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General Manager John F. Knight Jr. is an honors graduate from Alabama State University. As part of his responsibilities at WVAS, he is the Executive Vice President and COO of Alabama State University. Mr. Knight is a long-time member of the Alabama House of Representatives, having chaired Government Appropriations for several years. Active in volunteer service, he serves on the board of directors for the Kershaw YMCA, the Montgomery Housing Authority, the Montgomery Improvement Association, the Family Sunshine Center, the Southern Development Council Inc., the Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and the Cleveland Avenue YMCA. |
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Station Manager Candy Capel is a graduate from the Newcomb College of Tulane University in New Orleans. Her professional career spans four decades in broadcasting, private enterprise, grants administration, and government. Her extensive government background ranges from gubernatorial appointee, to county development office director, to city federal grants monitor. In the 1990s, Ms. Capel completed WVAS' qualification process for receiving Corporation for Public Broadcasting funding. A mother of two, Ms. Capel says reading is her passion and music is her love. |
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Program Manager Mel Marshall has been the early-morning voice of WVAS since the station began broadcasting in 1984. He studied at Stillman, Tuskegee, and Troy universities. Early in his career, Mr. Marshall provided advance promotions for the iconic 1970s R&B band The Commodores. He then worked as a radio announcer, sales executive and assistant program director before coming to WVAS to help plan and launch the station. For more than 20 years, Mr. Marshall supervised all production at WVAS. In the spring of 2007, he was named program director. He is also half-time show announcer for the Alabama State University Marching Hornets. |
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Music Director Jay Holcey -- also known as Artifakt --has been involved in radio broadcasting off and on since he was in high school working various duties such as an on-air host, a producer and promotions assistant. Mr. Holcey came to WVAS in 2005 to host the Sunday afternoon show titled "Swing Town." Mr. Holcey replaced the previous Bill "Philly" Boynton, who died unexpectedly. Regarding Boynton as both friend and mentor, Mr. Holcey changed the name of the Sunday show to "Bill Boynton's Swing Town," as a continuing tribute to the well-regarded former host. Mr. Holcey says that "Music is his mistress" and is a purist at heart for jazz. Mr. Holcey also works with the ASU Sports Network during football and basketball seasons. |
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Coordinator of Community and Public Affairs Jackie Kennedy Amis is responsible for WVAS' outreach activities, including its involvement in community events, the broadcast of public service announcements, and the recruitment of underwriting for programs. Ms. Amis' communications experience spans four decades, including previous positions in broadcast journalism, public relations, marketing and advertising. She has worked extensively in the volunteer-non-profit sector, state and local government, and in private enterprise. |
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Program Assistant Latonya Stone is responsible for producing all traffic logs and managing the station's databases. Prior to joining WVAS, her academic background and work experience were in judicial administration. She earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice from Faulkner University in 2003, and has worked for various law firms as a paralegal. Currently, Ms. Stone is pursuing a master's degree in judicial administration.
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News Staff
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Melanie Hogan is a news reporter at WVAS-FM, where she cut her teeth as a work study student working in the areas of news reporting and announcing. After graduating from Alabama State University, she also served as a production assistant at the local NBC affiliate, WSFA-TV. Her professional memberships include Sigma Delta Chi, the Society of Professional Journalists. |
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Tana Shealey is the Interim News Director, and a Dothan native who has called the Montgomery broadcasting community her home since 1989. The 1991 ASU graduate has an extensive Journalism career which includes serving as News Director for the top Country and Urban radio stations in Montgomery and serving as reporter and afternoon anchor of statewide newscasts with Alabama Radio Network.
Tana’s journalistic efforts earned recognitions in the form of awards including: 2002 Best Anchor- Associated Press, 1993 Extraordinary Coverage of a Scheduled Event – Associated Press, 1990 Best Documentary – Associated Press, 1989 Best Documentary or Public Affairs Show – United Press International, and the 1991 Douglas E. Cannon Medical Award for Excellent Coverage of Medical News – Alabama Medical Association. |
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Production Technician/Sports Reporter Rachine Francis earned a bachelor’s degree in 2005 and 2006 from Alabama State University. Before joining WVAS-FM family, she interned at WVAS, was a co-host of the “Hornet Sports Buzz” and worked in Atlanta as a sports production assistant for CNN. |
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Part-Time Reporter Robert "Robb" Taylor earned both a bachelor's and a master's degree from Alabama State University. He has worked in radio off and on since 1983, including a 16-year-tenure in progressively responsible, full-time positions at WVAS. In 2000, he left WVAS to became a high school English teacher. But, he couldn't stay away from broadcast journalism. Since 2004 he has continued his teaching duties while working in news at WVAS. In addition to reporting and anchoring, Mr. Taylor hosts a live, call-in talk show on Wednesday afternoons from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. |
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Senior News Correspondent Marcus Hyles moved to Montgomery in 19814 and has been a fixture on the airwaves ever since. He was News Director for the top Country and Adult Contemporary stations in the area for almost a decade. Before that he served in various roles in the news department for yet another decade. Hyles also performed anchor and reporter duties for a satellite news network in the state. Writing is a favorite pastime as he has written articles for several newspapers and periodicals. He has won Associated Press awards for Extraordinary Coverage of a Scheduled Event and News Cooperation. Other interests include songwriting, music and sports. |
Announcers
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Part-Time Announcer Spike Graham.
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Part-Time Announcer Angier Johnson Gunn, “The Gospel Messenger,” has hosted inspirational programming on Sunday mornings since March 1995. Her five-hour blend of contemporary, traditional and vintage recordings makes WVAS a favorite among those who prefer gospel music. When not on the air, Ms. Johnson, a veteran state employee, stays active in numerous community-outreach programs. A Faulkner University graduate, Ms. Johnson is also the mother of two. |
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Part-Time Announcer Gene Knight.
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Milton Shirdan II was born in Montgomery, AL. He is a graduate of Temple University's School of Communication and Theater and a veteran of twenty years in Jazz and Urban radio. He joined the staff of WVAS-FM in early 2008
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Part-Time Announcer Kevin Murry.
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Part-Time Announcer Eugenia Ricks.
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Part-Time Announcer Kevin Sinclair is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a 1980 graduate of Alabama State University. Currently pursuing a master's degree, Mr. Sinclair is also a full-time employee of the federal government. While government service is his daytime vocation, jazz music is his day-into-night passion. Initially volunteering at WVAS in 1984, Mr. Sinclair joined the paid part-time staff in 1985. He has served as a nighttime and weekend host since then. |
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Part-Time Announcer Charles Twitty. |
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Part-Time Announcer Kory Ward. |
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