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Chaz is one-half of the “Chaz & AJ” show on 99.1 PLR (WPLR) in Connecticut. He’s living the dream working on his hometown radio station, having wanted to be a part of it since he was a child. It’s the reason he fell in love with radio. “I started in radio when I was thirteen through a summer work program for underprivileged (poor) kids,” he explains. “When I saw that control board for the first time, I knew it was my ticket out.”
“I had a few real jobs along the way. I grew up listening to the legendary PLR as a kid and would pretend to be ‘Stoneman,’ the legendary night jock, through my mic and guitar amp,” he says. “I began interning at PLR in 1986, worked my way up to night show in 1990, and left in 1994 to host the ‘Z Rock Morning Show’ on the ABC Radio Network in Dallas. In 1996, I accepted the morning show position at WRCN Long Island. AJ was the morning show host at the time. They fired him and hired me (awkward), but we met and became friends, and when I became Program Director, I hired him to be my partner. That was 27 years ago. In 2003, WPLR asked me to come back to host mornings, and I brought AJ with me.”
Describing the show, Chaz says, “I am the David Spade to AJ’s Chris Farley. We play about one to two songs an hour and are the ‘Community’ show. We call it an electronic town hall meeting held in a frat house every day. Not a week goes by where we are not at fundraisers and promoting fundraisers on air. We recently helped raise $850,000 for flood victims in Connecticut. We’re all about helping people and giving back…and when clients bring free food.”
“Like every great show, we pull from all corners of the world and our lives when prepping for the show,” says Chaz. “We have two full days every day. Part one is final prep, executing the show and then wrap up, part two is prepping out for next show and also future shows. It’s a four-person show, and we all work full time, whether it’s AJ chugging 24 ounces of ranch dressing (turning his stomach upside down) or leading the charge in getting help and coverage of the 1000-year flood that hit part of our state last month.”
“As for the state of Active Rock right now, I think it’s 90s and Rock with an edge. We just recently switched to this newer harder edge rock, ditching the 70s so we sound really fresh and relevant, and I like it. It provides great bookends for the show.”
In a predominately male format, I asked Chaz what women who were passionate about radio and Rock could do to get more involved. “Go to local open mic nights,” he says. “Our show has been a great breeding ground for young talent. One of the things we’ve been doing is having local comedians come in studio. We just hired an awesome female talent from the comedy circuit.”
And his thoughts on Taylor Swift’s impact on the NFL (if any), “It’s been amazing to watch the impact of her star power. I’m not mad at it.”
“And your thoughts on the addition of Amy Armstrong to Linkin Park and the new album and tour?” I asked. “I love her voice,” says Chaz. “I love that they’re back. Not many bands have had equal or greater success when changing the front person, like Van Halen with Sammy. We will see how it goes.”
As for what’s ahead for the Chaz & AJ show, “The goal is always the same for us,” says Chaz. “To continue to be the go-to place for Connecticut to get their funny and local info.”
Follow Chaz & AJ on Instagram, Facebook and X @chazandaj.
Charese Fruge’ is an award-winning Content, Broadcast, and Marketing executive with over 20 years of experience in markets like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, San Diego, and Las Vegas. As the owner of MC Media, she works with radio brands and individual talent, especially young women, helping them grow their brands and negotiate on their own behalf. She is also a Voice Actor and Voice Over Talent as well as a Freelance Writer for International Broadcast Outlets. Find her at @MCMediaOnline or www.mcmediaonline.com.
