(This week The Columbian-Progress spotlights WCJU Operations Manager Caston Countz.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born Aug. 31, 1960, in St. Charles, Mo.
Q: Where did you attend school?
A: I graduated from Northwest High School (Mo.) in 1978, Southwest Baptist University with a degree in history political science in 1982 and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with a master’s of divinity in 1987.
Q: Where all have you lived?
A: I have lived in five states in various places all over from as big as Kansas City and Nashville to little towns like Matthews, Mo., and now Columbia.
Q: Where do you work? Tell us about your job/company.
A: I am the operations manager for WCJU radio. I do a show from 6 a.m. until 9. “The Morning Show” is from 6 to 8, and “The Bartering Show” is from 8 to 9. I come in about an hour before the show for prep and stay about an hour after the show to work on the website. I do sales and take care of all of the computers, automation, the website and social media.
Q: What led you to your profession?
A: When I was a child, I’d go home and listen to the radio instead of watching TV. The radio has always been the one thing I’ve gravitated towards. Being on the radio was one of those dreams I never thought would come true because there were other things I was doing at the time. I had a chance while I was in Nashville to do a radio show for three or four years. When I moved down here, I put that on hold again. Out of the blue Tommy McDaniel approached me with coming over to WCJU in 2014.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: I’m a little ADHD, and the idea of it never being the same thing twice is stimulating to me. I may have a set plan coming in, and I have to be lucky to get done exactly what I planned to get done because there’s always something that comes up. To me that’s invigorating. I’ve never been comfortable in a day-to-day job where it’s the same thing every day. The second thing is the interaction I have with people. I’ve been here long enough where they’ve gotten to know me quite well. There becomes a little bit of a bond there. During the morning I’ll have people call me just to talk, whether they have something to tell me, a joke to tell, something to ask or just give an opinion. I love that interaction. It’s funny because I’m not an extrovert in public, but when I’m behind the microphone I become this different person. It hasn’t felt like I’ve a worked a day in the four years I’ve been here.
Q: Who is the person who has been most influential in your life?
A: My dad, Tom. He told me he had an eighth-grade education, but I have reason to believe he never got out of grade school. He was born in Mississippi and picked cotton when he was a kid. He wasn’t the most perfect dad in the world, but I learned a lot about loving, trusting and giving to others because of him. I probably learned as much from his mistakes than from what he actually taught me. As adults he was probably my best friend. He was someone I could go to and get a straight shot. He didn’t sugarcoat anything, and I always appreciated that from him. He died in 1996, and I don’t think there’s a day that goes by I don’t think about him.
Q: If you could relive one day from your life, which day would you choose?
A: I’m not sure there’s one day I could pick. But if there’s one thing I could change, when I was a younger teenager being in radio had crossed my mind. But I have dealt all my life with a speech impediment. At the time I thought it was impossible for someone like me to be able to be in radio. I basically put it out of my mind as a pipedream someone like me couldn’t overcome. Knowing what I know now, I would have basically said I don’t care and followed my dream. The only regret I have from a career standpoint is that I didn’t start this journey 40 years ago.
Q: What is your spouse’s name? What does she do for a living?
A: Tracey is a children’s book illustrator and also does some catering around town. She’s very well thought of for her ability to cook. We actually moved here to take care of Tracey’s mom, Jimelle. Tracey had been in marketing for 26 years but had already started with illustrating books when we moved down here. It was the perfect opportunity for her to work from home and take care of momma. We actually met when we were both songwriters in Nashville. She was looking for a piano player, and I was looking for a lyricist. We met on a website and spent four years as songwriters and business partners. That blossomed into a romance and got married in 2007.
Q: Do you have children?
A: I have two from a previous marriage. Amiee will be 35, and Megan will be 34.
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: Probably Great Britain. I’m a bit of an Anglophile, as is my wife.
Q: What hobbies do you like to do in your spare time?
A: I love to read, listen to all different kinds of music and anything I do with Tracey is always fun. We love antiquing and going to garage sales. She truly is my best friend. We don’t get to do it too often, but we still like to sit around the piano and play and sing.
Q: What do you enjoy about living and working in Columbia?
A: I love Columbia. When Tracey left 30 years ago from Improve, she was one of the ones who said she was never coming back here. It was her mother that brought her back. Where I grew up it was more of a community than a town, and there wasn’t a cohesive downtown area. I never lived in a town as a kid that had a town identity. Having the chance to come to a town like this, being part of a community like this and having the opportunity to promote a town like this on the radio gives me delight. I love the direction we’ve been going the past few years, and I love where some of the leaders are trying to take us as a community. My hope is that I’ve done something to help move along the progression of Columbia.
Q: If you could have lunch with anyone from your life or history, who would it be and why?
A: I’d like to speak to my grandpa, Henry Thomas Counts. My dad’s dad was born in Kosciusko and died when my dad was 16. He was musically inclined like the rest of us and worked the cotton fields here until he realized there was something better than picking cotton for him in life so he moved to Missouri. I’ve done an extensive amount of genealogy work since my dad passed, and my grandpa seems to be the key. There’s very little my dad remembers about him. To have the opportunity to sit with grandpa and get an idea of the legacy where my dad’s family comes from would answer a lot of questions.
Q: What would be the No. 1 thing on your Bucket List?
A: I would love to be able to take my wife to all of the places I’ve been. She has a great gift of being able to absorb her surroundings and produce beautiful creations whether it’s food, artwork or music. I would love for her to be able to experience a lot of the things I have. Second, I would love for us to record again. We recorded a CD in 2006, and that was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had.
Q: If you could describe your morals in three words, what would they be?
A: Faith, empathy and grace.
— Joshua Campbell
