthly Nielsen ratings, and Cameron was No. 1 in his late afternoon time slot as well, ahead of rivals on V-103, Hot 107.9 and Kiss 104.1.
Cameron is adjusting to the strictures of syndication, which often means watching the clock more as well as providing extra content and liners for specific radio stations. For instance, when the Midtown shooter was on the loose, he had to include news updates just for Majic while also providing non-geographic specific info and entertainment.
He also has to tape his show in advance from 1 to 4 p.m. This means much of what you hear on Majic with Cameron from 3 to 7 p.m. won’t be live unless it’s breaking news.
Cameron will continue to offer up his amusing takes on pop culture and music news as well as tackle broader topics such as health, business and relationships. “We’re positioning ourselves to be like some of the greats in the past,” Cameron said. “Like how Tom Joyner gave so much informational and educational stuff while still being funny.”
And Cameron said at this stage in his career, “I don’t like radio. I don’t love radio. I live the radio. I’ve been doing this for a while but at this point, it’s just so much fun. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had more fun than I’m having now.”
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
Credit: Natrice Miller / Natrice.Miller@ajc.com
He noted that “micromanaging” has been an annoyance in the past, but his current bosses Tim Davies and Derek Harper “understand why they brought me here and they let me do my job.”
And while Cameron was admittedly upset when he lost his Atlanta Hawks in-game announcing gig in 2021 after 17 years, he came to realize how it became a blessing.
“It may have been the best move of my career because it gave me 42 nights of my life back every year and enables me to focus on what is most satisfying to me,” he said.
He s working on multiple projects like a podcast on the history of Black radio that he said is almost finished and will launch later this month. “Over 15 episodes, I cover everyone from Jack Gibson and Petey Greene to Wendy Williams and Charlemagne Da God,” he said.
He is also spending time at the new pizza place Dough Boy he opened up recently at South DeKalb Mall every Saturday. “I have seen other people open up clubs and establishments but are never there,” he said. “People patronize the place and want to see the person.”
And he is prepping for his annual Ryan Cameron Foundation father-daughter dance, which he has done for more than 20 years. “My daughter Ryan Megan was 4 when I held my first dance,” he said. “She’s now 25!” He is expecting 600 people on June 18 at the sold-out gala at the Delta Museum.
“We have daughters in their 40s and 50s that come,” he noted. “This isn’t just for little girls.”
Cameron joins several local personalities who are now heard in syndication nationwide. The 22-year-old Bert Show on Q99.7 has been in syndication for 13 years and is now heard in 20-plus markets. Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott, who have been together since 2000 on Fish 104.7, went into syndication in 2017 and are now on more than 100 radio stations as far as west as Hawaii. Cameron’s former V-103 colleague Frank Ski began syndication last year emanating from Kiss 104.1 and is currently on 13 stations.
For smaller market stations, especially as revenues become more difficult to come by and listenership has fallen, syndication is a tempting way to save money on a local salary and gives their listeners a “big market” voice.
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