Howard Toole started as a jock in 10th grade in Augusta and quickly earned first-class ticket right after high school. He continued his radio journey at WRFC in Athens while finishing his degree at Georgia, then moved on to Louisville and New Orleans as an air personality and PD. Soon, he switched to sales, and ended up in Atlanta when Plough Broadcasting flipped WPLO-FM to Disco V-103. From there, he worked in Dallas, San Antonio, and returned to Athens as a GM. Along the way, he bought his first station in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Now, he’s settled in Rome, Georgia, as managing partner of a six-station cluster—each station sounding much larger than its small-market size. Howard runs a lean operation, of necessity, relying on a core team plus a network of 80+ voices he can call on when needed, along with modern digital tech and AI voices, including one of his overnight hosts -- AI Gunner. Yup. He is A.I. We'll dive into Howard's unique approach, his use of technology, and hear more about AI Gunner in Wavelengths #30.

He's a UGA graduate who got his radio start in Augusta, then spent 12 years in Houston, 6 in Memphis, then 16 years in Atlanta as Market Manager and then Regional VP for Radio One, and now, he's retiring after an incredibly successful career. He'll talk about his career, the new realities of radio today, and pass on great advice for young broadcasters today. It's all here, in Georgia Wavelengths # 29.

Steve Craig has spent 30 years so far in Georgia radio -- all in Atlanta-- and almost all in Program management and on air, all at highly rated and well respected stations. Now, he’s back at 99X as PD and middays, and successfully reclaiming the heritage station's position, and the ratings, of the Original 99X.

Here, in Part 2, Dennis Winslow hears from Steve how the staff was put back together, how they all get along (again), and how the 99X music philosophy has evolved.