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RACHEL BAILEY
you're one to scan the dial in five o'clock traffic,
you've likely noticed that a new radio station has
cropped up in the last year, one that presents pro
gramming unlike any other station in town: EZFM, the only
oldies/easy listening station in Athens (at 88.1) and Lake
Oconee (89.9). Its slogan? "Music to Your Years."
EZFM, a commercial-free 501(c)(3) that relies on listener
donations and sponsorships to stay on the air, was founded in
June 2012 by James Hutto, a heavyset man in his early 30s
who jokes, unfairly, that he has "a face for radio." He projects
a calm and confident air that puts others at ease. Red-headed,
with a quick smile and arrestingly blue eyes, he leans forward
in his office chair in conversation, fully engaged, sometimes
studying his fingers when he's lost in thought.
Hutto began his career in radio in 1992, at the age of 12.
His father was a radio man and worked with the likes of Marlin
Taylor, who went on to help found XM Radio. At the time, he
was working for 88.9 WMSL in Athens.
"They had interns, and a bunch of people didn't show up.
And they had some shifts at night they needed filled," Hutto
says of his first gig in the radio business. "I went in and did
like a six-hour shift... it was carts and reel-to-reel machines
and some CDs, that kinda thing."
Hutto has rarely stepped away from the mic since. He
worked with WMSL through junior high and high school, before
dropping out in 1997 and joining Southern Broadcasting,
which managed such local stations as Rock 103.7. He bounced
between companies in the Athens area for a few years before
relocating to Atlanta to work for Clear Channel, a move that
eventually caused him to walk away from radio altogether. ("I
Rachel Bailey
saw a lot of ugliness at the corporate level," he explains.)
After stepping away for a few years, during which time he
married and started a family, Hutto decided to return both to
his hometown and to the industry he loved. He returned to
WMSL as programming director in 2006 and stayed on until last
year, when he hatched the idea for EZFM.
At the time, 88.1 was a foundering station specializing in
Christian programming. Hutto was consulting with the sta
tion on technical issues, and one day, he says, its owner asked
him, "If you had the opportunity, what would you format this
with? How would you change the station?"
Drawing from the example of his father,
the programmer for one of the standard-
bearers of easy listening radio, Atlanta's
WPCH, Hutto proposed EZFM.
"The end game was always to take
care of... the older generation, because
they're not really serviced," Hutto says,
noting that technology and consumer cul
ture have largely left that market behind.
"Those are the people who helped define
who we are. They are the generation that
helped stabilize this country through wars.
And I felt like their needs weren't being
met."
In the age of smartphones and Spotify,
many younger people take for granted that
they have access to virtually all media,
from anywhere, at any time. But their par
ents' and grandparents' generations often
don't have that luxury, having either not
adopted or been assimilated into the cul
ture of the digital age. A favorite song is
not necessarily just a click away. With his
station, Hutto has created access where
there was none before.
"A lot of our transportation vehicles
listen to the station, and several people
who came into the office recommended
that we sponsor them," says Kadee Holt of
the Athens Community Council on Aging.
"We're serving the same demographic."
But it's not only older folks who have
taken notice. Hutto reports that he also
has a strong fanbase among college stu
dents, and he regularly gets phone calls
from listeners moved to tears by hearing
songs from their youth.
"There's some song this woman
[requests] all the time???Vic Damone. She
loves that guy. Calls up and says, Thank
you so much for playing Vic Damone. My
mom used to always listen to him when
we were doing laundry. And it just reminds
me of that smell and being at home.' That's
what we do. That's why we say 'Music to Your Years.' This is the
soundtrack of your whole entire life."
Above all, Hutto is a believer in the family aspect of radio.
"I got to learn from someone who really believes in this as
a craft," he says. "My most memorable times in my life were
watching my old man do his thing and being good at it. We
go out to remotes, and my kids get to grow up around radio.
They get a kick out of it???and they love wearing the [EZFM]
t-shirts."
As Hutto prepares to head out from the station this par
ticular afternoon, a well groomed man in his 50s wanders into
ABC Printing, the West Broad Street building from which EZFM
broadcasts. Tapping lightly on the door, he enters.
"I'm with the pastors over at Beech Haven [Baptist
Church]," he says, beaming and reaching out to shake Hutto's
hand. "Just wanted to say I listen all the time!"
The smile on Hutto's face could not be wider. He's practic
ing his craft, and the people love it.
And we hove you to thank! This has been
o great year, thank you for oil your support,
we ore so happy that you voted us os one of
your Athens Favorites our first year out of
the gate. Thank you to oil of our loyal clients
who mode the leap with us, and thank you to
oil our new clients - we???re so glad we met!
We owe the biggest thank you to our
families, and most importantly to our
TOP NOTCH staff /salon family!
CHALA WlSON - We ore so proud of you
and can???t wait to meet Milo!
Stephanie Weaver - WEAVES! You light up
our lives! You keep us sane, and lookin??? GOOD!
ERIN Morris - You ore a force of talent
and the kindest soul.
ELYSE MAZANTI - We???re so lucky you coll
MCS hair home now.
MICHELLE Laird - You were the missing
piece to this bond of misfits- welcome aboard!
Misty Dennis and Kasey Lowe - Thank
you for letting us teach you - we love it!
Thanks for saving our biscuits!
SARA MACHEN - that goes for you too.
ERIN BOYDSTUN - you???re o superstar!
AND ALLIE MILLER - Thank you for
keeping the boot in the water, and keeping
us on course - this year would not hove
been so successful without you!
xoxo
Shayne and Elizabeth!
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