THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, December 4, 1995 TAG: 9512040037
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL COUNTRY MUSIC
SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 80 lines
Jimmy Ray Dunn and Jay Francis are returning for a second tour of duty at radio station Eagle 97. The popular morning-drive deejays, canned by the country music station less than a year ago, will be back Jan. 17.
The news, to be announced today, is certain to be applauded by fans who were outraged when the pair was fired just before Christmas. General manager Bill Whitlow said WGH-FM (97.3) was flooded by protests.
``We got a ton of letters and phone calls,'' he said. ``Basically, that's why we're bringing them back, because the listeners have asked.''
Dunn and Francis, who had never worked together before joining the Eagle in 1991, clicked right away with listeners. They brought a looser, off-the-cuff approach to country radio; with them at the helm, the upstart station became a serious challenger to WCMS-FM, the market's longtime leader.
Since their dismissal, though, WGH has slipped in the ratings. The most recent Arbitrons placed the morning program seventh, with a 4.7 share, among listeners 12 and up. It was ninth (4.4) with those 18-34 and eighth (5.4) in the key 25-to-54-year-old category.
Their successor, Dan McClain, a former WCMS hand and, before returning to Hampton Roads, a two-year veteran of a morning show in Huntsville, Ala., was fired last month.
Whitlow, who hired the two away from rock 'n' roll outlet WNOR-FM four years ago - Dunn was in production and Francis did some spot announcing - attributed the decision to let them go to poor homework.
``We did some bad research that said they weren't what we needed in the mornings, that they weren't really `country,' '' he said. ``We've since done several projects and found out they don't necessarily have to be country. But they're very country-oriented.''
Both men landed on their feet after getting the pink slip. Dunn pulled double duty, co-hosting a morning show on WVEC-TV and handling the morning drive at alternative-rocker WKOC-FM. Francis took over the afternoon drive at WAFX-FM, where the playlist is classic rock.
Their goal, though, was to work together again in country radio. Francis said they talked with a few stations, ``but nothing concrete had happened.'' When WKOC dumped its morning show in October to pick up Howard Stern, Eagle 97 program director Randy Brooks approached them.
``We knew we really wanted to work together again because we had so much fun,'' said Francis, whose last day at WAFX is Jan. 8. ``It was a natural partnership on the air. That kind of thing doesn't happen too often. We have a great opportunity to build on the success we had before.''
Dunn, who is giving up his TV job, agreed.
``It's like those TV specials you see about people who die before their time and float around the house as ghosts because they can't go to heaven,'' he said. ``We were having a lot of fun. There's a lot of unfinished business.
``This is something I enjoy doing with someone I love like a brother. When you find someone you work that well with, you want to hold on.''
Francis laughed when he recalled the headlines that were written after he and Dunn were fired by Eagle 97. One read, ``Happy holidays, Jimmy Ray and Jay.''
``It's the same thing,'' he said, ``just a different tone.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
The new year will find Jay Francis, left, and Jimmy Ray Dunn back
together spinning country tunes on the Eagle.
by CNB