How ‘Chaz and AJ’ Built a Radio Partnership That Connects Nearly Three Decades Later

Conventional wisdom in nearly every form of media today is to start with something that will hook the consumer. Something attention-getting or even shocking. The goal is locking in an audience that is distracted with countless choices of what to consume. It’s especially germane to radio stations in PPM-rated markets, where listeners punching away to another station can be costly.

That has led to a change in how interviews are generally presented. The subject’s backstory often relegated to later in the piece, so the author can begin with that juicy hook. But occasionally, there is a story. Like how Chaz and AJ, the morning hosts on two Connoisseur Media rock stations, WPLR/New Haven and WWSK/Long Island, got together.

That is worth telling right out of the gate.

Their 29-year partnership began in an unusual way. Chaz was hired to replace AJ, who was hosting mornings at a station on Long Island. Chaz had just moved from the West Coast for the opportunity, which led to an opportunity to check out the man he was about to replace.

“I’m sitting in this house I just rented listening to him do his last show, knowing that he doesn’t realize it’s his last show,” said Chaz. “I’m thinking, he sounds like a nice guy.”

Soon after, the two met at a bar where Chaz hosted a station event and AJ worked as the club DJ. The meeting hit, and they became friends off the air.

Then two things happened. The station rehired AJ to do nights, and Chaz was promoted to program director serving as AJ’s boss.

“I’m listening to him do the night show and I don’t hear anything special. However, when we had staff meetings, he had everybody laughing,” Chaz says. “I thought he’s the wise ass in the back of the bus. Not the driver. I needed a wise ass because my morning show would get too serious.”

The two paired up, and the chemistry was immediate. “The show is just informally funny,” AJ says. “Then there are things that happen in the community we get behind. There are also moments from our own lives that are just ridiculous that folks can relate to.”

AJ admitted that between the two, Chaz is the more organized one of the duo. Which allows for AJ to be the “scatterbrain of the show.” That dynamic has fueled the show for 29 years, which included a move from Long Island in 2003 to join WPLR and Connoisseur Media.

They’ve been with the company ever since. Their longevity with the company they quickly credit to the consistent leadership of company CEO Jeff Warshaw, regional VP Kirstin Okesson, and VP of programming Keith Dakin.

But creating a compelling show every morning takes more than great chemistry. As the driver at the front of the bus, that responsibility falls to Chaz. When I asked about his approach to building the show, he shared a unique vision for preparing each day.

“We look at each hour of the show like an album,” explains Chaz. “Does it have a slow song, a fast song? Where are the hits?”

Sequencing that perfect “album” each hour requires balancing a lot of elements. One of the most important is getting listeners involved. Chaz and AJ describe their audience, known as The Tribe, as the true strength of the show. The listening audience is something they depend on for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, it gives them a chance to make a listener into a star. Secondly, it plays to AJ’s strong suit—reacting.

“I don’t know where he [AJ] comes up with this stuff, but he’s freaking fast,” says Chaz.

In planning the show, Chaz says he makes sure to consider how long the show goes without phone interaction. He likens it to a story he once heard about the comedienne Lucille Ball.

“When she would read a script, the slapstick stuff would be highlighted in yellow. If she didn’t see a lot of yellow, she had a problem with the script knowing it wouldn’t be great,” said Chaz.

The same concept applies to their program, but with phone calls.

Another element woven into the Chaz & AJ album is a willingness to take on serious topics. While some shows avoid anything that isn’t light in tone, Chaz and AJ aren’t afraid to dive in providing depth for their audience.

“If you’re going to marry someone or spend a lot of time with a person, do you want them to only be a jokester or to always be serious?” Chaz asks. “Do you want a range of emotions? That’s what we try to deliver. A show with a wide variety of different feelings.”

In recent years they have decided to draw the line at politics. Chaz says the goal is to entertain and inform with a level of emotion and empathy for the community they broadcast to. Instead, they prefer to focus on what people share rather than what divides them.

“When you’re at a party, are we all arguing about politics? No. We’re having a good time and talking about things we can come together on,” says Chaz. “We all come together on food, what’s fun, and what just happened down the road.”

Another track on their daily album is guests and interviews, something many shows prefer to avoid.

“Somewhere in the hour, we like to have another voice,” explains Chaz. “Generally, we like the person to be intelligent. Someone who’s an expert who brings something extra to whatever we’re talking about.”

For anyone who isn’t confident doing interviews, Chaz has two suggestions.

First, only prepare five questions. That forces him to identify the most essential questions and serves as a filter. He says that if five questions do not come up, that guest doesn’t make the cut to join the show. His second suggestion is to listen closely to the answers. That’s what leads to follow-up questions and a more interesting discussion.

Their guests also include a regular cast of local comedians. Every day, it’s like to see someone coming in studio to be part of the show. Chaz acknowledges that working with comics can sometimes be challenging, which led to the program establishing ground rules for joining the program.

“The first thirty to sixty seconds of the break has to be just me and AJ. So people who are new to the show can keep track of who is who,” explains Chaz. “Once I’ve set up the break, unless you have a really great story, be sure to speak in sentences not paragraphs.”

Chaz and AJ feel the comedians bring unique perspectives that wouldn’t otherwise be part of the discussion. They feel comedians contribute content that resonates with people in different life situations. These could range anywhere from dating, going to bars, or raising young kids.

“They have a different life than we do,” Chaz says. “It’s good to have them bring that voice to the show.”

Another key piece woven into the album is the show’s constant effort to serve the community. Unlike many other shows, their community efforts take place year-round.

“When you get a license to broadcast to a community, that’s job one,” says Chaz. “As I’m doing show prep, if I see something that pings my heart, I think, ‘this is also going to ping other people’s hearts.’ That leads to us figuring out how to help. Let’s bring them on so they can tell their story, or we can help them raise money.”

A recent example includes a woman who was scammed on a dating app and had her life savings drained. Another was a man who runs a shelter for homeless veterans, helping them rebuild their lives. Chaz says they try not to go too long without doing something for the community.

“I feel like when you come to this show, you expect different things to happen. That’s one of them,” Chaz said.

Chaz understands that what he’s describing requires significant focus and preparation. While that mindset is partly his nature, he says it traces back nearly 30 years to when the pair first worked together.

“There was like thirty seconds left in a song and I asked AJ, ‘what do you want to talk about?’ In that moment I said to myself, ‘that is embarrassing and I’m never doing that again,” joked Chaz.

For his part, AJ agrees wholeheartedly, adding, “Let’s wing it is a bad answer.”

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Mike Stern

Mike Stern is a Classic Rock columnist and Features writer for Barrett Media. He has been with Jacobs Media consulting stations in the Classic Rock, Rock, Alternative and AAA world for more than a decade. Prior to that he programmed stations in Chicago, Detroit, Denver Las Vegas and other markets. He also worked as News/Talk Editor for Radio and Records, wrote about Top 40 Radio for Billboard Magazine and had his own radio talent coaching business called Talent Mechanic.