It is hard to put into words all the things that made Q104 so wonderful.
But I just want to take a moment to express my thanks and appreciation to those that became my friends and taught me radio.
I am speaking primarily of those that were at Q104 when the station was on Chestnut Street in Gadsden Alabama. There were many wonderful and talented people that came to the Q when it moved to Rainbow Drive. But the magic that existed on Chestnut Street was never repeated. Even today, now that the station has been taken from the community in which it served and moved to Birmingham Alabama, it has never came close to the quality it once was.
I am so lucky to know, and to have known each of you, and I thank you for all that you did. Some of you I know where you are, and still have contact. Others are missing in action, and I would love to know where you are. And there are those that are no longer with us, and we hope they are in Heaven where we will see them again someday.
I still remember the first time I walked into the Q104 building. I had won a Rock Review t-shirt from The Real Chris Eric Stevens, and my mother had taken me to the station to pick it up. For some reason, Chris Eric came out to the lobby and offered to show me the studio. As I walked into the control room, every hair on my arm and back of my neck stood up, and I could feel an energy that I had never felt before. Some say it was too much RF from the equipment rack in the hallway, but I knew it was something special. I knew at that moment in time that this is what I wanted to do. With my Q104 Rock Review t-shirt in my hand, as my mother drove me home, I remember telling her that some day, I will work there. She just laughed, and I did too, because I knew that I would make it happen.
As luck or fate would have it, I finally did make it to the Q. I got there before it moved to Rainbow Drive. Listening to some of my old tapes, I don't know how I made it. I wasn't good enough to be there. I was a beginner with a bad nasal sound, and always nervous on the air. Once I asked Leo why he hired me. He said because I had the desire and love for radio that it took, and if anyone was going to make it, it would be me. Leo taught me more than you could imagine and I thank you Leo for everything.
But one should never forget the reason that the things we did at Q104 worked. It was because of the nice people of Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee that listened to us every day faithfully. We had the best audience any radio station could ever hope to have. Every remote broadcast was like a gathering of friends from around the south. We could set up on any street corner at any time of day to give out t-shirts, and everyone would be there.
Before going to work at Q104, I was a listener and fan of the station.
I knew that if Q104 was on location, it was the place to be. If you didn't show up to see what was happening, you were afraid that you would miss something.
Even when the Q was on location around the south at various haunted houses on Halloween, everyone came to join the fun.
When Rick and Dennis set a worlds record for underwater broadcasting, people from around the country came to see what was happening.
As for the audience, they always came through when things became tough. Any time a tornado hit a community, or a Red Cross blood drive was needed, the Q104 listeners gave generously, and made a difference in peoples lives. Everyone thought that the announcers were the stars of Q104. But, looking back I can clearly see that the people that always overloaded the request lines, made every remote broadcast successful and gave so much of themselves when called upon by Q104 to help with disaster relief, they were the stars.
I don't know if it was ever said, but it is never too late, so to YOU the listeners, THANK YOU for your faithfulness and for being part of what once was Q104.
As the jingles once sang "Your Favorite Station...Super Q104."
Chuck Evans