Early 1979 brought change to Rock 95. Change happens all the time in the radio business. A lot of us forget that it is a business with the object of profitability. Sometimes that change is warranted, sometimes it's not. Formats come and go like the seasons. Some stations have perennial revolving doors.  I spent years wondering when 101.9 WPIX in New York would stop spinning. I think they’ve been everything.

I walked in one day and the news hit me right in the face like a sucker punch. They fired Butch! Rich explained that the news got worse with the fact that they were replacing him with Jamie Brooks from V-97. The very station that we annihilated in the ratings the previous summer when they shared the same format as us as WAIV 97. On the 4^th of July they changed their format to Top 40, presumably to pick a fight with crosstown Y-103. If that wasn’t bad enough, the regular Overnight extraordinaire, Steve Douglas immediately resigned because of his prior dealings with Brooks at another station. That move meant there would be more shows for me on the All-Night time slot, but I didn’t want to get them that way. Steve was the King of Freeform and was masterful at doing the Late Nights. Jamie took over the Morning Show and Program Director job and just like that, it was a different station.

Butch had an “off ramp” ready and went directly to manage Country 1340 WDSR and sister station 94Q in Lake City an hour away, due west of Jacksonville. I knew he liked to hunt in the nearby Osceola Forest, so it would be a good fit for him.

It did not take long for Jamie to change things up and add more of a pop sound to the station. He wanted a more contemporary upbeat approach and dropped “Rock” off the Rock 95 name. We all asked why? We just called ourselves “95” now. There were already FOUR Top 40 stations in the market. Y-103, 69 Big Ape, V-97 and Kue 92. Why would we head in that direction? I have my theories…and that’s what they are…theories. If I did not know any better, I would say that Jamie was a Trojan Horse to take Rock 95 down. Why would anyone intentionally take down a successful station? But, of course, that whole notion is pure conjecture on my part and nobody in a million years, in the radio business would ever do that.

When Rich saw the Bee Gees’ latest hit, Tragedy, added to the playlist, you would have thought he whistled into orbit like a space rocket. Everything we did to make the station successful under Butch’s leadership was being dismantled. There was a pall cast over the studio and Rich was flat out irate over the course of things occurring.

I kept my head low for the most part and went with the flow of things. I got more time on the air and worked on my skills.

One day, while visiting with Rich, Jamie barged into the studio, pointed to me, and said, “YOU no longer work here” and then pointed to Rich with a “YOU no longer work here" too. I was stunned. I had never been fired from anything. Now, I learned the lesson of political association at a radio station.

 Rich and I left for his place in San Marco to plot our next move. In radio, as odd as it sounds, it is considered a “Badge of Honor” to be fired. I earned my first Badge.