When Becky Dee was a little girl growing up in New Jersey, her dream was to don a headset and get behind a microphone at a radio station. Her dream recently came true.
On Monday, Nov. 3, Becky started her first full-time radio job, introducing her “Boots and Breakfast with Becky Dee” on WPLL 106.9 FM “I Am Country.”
The journey started in the 1990s for Becky, who grew up listening to 1980s rock bands, but started her switch into country music when she was flipping the radio dial and came across the song “Little Good-Byes” sung by SHeDAISY.
“It was just a cute little song about how she broke up with this guy and took half of everything just to make him mad,” she said. “So, I was like, that was really good. Let me keep listening. Then it was like Shania Twain, the Dixie Chicks, Rascal Flatts, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, they all sucked me right into the whole country world. And that’s all I listen to now is country.”
Her first experience as a DJ started in Georgia in 1995.
“I literally walked into a radio station outside of Savannah, Georgia, and they hired me. I had no previous experience, but being a radio DJ was my dream since I was a little girl,” Becky said. “I’ve always wanted to be a radio DJ, and I thought I would never get the opportunity. When I saw the job posting, I was like, ‘You know, what’s the worst they’re going to tell me, no?’ At least I get to see a station. And they said yes, and I worked for them for a year.”
From there, she went to Mix 97.3 FM in Savannah, where she worked for Program Director Rick Hunter, who helped her get on at Jacksonville’s 95.1 FM WAPE “The Big Ape.”
“[Hunter] knew people at ‘The Big Ape’ in Jacksonville, and I had told him that was my dream station,” she said. “One day, I want to work at ‘The Big Ape.’ Well, when I was moving to Jacksonville, he went ahead and called ‘The Big Ape’ on my behalf, without letting me know, and ‘The Ape’ called me. ‘We heard you’re coming to Jacksonville. Would you be interested?’ Oh, yes. So, my first weekend in Jacksonville, I was on ‘The Big Ape,’ and I worked there for two years
Becky left her part-time position at ‘The Big Ape’ and returned to work with the hotel industry full-time.
When she moved to Gainesville in 2018, she continued working in the hotel industry while getting a weekend shift with WRUF 103.7 FM “The Gator,” where she remained for nearly six years.
Recent life changes led Becky to leave the hotel industry, where she had worked for 32 years, and the door opened for her to join MARC Radio.
“I’m super excited for the ‘Boots and Breakfast’ morning show. I know mornings is ideally the anchor of the station and Becky would be a great anchor,” said MARC Radio program manager Vinny Foo. “She’s genuine, super fun, super relatable and she’s very familiar with all the country hits. She’s already well known in the community, so it’s almost like a perfect fit for her to be the face and, ideally, the brand ambassador of 106.9 FM ‘I Am Country.’”
MARC Media Group, which owns 106.9 I Am Country and Mainstreet Daily News, has other Gainesville stations that include Magic 100.3, R&B 94.1, Rock It 100.5, The Beach 100.9, 96.3 FM/1430 AM The Shepherd and 103.5 FM/720 AM in Ocala.