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Date published: 9/3/2002
Strobel knows how to keep listeners happy1st Place: Brian Stroebel2nd Place: Mike Vincent 3rd Place: Kristen Nash
By Erin McCalla Every morning at 6:05 a.m., deejay Brian Strobel sings "doobie doobie do" to the honkytonk beat of the Sugarfoot Rag, waking up workers and satisfying devoted WFLS listeners. "Even if people hate it, they depend on it," said Strobel, who explained that in a time when everything is changing, people appreciate a little permanence. And that's exactly what Strobel represents. As WFLS's morning deejay of 25 years, Strobel has become part of the daily routine for many country music listeners, including yourselves since you voted him Fredericksburg's best deejay. I visited Strobel one morning, after waking up early to catch him at work, and found him to be incredibly friendly. Not understanding how anyone could be so cheerful after waking up at 3:45 a.m., I quickly realized his love for his job made up for lost sleep. (Although he admits that the toughest part of his job is getting out of bed and his first official business involves coffee consumption.) "Sometimes I get up as late as 4 a.m.," confessed Strobel. Late?? Are you kidding me? Strobel considers himself a people-person. In fact his curiosity for people was one thing that steered him in the deejay direction. However, he was admittedly uncomfortable about being interviewed. "I'm just used to being on the other side," he said, as he insisted on asking me a few questions as well. Strobel's favorite aspect of his job is meeting people. While he has met a number of country-singing stars such as Reba MacKentire, Clint Black, Marie Ossman and Tiny Tim, Strobel isn't only intersted in celebrities. "I would rate everyone as interesting," said Strobel. Between routine weather forecasts and brief song intros, I asked Strobel the big question: Does he like country music? "I've grown to like it," Strobel said, who prior to Fredericksburg had worked with rock n' roll, top 40, and oldies. Strobel explained that country music has evolved from its Urban Cowboy days and later pop influence and is now turning back to its more traditional bluegrass roots. "I just try to change with it," said Strobel. But if you ask his listeners, I'm sure they'll tell you that they like Strobel just the way he is. When one person called in complaining of the morning "Doobie-Do" song, Strobel conducted a poll and was willing to say goodbye to his good morning solo if the results were in favor of its demise. However, 84 percent of the responders said "keep it!" "I guess it will hang around for a while until they carry me out of here," said Strobel. But we don't see that happening.
1. Be respectful. No personal attacks.
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