THE
GRIFFIN DAILY NEWS
A
SOUTHERN GOSPEL REVIVAL
Local DJ
to begin broadcasting show via satellite radio
Most
people don't look forward to Mondays. For most,
the start of the work week means it's the end of
the weekend and back to the daily grind.
Not
so for Daniel Britt. This Griffin resident is actually
looking forward to work Monday, when a new job and
some new circumstances will carry his voice nationwide
for the first time.
Beginning
tomorrow, Britt will begin broadcasting an hour-long
radio show on XM Satellite Radio, a nationwide subscriber
service that allows listeners to hear more than
100 channels 24 hours a day, commercial-free. Britt's
show, "Daniel Britt and Friends." Will broadcast
on the new Southern gospel channel enlighten 34
and will feature artists interviews and music selections
from both past and present day.
"It's
Southern gospel. It's a historic form of music,"
Britt said. "We're going to go down into the 40's,
50's, and 60's and also feature the new sounds coming
out as well. The show is named, "Daniel Britt and
friends, and that kind of has two parts. For one,
the listeners are listening, and hopefully we'll
be providing an intimate enough setting that they
will feel like they're at the table with us. The
other friends are the artists, the people we get
to know."
Britt's
first nationwide broadcast will be a tribute to
Anthony Burger, the popular gospel pianist who died
this year while performing on a Bill Gaither Homecoming
cruise in the Caribbean. Britt will talk with Burger's
wife and daughter and several of Burger's friends
during the hour - a tribute that he finds fitting
for his first XM Radio show, since Burger's death
got him the gig.
"It's
just really kind of a bizarre story," Britt said.
"Since I followed gospel music (Burger's death)
was a pretty big deal. I had the information on
my Web site and XM Radio was doing research and
found me. They called me back in early March, totally
out of the blue. I was just a paying subscriber,
a fan of XM Radio. It's really cool how it happened."
XM
Radio officials were intrigued by Britt's personal
profile and extensive broadcast experience, which
centered around Southern gospel music. After a few
discussions with the 24-year old Griffin resident,
they were ready to give Britt his own show.
"After
discovering Daniel this past spring, it quickly
became apparent to my associate Dane Dixon and myself
that the nationwide audience of enlighten should
have the opportunity to hear what young Daniel has
to offer," said Marlin Taylor, program director
for XM Radio, in a prepared statement.
Contrary
to what his age might suggest, Britt has a long
career in radio broadcasting. He began sharing his
love of Christian music with listeners when he was
just 14.
"I
didn't go to school for it", he said. "I had always
wanted to work at a radio station. I always like
live shows, unscripted shows. I was 14 in 1996 and
the church I went to was a big supporter of the
Christian radio station. The manager had enough
faith in me to let me come in, and he put me on
doing some spots."
Britt
continued his work at the Warner Robins radio station
until 2000, at which time he moved to the Toccoa
Falls College Radio Network in Toccoa Falls. After
that, Britt began work at the Fish in Atlanta, and
he moved to Griffin in 2004 to work at WMVV. Britt
will continue his full-time job at WMVV, working
on the new XM Radio show in his spare time. Britt
plans to broadcast "Daniel Britt and Friends" from
his in-home studio.
"It's
just convenient to do it from there on the weekend
or at night when I get home, he said. "But it's
cool to think about the fact that I'm sitting here
in Griffin putting it together, and it will go up
to Washington to a satellite and then go all over."
Britt will produce one new show each week, but his
show will air three times through the week at 7PM
Mondays, 10PM Thursdays, and noon on Saturdays.
Britt said the programming schedule was designed
to let people hear his broadcast at a convenient
time each week no matter what their time zone. He
hopes the strategy works and draws in lots of listeners.
"The
name Southern gospel implies that it comes from
the South, but (other) people really do like it,"
Britt said. If I can do something educational and
introduce people to how it got started, the more
people who can honor the people who have paved the
way. I think it's a great opportunity, and it mixes
my love for gospel music and live radio. Anytime
I can put those two together, it's a bonus."
