WQUD in Erie playing classic rock and county
Source: www.saukvalley.com, Published: Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016 8:43 p.m. CDT
ERIE – If you’ve been surfing the local airwaves at all, you might have run across some new voices on the radio dial.
One of those voices has had his eye on the mic for a long time – ever since he was a kid.
Meet Aaron Dail. He’s the general manager of WQUD 105.5 FM, which signed on Jan. 7. Since then, Dail and his fellow disc jockeys have brought their unique voices to the air, along with a mix of vintage rock ’n’ roll and country music.
While the station is getting good feedback from listeners, Dail, the host of “AD in the Morning,” is making the most of his chance to fulfill his lifelong dream.
“As a kid, I always wanted to be on a morning show.” Dail said. “I’m really happy, and it’s a lot of fun.”
The station reaches 444,000 potential listeners in a 35- to 40-mile broadcast radius that includes Sterling, Rock Falls, Dixon, Kewanee, and Clinton, Iowa. It hosts ticket giveaways, guest interviews, and helps businesses produce commercials for radio broadcast.
Dail has been interested in radio since he left high school. Along the way, he interned at 97X WXLP, wrote for the Moline Dispatch, was an editor for the Erie Tribune on Facebook, and learned how to DJ weddings from his fellow WQUD DJ, Bill Weeber. You might know Bill better as “Slick Willy,” the host of “Slick Willy’s All-Request Midday Show.”
He lived in Hawaii for 4 years before returning to Erie in 2011, where he lives with his wife and five kids and manages his own construction company.
He came in contact with the station’s owner, Robert Walker, through a Facebook posting, and that eventually lead to him being hired.
While he thinks of himself as more of a “sarcastic news guy kind of host,” Dail and the other DJs at WQUD strive to bring a refreshing, down-home and personal style of broadcast that sets them apart from many stations.
“People are excited to call a station with real people,” Weeber said. “We love the people, and they challenge us and keep us fresh.”
One such listener is Joe DeGeeter, who really started listening to the station and the morning a few months back after turning it on to try and drown out a rooster’s crowing.
“I love the variety of the station, and the DJs are so unique, and more like normal people,” DeGeeter said. “Aaron has a good voice over the radio, is quick-witted, and very friendly.”
With the station’s first full year almost under its belt, Dail is overjoyed with its popularity, and being able to fulfill a lifelong goal.
He plans to help the station grow in the years to come and said he truly appreciates how blessed he is to be given the chance to make his dream a reality.
“Fate has given me a chance to live a life that I had always dreamed of but forgot about,” said Dail, “It’s just surreal.”
MORE INFO
Address: 910 Albany Road, Erie
Phone: 309-659-7608