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| Jerry Rushin - General Manager at WEDR-FM / 99Jamz |
 In
1990, under Jerry Rushin's leadership, WEDR began its steady reign over the Miami Ft/
Lauderdale market as the No. 1 ranked station. His open-door management style has given
his staff the freedom and support to be their best creative selves, and has produced a
dynamic team that brought him to the highest point in his career—the sale of WEDR at
a phenomenal $65 million. This made WEDR the first Black formatted station in the country
to sell for such a high price.
 Jerry
Rushin was born May 21, in Georgia, but grew up in Ft. Lauderdale. Following his 1965
graduation from Dillard High School, he served two years in Vietnam, where he rose to the
rank of Sergeant 1st class in the United States Army.
In 1973, he began his career at WEDR / 99Jams Radio as “Super Jerry J,” a
part-time announcer. Two years later, he became the program/music director and sales rep.
In 1980, Jerry was offered the position of general manager, which, despite initial
hesitancy, he was persuaded by supportive family and friends to take.
As GM he thought it was far more important to use the station as a platform to discuss the
news as it relates to its African-American audience, rather than report it. Remaining on
the air after his promotion, Jerry kept his finger right on the pulse of the city.
In 1996, Jerry’s leadership skills had taken WEDR from a 16k watt, two-room shack
with a $100,000 operating budget to a modern facility with state-of-the-art equipment
powering 100k and producing millions annually in cash flow.
Jerry’s life experiences have taught him the reciprocal value of genuinely caring
about people.
“The people above you, pull you up. The people next to you, hold you up. And the
people under you push you up,” he affirms.
Jerry’s prestigious awards include the National Black Programmers Coalition 1995
General Manager of the Year and the “Living Legend Award” from Black Radio
Exclusive.
After more than 25 years of perseverance in the industry, Mr. Rushin has no immediate
plans to retire—but whenever he decides to move on, he’s certain that his
activities will, as always, involve serving people. |
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