Five Questions With ... Tom Joyner
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Posted By: How May I Help You NC on June 03, 2012 The nationally syndicated radio show host will be broadcasting live Friday morning, June 1, to launch the inaugural Atlantic City Multi-Cultural Heritage Festival. By Ray Schweibert Atlantic City will celebrate its cultural diversity in fitting fashion this weekend (June 1-3) — with an assortment of events kicked off by the most listened-to syndicated morning radio host in America. Tom Joyner’s broadcast career started shortly after he graduated from what is now Tuskegee University in his home state of Alabama in the early 1970s. His vast and varied fan base began mounting when the Tom Joyner Morning Show went into syndication in 1994. Atlantic City’s urban adult contemporary radio station 96.1 WTTH-FM “The Touch” was just the third station to pick up the program (weekdays 5-9am), which now has 122 affiliates nationwide and an estimated eight million listeners each week. Joyner will host a listeners’ party Friday, June 1, that will broadcast from Surf Stadium from 6-11am (Albany Avenue and the Black Horse Pike, West Atlantic City). Admission to Surf Stadium is free and open to the public. Shortly after the broadcast Joyner and his co-hosts will meet with fans at the stadium, where Atlantic City Mayor Lorenzo Langford will present him with a key to the city and proclaim June 1 as “Tom Joyner Day.” Atlantic City Weekly connected with Joyner in an e-mail interview. How do you feel about being part of Atlantic City’s inaugural Multi-Cultural Heritage Festival, and will you have any special guests with you in the WTTH broadcast booth? I’m excited about a chance to return to Atlantic City for such a big event. I’m bringing the crew — Sybil and J. [Co-host Sybil Wilkes provides “the voice of reason” between Joyner and comedian J. Anthony Brown in a format that spans politics, celebrities, music, news and debate]. When were you last in Atlantic City and what are your impressions of the town? It has recently undergone and is still undergoing many exciting changes. I was in Atlantic City years ago for the Impact Conference [held at Bally’s in April 1993] and of course we brought our live Sky Show to town. [The Sky Show originated in 1996 as the Road Show, which traveled from city to city encouraging listeners to vote. It changed names to the Sky Show when Southwest Airlines became its primary sponsor]. This time we’re celebrating the Multi-Cultural Festival. ... I know there’s the parade on the Boardwalk [6-8:30pm Friday] and the Gold & Platinum [R&B] Music Tribute to look forward to that night [9pm-midnight at One Atlantic in The Pier Shops at Caesars]. I’m ready to get out there and meet the listeners face to face. How would you say the nation has changed the most since your broadcasting career began in the early ’70s? One of the biggest changes since my broadcasting career began has been technology. We had no cell phones, fax machines, laptops, Internet — nothing. No one could find you after you left the house. I read that in the 1980s you actually commuted daily between jobs in Dallas and Chicago — how did that arrangement come about, and how long did it last? I did commute back and forth ... for eight years. It came about when I was offered two great jobs in two great cities. I couldn’t turn either one of them down, so I accepted both. You’re a supporter of many educational programs, advocacy groups and charitable causes, including your own foundation. Is giving back a quality that was instilled by your parents, or is it a by-product of your gratitude for making the most of your opportunities and wanting to give back (or maybe both)? I learned the importance of giving back from my parents and from lots of role models in my hometown of Tuskegee. We got lots of support and nurturing, and we were taught that if we had it, we should share it with someone else. My mom, a secretary for the Tuskegee Airmen Program, would type papers for students at Tuskegee [then Institute] University. I watched her do that just because she wanted to make sure their papers were neat and their grammar correct. I’m just a DJ, and I knew I couldn’t help out by assisting Historically Black Colleges and Universities [HBCU] students academically, but I knew there was a financial need. I don’t think any student should be denied an education because they’ve run out of money. So, for years, we’ve raised millions for HBCU. Tom Joyner Morning Show Listening Party When: 6-11am Friday, June 1 Where: The show will be broadcast from Surf Stadium in West Atlantic City. A meet-and-greet with Joyner at Surf Stadium will follow the broadcast. How Much: Free Source: http://tinyurl.com/7vvkavc If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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