After today Abdul-Hakim Shabazz will no longer be employed by. After a 7-year run as the morning man on WXNT he was told his services were no longer needed. His replacement will be the syndicated program The Wall Street Journal Report. That's the way our industry works, at times, here today gone tomorrow, but Shabazz is taking it all in stride. He's not upset. He's not bitter. He understands business is business.
Shabazz focused on state and local issues during his program. There wasn't a lot of politics, there was plenty of that being broadcast by the syndicated. Shabazz called his show radio for people who can't stand ignorance and stupidity. And now that his run is over he says it is what it is. "I was a little upset when I got the news, but that was a natural human reaction. It wasn't a local decision and it wasn't based on my performance as a host. However, I've always been a practical individual and learned to accept reality and deal with it. I also believe everything happens for a reason and what starts out as a negative can be a positive. I like to tell people I would have never met my wife if my ex-girlfriend hadn't broken up with me. I ended up in talk radio because I worked for a politician who ran for Governor of Illinois. He lost and we got fired. The next thing you know, I'm doing a daily radio show."
Shabazz has an undergrad degree was in broadcast news, an M.A. in Government and Politics and a law degree. He says he was born to do radio. He also writes for a local newspaper so we wondered which job he liked better. "That's like asking which child do you love best? I like them equally. My main goal is to have a forum where I can discuss the issues of the day and give an audience food for thought. Whether it's print, broadcast or Internet, it doesn't matter. But I had to make a choice, I would rather be seen and heard as opposed to just read."
And what about the radio industry? "I think radio got caught with its pants down and didn't realize that consumer choice was coming. I told a PD in the mid-90s that good content and great talent can always win the day. I can get music anywhere. The same with talk radio. If you listen to the national shows it all sounds the same. That's why I love local, relevant talk radio. It's sad what is happening, but I do believe that people who do well in this industry can do well anywhere, because the skills that made them a good broadcaster can make them good at any other job."
Shabazz says he was told corporate HQ made the call that he had to go. "One man's budget cut is another man's budget re-allocation, so I can't say. However, I have no reason to believe the decisions that were made weren't what I was told. Coporate radio is under a lot of financial pressure. I love it, but it is a business and decisions have to be made. And it's cheaper to run syndicated programming than pay local talent. I don't bear any ill will to anyone. I was glad the run lasted as long as it did."
Reach out to Shabazz.
His telephone number is 317-727-1250
E-mail attyabdul@gmail.com
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