For the third-straight year WAUG-AM 750 will be the exclusive carrier of Redskins Radio in the Triangle. WAUG will carry all four pre-season games as well as the 16 regular season games. The Redskins open the pre-season against the Baltimore Ravens on August 13. The regular season opener for the Redskins is Thursday September 13 against the New York Giants. Last year, an article ran in Raleigh’s News and Observer (September 24, 2008) that stated the #1 fan base for the Redskins outside of the Washington area is Raleigh-Durham. WAUG is also switching its Saturday sports line-up by shifting existing shows and adding new shows. One of the new shows that will be added is ‘Skins Talk with Jaymes Powell. The show will talk about the Redskins and the NFL and will allow for fan interaction via emails and phone calls. WAUG is also moving its signature sports talk show WAUG Sports Saturday Show with Big Mo from 2 – 4 p.m. to 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Big Mo talks all things sports. “We feel that with moving this show to the mornings, the show will be received better and will allow for more participation from listeners,” said Donal Ware WAUG general manager. “In time this will be the best sports talk show in the Triangle, with the best sports talk personality.” Another new show that will be added to the Saturday lineup is WAUG’s High School Football Magazine. Other current sports talk shows that WAUG will carry include FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW, Fast Break Radio with Hanif Omar, Barbershop Talk with Rick Moore, and The Score with Eddie Wright. WAUG’s daily talk programming includes The Empowerment Hour with Joel Wiggins, the Warren Ballentine Show, Keepin’ It Real with Reverend Al Sharpton and The Wendy Williams Experience. WAUG is a commercial station, owned by and operated on the campus of Saint Augustine’s College and has been rated by Arbitron as one of the top 25 radio stations in the Raleigh-Durham market.

RALEIGH—When school is out, there is still work to be done, particularly at Saint Augustine’s College. Not only does staff run summer school and prepare for the next school year, but the College’s historical radio station WAUG continues to sign on each morning at the break of dawn.

On this particular morning, Program Director John Low and Katrina Dix, Director of External Affairs for the College—are hosting the radio station’s newest morning show called “The 411”, which airs from 8 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on 750 AM. Their banter this day is a mixture of talk about job searches amid the recession, creating and maintaining a clean image, “digital dirt”, and job leads and tips. Though this is her day off, Dix is still snazzy, hair in place, sitting alongside her fellow announcer veteran Low. Low’s just been informed that this is Dix’s day off.

“You’re just here for the 411?” he asks incredulously.

“Just the 411 today, John. I wouldn’t leave my buddy hanging!” Dix says in her upbeat, broadcast-ready tone known to many across campus. And before leaving the studio, she lends her voice to a 30-second promotional, called a “promo” in the industry.

The two taped their inaugural show on March 16 and have been on a roll ever since. Each Friday, they plan the topics for the next week of shows. At 8 a.m. sharp Monday through Friday, they cue up an old-school music lead-in to the 30-minute program. While Dix announces, Low multi-tasks, cueing up promos, advertisements, checks the current weather, and maintains audio levels, all the while intermittently making eye contact with his co-host.

Just recently, call-ins were added, allowing listeners to contribute to the discussion. The line-up varies from day to day. On Headline Mondays, the two discuss the weekend’s breaking news; on Wednesdays, guest Danette Reid calls in with “Mid-Week Motivation” for 30 minutes of positive inspiration; on Fridays, listeners are given a slate of upcoming events; and, Tuesdays and Thursdays are free-flowing.

The show takes preparation and planning.

“You don’t just pop in here. If you do, you’ll sound like you did,” she says with a laugh.

Dix facilitates special events at the College, but brings a radio broadcast background to the job. She worked for WUSL Power 99 FM in Philadelphia as a news reporter and public affairs assistant, while co-hosting a weekend public affairs talk show. Dix also co-hosted a weekly cable television talk show in Philadelphia for Univision. Her radio background dates back to a stint at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications.

