Ray Horner, best known as the morning man on WAKR (1590-AM), has been named program director for the station.
Besides continuing with the morning show, Horner said, “I’m going to be overseeing the air talent. … With me on the air in the mornings for the last 16 years, and kind of knowing the heartbeat of the community, I hope to convey and transfer some of that knowledge and experience into other aspects of WAKR.”
Such as? “Our hosts and producers knowing the mindset of the WAKR listener … What is their mindset? What do they read? What do they watch? What is their lifestyle? I’ll continue to do a lot of research into that and make sure our on-air presence is focused on the lifestyle of the listener.”
Horner is the first to hold the program director title since Chuck Collins, who retired in 2014 while battling brain cancer and passed away in 2015.
“One thing I learned about Chuck is that he was able to get everyone working together,” Horner said. “I always thought Chuck’s strength was being positive, making people feel good about where they’re working and what they’re doing, and then he came back and tried to add onto that positive image … Positive energy but yet continue to help you do better at your job, and feeling better as a person.”
He’s grateful that his bosses are giving him a shot. “You don’t see this happening a lot in our business, someone who’s 54 years old moving into a managerial role.”
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Bronzed. The movie The Bronze, shot in Amherst and Elyria in 2014, comes to disc and digital on Aug. 2, shortly before the start of the Summer Olympics.
That’s no coincidence. The movie stars Melissa Rauch of The Big Bang Theory as a gymnast whose life seemed to peak years ago when she won a bronze medal in an international competition. Now she trades on her fading celebrity in her hometown of Amherst — until a younger gymnast appears ready to eclipse her.
The only announced extra is a set of deleted scenes. R-rated for language and a body-doubled sex scene, the movie made it into theaters in March, where reviews were less than glowing (32 percent on Rotten Tomatoes) and ticket sales terrible. But Rauch, who also co-wrote the film, told me before it opened that just getting into theaters was her “wildest dream.”
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Picking up. American Pickers is looking for items in Ohio when they bring the show here this summer. From the show: “They are on the hunt for characters with interesting and unique items. Some of what they look for: vintage bicycles, toys, unusual radios, movie memorabilia, advertising, military items, folk art, early firefighting equipment, vintage musical equipment, automotive items, and clothing.” They only deal with private collections; “no stores, malls, flea markets, museums, auctions, businesses or anything open to the public.”
Interested? Send your name, phone number, location and description of the collection with photos to americanpickers@cineflix.com or call 855-old-rust.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, Ohio.com, Facebook and Twitter. You can contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.