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Ingénue INOJ Follows Her Instincts WOWI's Nelson Takes Adult R&D As `lime After lime' Clicks At Top 40 To Fans Of All Ages In Norfolk AFTER 14 YEARS on the air in more and might not have in their SOMETIMES FATE has a way of work she'd recorded. It didn't hurt not to classify my sound, but I think Norfolk, Va., WOWI DJ host Phil record collections either." handing you answers before the that warm -up appearances for the I would call myself rhythm and pop Nelson consistently pulls in top rat- Because the station overall tar- questions have been asked. likes of Regina Belle and Hi -Five instead of R &B," she says. "R &B is ings in the 12 -plus, 18-34, and 25-54 gets a younger audience, Nelson For budding pop artist INOJ (pro- were on her résumé. She then flew more street today than rhythm and demos for his R &B adult, or "quiet and WOWI PD K.J. Holiday allow nounced "I know Jay "), a career path to Atlanta and worked on material, blues, and I'm definitely not urban, storm," program. Such programs current album cuts on the program. was initiated before she was 2 years including the demo of "Love You so I guess I've come up with a new are usually geared at older audi- "We'll play cuts from the more old, when her parents-who kept an Down." category of my own." ences, with an abundance of gold popular albums, like those by oldies station playing by her crib - "I played the track, sang the song, She has no strong opinion about product. But WOWI's program- Brandy, Monica, or Mary J. Blige- were awakened one night to the the fact that she's landed on top 40 ming team and Nelson tailor albums that are in the top 10 or top sounds of their daughter cryptically radio instead of R &B. WOWI's show to reach the entire 20, where we know a large number singing War's "Cisco Kid." "You sing according to the way listener spectrum. of people have "There I was standing in the crib you're raised," she says. "I heard a "During the quiet bought the album singing. They didn't even know I lot of different artists growing up, storm time slot, Billboa and have some fa- could talk yet," says the 22- year -old including and WOWI has a 24.6 miliarity with the [12- plus]," says Nel- songs," he says. singer, who grew up in Washington, Sandy Patty." BROAD CAS1R D.C., and took her stage name from She names as influences-past son. 'And in the tar- Along with the backward formation of her real 1 and present- Minnie Ripperton, get demo, 18-34, we OF THE WEEK adapting the format name, Joni. , Chicago, Michael [have a] 34.4. On for younger listen- the , 'N Sundays, we have a ers, Nelson says, INOJ has come a ways since, by Chuck Taylor Jackson, clearly enunciating her way through Sync, Shania Twain, Shawn 47.8 share with he's had to adjust two top 40 hit remakes this year for Colvin, and . women 18 -34." his idea of what So So Def/Columbia. First was a and we sent it off," INOJ says. "I What it comes down to, she says, Nelson joined the songs fit into the springy reading of Ready For The didn't think another thing of it." That is acceptance. station in 1984 and show. World's "," which is, until Roane got an earful of her "I don't care where they put me, quickly moved from "Back in the day peaked at No. 25 on the Hot 100 in singing and insisted that the track as long as I'm embraced there," she P/T to the 7 p.m.- when I first started, February. Currently, there's the be included on "Bass All -Stars Vol- says. "If I ever do get to R &B, it midnight slot. With- I always played slow man- music and ballads," easygoing drum'n'bass version of ume II"-and released as a single. looks like I'll have to moonwalk to in six months, PHIL N TISON agement decided to he says. "Today, it's 's 1984 chestnut He came back to her for "Volume get there." On -Air Pe rsonality INOJ split his shift, adding different. You can "Time After Time." III" -due Oct. 6 -which fostered Like most fledgling artists, WOW! No rtolk. Va. The tender, understated second "Time After Time." has already stopped by scores of an R &B adult for- get away with some track is making big noise on the Hot "As soon as people got vinyl press- influential top 40 outlets, about 80 in mat in the second tempo ... you just 100, where this issue it's No. 7 after ings of the album [ "Volume II "], they all, she says. "I've been doing radio half, which he ini- have to carefully just five weeks. On Hot 100 Singles immediately found `Love You Down.' visits for over a year to do meet and tially resisted. Yet after one book, place them in terms of flow" Sales, "Time After Time" is No. 11; People can find hit records, which is greets, drops, and station shows. the ratings for the shift's latter part Other specialty programming on Hot 100 Airplay, it moves from No. basically how this happened," says They're giving me fire, so I've got to skyrocketed, and the show and Nel- within the show includes a "Top 10 29 to No. 30. Columbia senior VP of national pro- give them back extra fire. I'm really son were moved to 10 p.m. -3 a.m. At 10" listener- request countdown "It's a familiar hook with a motion Jerry Blair. "With `Time blessed and very happy." "I thought it was a step down, segment on Thursday nights. refreshed sound, but it maintains the After Time,' people started playing Part of that fire she feels comes and I resisted, because it wasn't Nelson adds, "I do `Men's Mon- essence, which I think is very impor- it early in dance marketplaces, and from making a positive impression in what I wanted to do in radio," Nel- day,' [which is] set up for men to call tant," notes Dave Eubanks, PD of it's blown up from there." person. Polite