“I was a DJ and had my own shift bringing music to my fellow classmates and the surrounding community in Pennsylvania,” said Dix. “It's good to be back doing what I started out doing in college. I started as an intern with Power 99 and put my best foot forward while I was there. The staff recognized my skills as I demonstrated initiative and desire to learn the business. It paid off by my landing my first job… at the number one urban station in the Philadelphia market. I would encourage all young people to take advantage of internships and seize any and all opportunities to learn skills which may open future doors.”

Low, a veteran broadcaster, has been in the radio broadcast business for 40 years including his first part time radio job at the age of 15.

“Being a local businessman who advertised on the station, (my father) purchased an hour of time on a Saturday morning so I could have my introduction to being a dj. It was a memorable birthday gift! The manager said I did well enough to get some extra time. At seventeen, I returned to this manager and asked for a part time job, which he granted,” said Low.

Low has had an interest in television and radio broadcasting since childhood. At the age of 10, he broadcast from a homemade radio station in my attic.

“It could actually broadcast a couple of blocks in the neighborhood! Right before my teen years started, the Beatles, Supremes, Temptations, Beach Boys and all those classic groups motivated me to become a music disc jockey,” he said. Low has held numerous jobs in radio with various formats to include Christian, pop, country, rock, and oldies. During his career, he has held positions as Program Director as well as Music Director. Now with WAUG for a little over three years, he manages the role of multi-tasking Program Director, which requires “a mix of administration, creativity and mad studio skills,” he said.

Dix hopes the broadcast will become a popular choice among listeners, so she signs off with gratitude. “We know you have choices in the morning. Until tomorrow, peace and blessings.” ** The call-in numbers are 919.546.9284 and 919.516.4878. The show is also streamed daily at power750.com. WAUG’s program line-up can be found at http://waug750am.com.

RALEIGH – Civil rights leader and syndicated talk show host Reverend Al Sharpton will broadcast his nationally syndicated talk show Keepin’ It Real with Rev. Al Sharpton through WAUG-AM 750 from the campus of Saint Augustine's College in the Seby Jones Auditorium on Friday, April 24 from 1:00 – 4 p.m.  WAUG Radio is also the show’s carrier in the Raleigh-Durham area. This special show will also be broadcast live on WAUG-TV/Time Warner Digital Channel 102.

“What an honor it is that Reverend Sharpton will air his show through WAUG in Raleigh on the campus of Saint Augustine's College,” said WAUG General Manager Donal Ware. “Reverend Sharpton is the foremost civil rights leader of our time. He does a great job of educating people through his show and talking about relevant issues in society, but more importantly he doesn’t just talk about the issues he goes out and makes change happen. He certainly keeps it real on his show.”

Seby Jones Auditorium holds 300 people and is expected to be filled. WAUG and school officials are asking the general public to get there early.

Keepin’ It Real with Reverend Al Sharpton airs Monday – Friday from 1 – 4 p.m. on WAUG-AM 750. With over 40 years of experience as a community leader, politician, minister and advocate, Reverend Sharpton is one of America’s most-renowned civil rights leaders. Reverend Sharpton has brought his powerful voice to radio and gets the answers to real questions.

This is the second nationally syndicated show that WAUG and Saint Augustine's College has hosted in the last two months. The nationally syndicated Warren Ballentine Show broadcasted live from Seby Jones Auditorium on WAUG TV and Radio on March 23.

WAUG-AM 750 and WAUG-TV is owned and operated by Saint Augustine's College. The major coverage area for the radio station is Raleigh and Wake County. The television station reaches 385,000 households in 19 counties including the surrounding counties of Raleigh and Durham, Cumberland, Wilson, Moore, Hoke, Wayne, Granville, Vance and Robeson, which encompasses the Florence/Myrtle Beach DMA. Both stations are commercial stations making Saint Augustine's College the only institute of higher learning in the country to own and operate commercial radio and television stations.