Denny Schaffer

When veteran personality Denny Schaffer was released from WGST/Atlanta in late 2006 he figured it was just another turn of the radio career wheel.  Sooner or later, he thought, he’d be back on the radio.  And he was right. Schaffer is currently the evening host on Salem talker WGKA/Atlanta. But his path back to terrestrial radio was anything but typical.

A few months after his exit from WGST, Schaffer began to grow frustrated with the lack of job opportunities.  His former producer, Crystal Lake Johnson, suggested that he start an Internet radio show. Schaffer rejected the idea as defeatist.

“It felt like giving up,” he says.

But in June 2007, after much prodding and assistance from Johnson, Schaffer launched “Denny Radio” on the Live365.com streaming platform using the home studio he built to accommodate his occasional fill-in work.  Schaffer says it cost him about $500 a month to host Denny Radio on Live 365.  In retrospect, he says, he probably should have simply done the show as a podcast on his DennyRadio website.

While Denny Radio didn’t attract a huge audience, doing the show every weekday paid many dividends for Schaffer.  ”I got better on the Internet,” he says. “It was just me.  No calls, no commercials. It kept me sharp for when an opportunity opened.”  It also gave  him the freedom to talk openly about  his deep religious faith, a subject his WGST bosses (including me) had asked him to downplay. And, Denny Radio kept Denny Schaffer visible in the radio community, which ultimately lead to his hiring at WGKA; first to do short-form commentary, and then as host of a 9p-11p show focusing heavily on local issues.  (Yep.  It’s a full-time job — with benefits!)

Schaffer is realistic but grateful about his current place in the radio food chain.  ”It’s a small voice, but I have a voice again in [Atlanta],” he says. As for Denny Radio, it continues to serve Schaffer well, streaming his WGKA show and providing a platform for live listener feedback.  According to Schaffer, the site attracts about 1500 unique visitors a month and brings WGKA listeners from across the country.