Odessa Bailey
Mrs. Odessa Bailey, along with her husband Bob Carl Bailey, recognized a void in programming for Black people of the Shoals – which is why they founded WZZA Radio. While Mr. Bailey had the vision, it was Mrs. Bailey who had the practicality (and good credit!) to help that dream become a reality. Bob Carl Bailey was an eagle who soared high and she was the wind beneath his wings. Mrs. Bailey was one of the first and is one of the few remaining Black female radio station owners in the entire state of Alabama. Over the years, she has performed every position at WZZA Radio Station, including station manager, sales director. She has handled billing and accounting, sales, board operations, and production. She continues to work with station accounts and oversees the daily operations and staff at WZZA Radio. Most importantly, she not only manages the station – she also manages the station manager!
Leonard Skipworth
Leonard Skipworth has been with WZZA since the very beginning back in 1972! That’s over four decades of dedicated service to Shoals Area listeners!
Brother Skip’s voice was the very first to be heard on WZZA Radio on the day it began broadcasting on Independence Day on July 4, 1972. He worked with Bob Carl Bailey as a show promoter and brought acts to the Shoals including the one and only James Brown. He is one of the most well-known personalities in radio in northwest Alabama, is a popular emcee, and can be depended on to bring a light note to any occasion. Brother Skip is also our top sales person and heads up the sales team. When he’s not selling advertising, our Brother Skip can be heard on WZZA Sunday mornings from 6 until 10 a.m. and on again Wednesdays, doing midday Gospel from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Mr. Skipworth is great to work with and welcomes your calls to discuss advertising on the best radio station in northwest Alabama. Call WZZA or contact one of our sales team members at Sales@WZZARadio.com
Darryl Luster
Darryl has been a valuable member of the WZZA Radio team for over two decades. He has moved up through the ranks due to his versatility, and today is WZZA’s Senior Music director. For tracking, especially Jazz, Blues, and Southern Soul, reach out to Darryl on Mondays or Tuesdays between 9-10 a.m. WZZA features daily Black History and Darryl helps select our Black Facts.
Darryl kicks off each weekday with the Morning Gospel Show and holds down Saturday mornings when there are several weekly program hosts. When Darryl isn’t doing music, he can be depended upon to assist with station operations and has even been known to bring accounts as well. If you are an artist or promoter and want to know how your record is trending on WZZA Radio, either check out our weekly playlists or email Darryl at Programming@WZZARadio.com.
Cecily Ricks
Cecily Ricks, who has two of the best ears in radio, is our production guru and works with our programming department to select music for our playlist. Cecily handles traffic and helps select PSAs. She is a wiz at the computer, at editing audio files, and she handles programming duties. Listen to Cecily Middays when she hosts WZZA’s Retro Rhythms (Old School) daily show from 2p-4p and you’d think she has been around spinning records since the 1970’s. She’s versatile, so she also handles Sunday midday gospel. This probably explains why she tells us that “we couldn’t do it without her”! (And she’s probably right.)
Send your music or other audio files to Cecily at Production@WZZARadio.com and send her your commercials or orders to her at Traffic@WZZARadio.com.
Bettie Robinson
Mrs. Robinson handles community promotions for our listening audience. This includes church announcements, community news, and our Happy Days Club. She is also responsible for directing visitors and incoming calls to the station. There are so many people who come by the Soul of the Shoals for one reason or another, so her positive personality and calm demeanor make her the perfect gatekeeper for WZZA Radio!
When she’s not keeping things running smoothly at WZZA or spending quality time with her family and friends, Ms. Bettie volunteers her time with several community organizations. She is actively involved with the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary and she is the long time and treasured Treasurer for the NAACP Tri-County Branch.
Ms. Bettie came in out of retirement to save the day for what was supposed to be three months. That was sometime last year, so we at WZZA are truly very blessed that she agreed to stay with us. We hope she NEVER leaves! When you need her, reach out to Mrs. Robinson at PROMO@WZZARadio.com.
Faye Koger
Ms. Martha Faye Kellum Koger White rejoined the WZZA Radio Family nearly twenty years after being hired by Mr. Bob Carl back in 1993 and 94. The Bailey family was so glad to have her come back in 2022 and she says she LOVES IT being a part of the team! She loves her co-workers and gets a kick out of making them laugh no matter what’s going on. Faye can be heard on middays hosting the WZZA gospel radio show.
Pastor Jerry Reeves
Pastor Reeves joined the WZZA family in the fall of 2023. He hosts our Mid-day Gospel show on weekdays from 10 AM to 2 PM. He has become one of our listener’s favorite personalities. He strives to uplift and inspire our listeners.
Pastor Reeves has been pastoring the Galilee Missionary Baptist Church of Leighton, AL, for 45 years. He served as the President of the Muscle Shoals MBDA Congress of Christian Education for 6 years. Pastor Reeves attended Selma University, St. Joseph Christian College, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts from Morris Booker Theological Seminary.
Pastor Shane D. Rainer
Pastor Rainer joined the WZZA family in December of 2023. He is a musician and loves all genres of music. He’s excited about growing in his responsibilities at the station. He is the director of social media and our website. Pastor Rainer is the founding pastor of the Living Word Community Church of Tuscumbia, AL. Email Pastor Rainer at News@WZZARadio.com.
Hydeia Hunt
Hydeia is the newest (and youngest) member of the WZZA Radio family. Despite her age, her musical taste has been influenced by being surrounded by an older generation. Her favorite genres include old and new-school R&B, Hip Hop/Rap, Motown, and Christian. She can be heard on air during your afternoon drive from 2 PM-6 PM, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays and 9 AM-1 PM on Saturdays.