and polished, INOJ son says. "I was in my early 20s and in and fix what they did wrong over top 40 WZJM Cleveland. "It was the also possesses the one trait PDs wanted to do the mix-show thing. the weekend. It's their chance to same thing with `Love You Down.' It point out as a plus more often than The good thing was, I did have a call in and apologize. We'll only play maintained the emotional level of the any other: humility. love for the ballads, and eventually male artists. Then the next night record while bringing the new style "She came in and did a little on -air I grew to love the program as well." it's `Ladies' Tuesday.'" of the '90s into it." interview and played at our summer Nelson and the show developed a Although he doesn't program the "It was a great song in the '80s, show, then did a club gig that night," loyal following. In 1991, he left show, Nelson says he's active in giv- and there's no reason it can't hit in says WZJM's Eubanks. "She's very WOWI to work for crosstown ing Holiday and music director the late '90s," adds top 40 WXXL civil and as friendly as she could be. WMYK (K94) as the host of its Heart Attack suggestions for Orlando PD Adam Cook. "Callout She knows what it's all about; she R &B adult- formatted program music. He's also given leeway to for both the Hispanic core plus the doesn't have that ego." "Night Moods." When WMYK accommodate requests. white audience has so far panned out And because she's had two solid became adult R &B Touch 96, Nel- Here is a sample hour on for us. We also have great singles hits with "Love You Down" and son was made assistant PD. He WOWI's R &B adult show: Patti sales and requests." "Time After Time," radio is clamor- returned to WOWI two years ago. LaBelle, "Love, Need And Want Even Lauper, who co -wrote the ing after her for its fall and season- "WOWI's quiet storm is an insti- You "; Jagged Edge, "Gotta Be "; track with Rob Hyman and took it al radio shows. "That familiarity is tution in this market, and being Mary J. Blige, "Missing You "; Janet "I Get Lonely "; Prince, to No. 1 on the Hot 100 and the Adult quite key," Eubanks says. "She's one back here feels like being home," Jackson, Contemporary chart, acknowledges of the hottest acts out there right says Nelson, who now hosts the 10 "Do Me, Baby "; Brian McKnight, the charm of her song's modern rein- now for shows." p.m.-2 a.m. slot Sundays through "Anytime "; BLACKstreet, "I Can't You My Mind)"; Keith carnation. INOJ And what if she just happens to Thursdays. Get (Out Of "Her voice sounds very sweet," release another remake? No matter, Like the R &B adult show on Washington Featuring Chanté she says. "It's been interesting to Blair says INOJ will release her according to Eubanks. many mainstream R &B outlets, Moore, "I Love You "; Dru Hill, hear the different versions of the solo project late this year or in first - "The only people that might care WOWI's is current -driven but "Five Steps "; E.U., "Taste Of Your song that have been recorded." Lau - quarter 1999 without tampering are radio and record people, who strategically works in gold product. Love "; Allure, "All Cried Out "; and per and INOJ haven't met, but the with her primary appeal, which is at might say something," he says. "To "During the week, we're about Alicia Myers, "If You Play Your song's originator adds, "I wish her top 40-and not R &B radio. listeners, they just know if they like 80/20 current to gold," Nelson says. Cards Right" the best of luck." "It's true the records have been the song or not." "Sundays, which I call `The Sunday And while we often hear the Both of INOJ's hits are taken from bigger with and crossover As for the future, INOJ prefers to Stroll' between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m., complaint that many of today's wonders, Nelson "So So Def Bass All- Stars" compila- radio stations than with R &B," Blair focus on things one day at a time. focuses on all oldies, while earlier artists are one -hit tion albums, which she got involved says. "It seems that she has become "Since I'm not a psychic friend, I try in the evening we spotlight new says the opposite is true for artists following. with after a member of a band she a pop artist. The key will be imag- not to look that far ahead," she jokes, music and album previews." with an R &B adult was in connected her with Charles ing her for the full album. The video though she does admit to aspirations Stressing the importance of "There are some artists who are "The Mixologist" Roane, who has will be part of the campaign, with of working with other artists. album cuts in R &B adult program- considered quiet storm staples," he produced and recorded instruments lots of radio station events in the fall. "I don't have to sing them all," she ming, Nelson says, "What people says. "This format isn't solely based much for many tracks on the Jermaine It will give us a great opportunity to says. "I'd love to write for some other don't realize is that a lot of album on hit records. It's just as Dupri -owned label's projects. image her to a much larger audience people and do voice -overs for a car- cuts were played heavily on the about who you are playing as it is INOJ showed Roane songs she'd than she might normally be in front toon. Hopefully, next year, God will- radio in the '70s and '80s. Many of about what you are playing." been writing -she had started at of." ing, I'll have been able to achieve suc- these songs people can't get any- DANA HALL age 10-and let him hear some of the From INOJ's standpoint, "I try cess and get more work that way."

96 BILLBOARD SEPTEMBER 19, 1998 www.americanradiohistory.com