{"id":14022,"date":"2017-08-08T06:49:39","date_gmt":"2017-08-08T12:49:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/?page_id=14022"},"modified":"2017-08-08T07:16:20","modified_gmt":"2017-08-08T13:16:20","slug":"ron-january-aba-hall-of-fame-class-of-2017","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/ron-january-aba-hall-of-fame-class-of-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"Ron January – ABA Hall of Fame Class of 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ron-january\"If you want to look good in a new hat \u2013 if you want to look really good, that is – you need to pull it down a bit in the front, or curl the brim just a tad more – whatever it takes to make it look as though you’ve been wearing that new hat forever. Ron January has worn a lot of hats in his broadcast career and in each one, he got that looking-good part down pat. Whether it was sports, music, hosting or management he found a pathway to success, adding his personal style and love of the business to every accomplishment. For this and more, the ABA names Ron January, vice president of operations for Courtney Broadcasting LLC, a 2017 to the Alabama Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have always been a music lover,\u201d says January, who found the spotlight early on, movin’ and groovin’ to \u201cMy Girl\u201d and \u201cJust my Imagination\u201d. \u201cIn elementary school, I had a group that mocked the Temptations,\u201d he grins. \u201cAnd through high school I had my own band performing in night clubs. I had a great admiration for the radio jocks in Birmingham and wanted to someday join their exclusive club.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"FromAlthough he felt a desire to become a broadcaster, January attended Howard University in Washington D.C. where he worked toward an education degree, planning to become a history teacher. It was around this time that the university took over radio station WHUR which became a place where students could get hands-on broadcasting experience. January was among those who took advantage of the opportunity.<\/p>\n

When a communication department was added to Howard University\u2019s field of studies, January switched majors from education to broadcasting. He also was one of a group of spirited students who worked to create the second of the university\u2019s radio stations; this one a completely student-operated endeavor. Forty-one years later, WHBC 96.3 is still the voice for Howard University students.<\/p>\n

After graduating, January returned to Birmingham to take a job at WJLD, and it was there that he proved he could master just about every aspect of the radio business. He started as the moderator of \u201cSound Off\u201d, a Saturday morning talk show. Then he moved to a jock position where he got to share his love of jazz, and eventually he was promoted to Program\/Music Director. Oh, and don\u2019t forget about sports!<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was my biggest challenge \u2026 as a play-by-play announcer,\u201d laughs January. \u201cI took that job with no experience.\u201d He was a play-by-play commentator for the Miles College football program and for Lawson State Community College basketball games, and he even called a State High School Basketball Championship game. January says that although he\u2019d never had sports broadcasting experience, he \u201cended up with a pretty good, respectful following\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"FromJanuary moved to WATV in the early \u201880\u2019s and has been in management there pretty much ever since. But he\u2019s also doing what brought him back to Birmingham after college; hosting a morning show called \u201cOpen Mike\u201d that features talk, news and music.<\/p>\n

Of all the hats January has worn, he favors his music director job. \u201cThat has got to be one of my greatest accomplishments,\u201d says January. \u201cIt gave me the opportunity to pick out music from the mid-70\u2019s to 2017 – from R&B Soul to Disco to Rap \u2026 and of course, my favorite \u2026 Jazz.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking of accomplishments, January was designated a Living Legend by the Birmingham Chapter of the NAACP, receiving proclamations from both Jefferson County and the City of Birmingham for the recognition. First Ebenezer Church also honored him with a program that featured highlights of his career.<\/p>\n

January says he\u2019s most proud of two additional achievements. \u201cOne of my biggest accomplishments was when I first received an award for Music Director of the Year from IMPACT magazine at their convention. The second was ten years ago when I got an award from the ABA for Talk Show Host of the Year\u201d.<\/p>\n

With this year\u2019s recognition from the ABA, his list of achievements grows even longer. \u201cTo be honored by a statewide organization like the Alabama Broadcasting Association is major to me,\u201d he says. \u201cIt seems as though it gives me credibility for my many years of broadcasting.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you want to look good in a new hat \u2013 if you want to look really good, that is – you need to pull it down a bit in the front, or curl the brim just a tad more – whatever it takes to make it look as though you’ve been wearing that new … Continue reading Ron January – ABA Hall of Fame Class of 2017<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-14022","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14022"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14044,"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/14022\/revisions\/14044"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/al-ba.com\/wp2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}