Brenau University's WBCX-FM 89.1 Returns Radio Personality Jay Andrews of Gainesville to Airwaves

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Jay Andrews of WBCX-FM, Brenau University radio station in Gainesville, Ga., calls his new morning show "a whole different animal" with its mix of music, talk and listener response.

GAINESVILLE, GA (09/07/2012)(readMedia)-- Jay Andrews of Gainesville, one of north Georgia's best-known radio personalities, returned to the airwaves on Tuesday, Sept. 4, with the "Jay Andrews in the Morning" program in the 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. time slot on Brenau University's radio station, WBCX-FM, 89.1.

Andrews, who attended Brenau, helped build WBCX, and worked for the station as a student, returned in January as a full-time staff member charged with expanding the programming of the non-commercial radio station, which airs, among other things, news from the BBC, educational talk, and an array of musical choices in the 60-mile-wide broadcasting area.

The live show, which will run every weekday, will be faster-paced from other current programs on WBCX.

"It's a whole different animal from many of the other programs," Andrews said. "We will attempt to open up the format up to more listeners by taking phone calls, doing interviews with Brenau newsmakers and becoming more engaged with community activities."

Andrews said the program also will build a cadre of regular contributors who cover news and talk about historical events and cultural phenomena of the area. And, if you can work a telephone that early in the morning, Andrews while he is on the air will occasionally accept calls from listeners at 770-538-4744.

"We will, of course, try to do this with style, great hit music and humor," he said.

WBCX, which runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, has operated with a non-commercial broadcasting license from the Federal Communications Commission. It is also sanctioned by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which has provided substantial grant monies over the past few years to help WBCX upgrade its signal and programming. Although the station exists fundamentally as a "learning laboratory" for Brenau students studying broadcasting and communications arts, the breadth of its listening area and the always-on-the-air operating schedule create an opportunity for a broader community-oriented mission. Although terms of the WBCX broadcasting license preclude the station's broadcasting paid commercials, it can receive funds through programming sponsorships, which may be referenced during specific programs.

Andrews, who is director of broadcasting and digital communications at Brenau, previously served as vice president and general manager of Jacobs Media Corporation, which operates radio stations and the AccessNorthGeorgia.com Web-based news service. Andrews' mentor there was the late John W. Jacobs Jr., a long-time Brenau trustee and chairman of Jacobs Media.

Jacobs pointed out in his 2010 autobiography that in 1922 Brenau actually acquired a license to run a radio station, WKAY. That was the first broadcasting license the federal government issued Gainesville and one of the first in the United States. However, the college let the license lapse two years later for financial reasons.

"John had the dream for Brenau to have its own on-air lab where students could learn," said Andrews. "WBCX was born out of his dream when John helped the university get back into radio with the licensing of WBCX in 1976. I had the privilege of breaking into radio on that young station. To have the privilege now to continue with John Jacobs' dream is quite a thrill."

Andrews has spent his entire career in radio, internet and commercial voiceover media. During his 17 years with Jacobs Media, he worked with WDUN, WGGA, MAJIC 1029 and AccessNorthGeorgia.

From 1987-95, Andrews owned WDGR in Dahlonega, Ga., after working for several years at other radio stations in Georgia and North Carolina, including 102.9 KOOL FM in Gainesville, Atlanta's WZGC/Z-93 and WFOX, and WQSM/Q-98 in Fayetteville, N.C. Andrews provides the network voice for Wofford College in Spartanburg, S.C., and Furman University football in Greenville, S.C., and his voice has been heard over the air on about 300 radio and television stations, including Gainesville radio station WDUN.

Andrews is married to Gigi Babinec Andrews, a 1980 Brenau graduate who was also a broadcast journalism major.

The new WBCX program, Andrews said, is something of a reprise of an earlier successful morning show he had in the area – among the first north Georgia radio shows streamed live on the internet.

"The choice to go back to 89.1 WBCX was an easy one," Andrews said. "Brenau University is my alma mater, and it is quite an honor to have an opportunity to manage this remarkable student station, return to the air, and most important, to help students learn the radio, TV and internet media businesses."

For more information about WBCX, sponsorship opportunities or guest appearance possibilities, contact Andrews at jandrews@brenau.edu or at 770-538-4709.

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ABOUT BRENAU – Founded in 1878, Brenau University currently enrolls about 2,800 students in graduate and undergraduate programs on campuses and online. With a curriculum that blends professional preparation informed by the liberal arts, Brenau degree tracks range from Associate of Arts, which includes a special "early college" program for exceptional high school-age students to terminal degrees, including a Master of Fine Arts in Interior design and a Doctor of Nursing Practice. The main campus of the Georgia-based liberal arts institution, which includes the Brenau Women's College, is in Gainesville with other campuses in Augusta, Kings Bay and in two metro Atlanta locations, Norcross and Fairburn. Brenau's 2011 ranking as one of the top 15-best higher education values in the Southeast by U.S. News & World Report marks the university's sixth consecutive year in that position for the magazine's America's Best Colleges guidebook. In 2012 Brenau online programs scored high in national rankings by U.S. News & World Report, including a #9 in the nation "Honor Roll" listing for graduate degree tracks in Brenau's College of Education. Brenau University also has been cited as one of the best universities in the Southeast by The Princeton Review. The Chronicle of Higher Education accorded Brenau "honor roll" status as one of the top 10 best colleges and universities to work in its 2011-12 survey rankings.