What I'm Most Thankful For

Most families take the time on Thanksgiving Day to reflect on their blessings. So, since I spent the holiday with my traditional family, I'm going to take this time to share some of my blessings with my radio and Internet family - you.

I'm thankful for all of you who have been with our show from the very beginning and for the newer fans we've picked up through out the years.

I'm thankful for those faithful callers that I can always count on: Ken the Cookie Man, Tim from Tampa, Keith from Gulf Port, Diane from Florida, Jay Charles, Jack from Chicago, Betty Doe and the infamous Bobby a.k.a. Fat Friday!

I'm thankful for my entire team, from Sybil and J., Roland and Huggy, who contribute on air daily, to  Sheryl, Jawn, Jacque, Stephanie, Jeff, Mellody and D.L., Chris Paul and the Underground Hounds, to the producers and writers, Mary, Erica, Deya, Jay and Sheree, led by Nikki, to the production guys, Super Dave, Ross, Vince, Blow Danny, Jason, Mark, R and B, Mario and Walter, led by Kent to music director Stephanie to phone producers Stephanie J. and Andrelle, to Leah ... and everyone else who makes the TJMS all that it is. I'm thankful for all of you.

And to our sponsors - I won't try to name them all - but Ford, Cracker Barrel, Southwest Airlines, Crest, State Farm, Walmart, McDonald's, Allstate, Home Depot and Walgreens, I'm grateful for our partnership.

I'm thankful for radio in general and black radio in particular and all it's meant to me and my radio family.

As we enter the Christmas season, I'll be asked time and time again what I want. If you really want to know what you can do for me and the TJMS, it is first and foremost to support every sponsor that you hear advertising on our show. These are tough times for everyone. We all are spending our money more deliberately and, hopefully, more wisely. When an advertiser spends money to advertise on the TJMS, it is a conscious business decision, and that company is expecting to get in return lots of business from all of us. So, if you love me like you say you do, make a conscious decision to do business with these people. And if you really want to do me a solid, send the advertisers a letter and let them know you heard about their product on the TJMS.  It means more than you know.

When you test drive a Ford, not only do you help support HBCUS by raising money; you prove to Ford the power and persuasiveness of the TJMS that they will remember the next time they have to decide which morning radio shows they'll spend money on.

Radio is not a passive medium. I pride myself in having a show that gives listeners a call to action. We've got a lot to accomplish, and we will do it together.

I'll tell you more in my next blog about how we can make history and take HBCUs to the next level.

Thank you again for supporting our show and our advertisers. Keep texting, calling, tweeting and visiting BlackAmericaWeb.com, too. It all adds up to numbers that will help us do our thing for years to come. Thankfully.