Center Stage on Live365 this week is Jesus FM – "The home of The Journey with Tom Dooley." We spoke with the station manager about their history with radio, their station's programming, and we got some music recommendations. Check out the interview below!
What made you get started in radio?
I think I can speak for Tom (who passed away in 2010) and myself. It looked like it might be fun, and it certainly was for 40+ years for him and now 40+ years for me.
What brought you to Live365?
I was a part of the old Live365 and have been through many different host/licensing situations that have gone by the wayside. It's great to see such an iconic brand resurrected and be able to provide these services again. Praying for its continued success!
What's your favorite part about running your own radio station?
Tom spent 20 years hosting The Journey on terrestrial stations across the country and archived much of that tenure. Even though Tom is no longer with us, these programs continue to reach new listeners and also people that listened to Tom for years.
I personally enjoy being a part of keeping the vision he had in 2009 alive: to expand beyond the circles drawn around radio towers and connect with people all over the nation and world.
Tell us about your station's programming. What can listeners expect when they tune in to your station?
Jesus FM streams archived recordings of The Journey with Tom Dooley along with the One Year Audio Bible that Tom narrated.
The Journey was a unique mix of Christian literature combined with songs that related to the passage read (Tom had quite a gift in matching music to the written word). While these programs have current songs from the time they were recorded along with hits from the past, we are able to fill time slots that were dedicated to news and traffic reports to infuse the latest CCM hits from today.
The One Year Audio Bible is just like the title says: Tom takes you through the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation starting January 1st and finishing December 31st.
Listeners can see the titles of each show along with the times The Journey and the One Year Audio Bible are streamed at jesusfm.com.
Name one artist that you play on your station that is underrated in your opinion.
They're all underrated :)
What's your favorite music memory/moment?
Tom had a radio career that spanned over 4 decades from the late 60s to 2010. He was, what used to be called, a "Boss Jock" with a big deep voice working at the biggest Top 40 stations in the country, like KHJ in Los Angeles and WFIL in Philadelphia to even the legendary KVIL in Dallas. He spent the last 20 years of his career hosting The Journey in Dallas on its flagship station KVTT.
I remember him telling me on the golf course one time about working with Peri Gilpin's father (Jim O'Brien) at WFIL and her coming to work with her dad. She loved spinning in the DJ chair. Jim, sadly, was killed in 1983 in a parachuting accident and never got to see her sit behind a microphone on the hit comedy Frazier. Tom got a big kick out of seeing that little girl become successful in a role that involved broadcasting just like her dad.
Please list your top 5 or 10 songs, with a brief reason why each song made your list.
These are, I believe, 5 of Tom's favorite songs he played on The Journey. I did the morning show down the hall on the sister station and would constantly hear them back in the day.
-
"I'll Be a Friend to You" - Kenny Marks
Tom spent many of his radio hours reading from books about human relationships. -
"The Only Thing I Need" - 4Him
The song was a duet with Jon Anderson from Yes. -
"Coming from Somewhere Else" - Kennedy, Kirkpatrick, Madeira & Sprague
Has a definite Crosby, Stills & Nash harmony vibe. -
"Golden City" - Mal Pope & Julie Costello
Tom would play this a lot when the passage mentioned Heaven. -
"My Eyes Have Seen" - WhiteHeart
Tom just loved saying the name of this band. Always like a concert commercial :)
Listen to Jesus FM on Live365.com and like them on Facebook!
Live365 Broadcasters! Want the chance to be featured? Fill out the form at the following link: Feature Submission Form.
Ready to start your own station? Contact one of our Product Consultants or visit our website today.
