Woodlands Hits producer, Jay Wachs, walks the walk

THE WOODLANDS, Texas - When you believe, you will achieve, and Jay Wachs is sprinkling a dose of positivity in every step he takes as he settles into The Woodlands Community to listen, absorb, and learn.

Jay Wachs is the producer of the newly arrived WoodlandsHits.com, a community-based, local internet radio station playing music “that makes you feel good” from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, in addition to today’s hits. Premiering February 17, 2015, the station has developed a following of over 215,000 listeners to the site. His other station, The Voice, is a partnership with Dosey Doe to play “Red Dirt” Country music and interview the talent that takes to the stage.

Wachs is no stranger to radio broadcasting with over 30 years experience spanning from Yuma, Arizona, to Cleveland, Ohio, Greenville, South Carolina, Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, Lawrence, Kansas, and Austin Texas. He has been a radio personality, a disc jockey, an account executive, program director and General Manager for Cumulus Broadcasting, Border Media Business Broadcasting, Great Plains Media, and Briarcliff Media Holdings. He has worked with radio stations to increase sales and then moved on to other opportunities, until he landed in Lawrence, Kansas, and established Lawrence Hits. This is when Wachs developed Briarcliff Media and produced a digital format for listening and enjoying music. This format has been repeated successfully in The Woodlands. But what you do does not define you, and Jay Wachs is so much more.

Born in Shaker Heights, Ohio, Jay loves to learn the history of small towns.

“You can learn a lot about the people by learning from a local historian what the roots are to the town,” said Wachs.

A history graduate from Ohio State, Jay has a way of understanding what it means to be “community” by getting to the heart of listening to people and forming interpersonal relationships. Music is part of the relation-building process because it evokes emotions, memories, and experiences. Playing “feel good” music is part of what he does to live in a positive environment. And every song is programed by intuition, or a “feeling”. He knows songs from the Big Band era (standards) before even hearing the music, and he can name that tune in 3 notes!

Work ethics, honoring time commitments, and community involvement are non-negotiables with Wachs.

“When it’s good in the community, it’s good for you and me. When you do good in the community, you do good for all of us,” added Wachs.

Wachs has a passion for the theatre, preservation, cooking, cats, local nonprofit organizations and of course music. He even published a book about a cat that traveled through Lawrence, Kansas and visited all the merchants, Jett B Catt Discovers Downtown Lawrence. Rumor has it that Jett B Catt has already packed his bags and will be making a stop in The Woodlands soon.

But everything didn’t start out rosy, and Wachs is not immune to heartache. In 2008, Jay lost his wife, his children, his job, and his dad was dying of leukemia. So he plunged forward with Dad to make memories, and forged a career with another radio station in Yuma, Arizona. That’s when he learned to control how you react to bad things. Don’t overreact and fall down the hole.

Unfortunately in 2012, at the age of 44, Wachs was the oldest living person in his family.

“The pressure is always intense with a burden of responsibility. Relationships are finite and time can slip away so fast. Every relationship has a timeline. That’s why I care so much about people and my clients. Clients and my pets are treated like family,” said Wachs.

A positive thinker, public relations professional, and business coach, Jay loves to interview people and can immediately determine if they need to meet or collaborate with others he knows in the community. His interview process is so informal you are immediately at ease and feel that you have a friend for life. Wachs sprinkles happiness, understanding, and success in every encounter throughout the day.

Is it the music that makes him this way? Possibly. Wachs is comfortable with any genre, but especially the ‘Old School’ music of 1978-1982. His compassion for people comes from his background as an ordained minister in which he shows people how to “Walk with Wachs” through life, to create a better workplace and home life combined with his love of the Muppets! His favorite Muppet? Chef, of course. Chef loves to cook, and so does Jay.

“Muppets teach life lessons and are brilliant at conveying messages to adults and children,” said Wachs.

WoodlandsHits.com and The Voice of the Woodlands (presented by Dosey Doe), are available on WoodlandsHits.com and VoiceoftheWoodlands. Local interviews can be heard mornings from 7-9 a.m., on WoodlandsHits.com. They are a community-driven station supporting locally owned and operated businesses and nonprofits, to increase visibility and growth. They not only provide great music, but inform the community about local happenings, concert schedules, sporting events, youth activities, and business spotlights. Listen in on your laptop, mobile device, or download from the App Store or Google Play. Please contact info@WoodlandsHits.com for additional information.

There are people that do the right thing when no one is watching, and they do it daily. Jay Wachs is one of them. You can walk with Wachs, but you may end up running; he is moving into town at a fast pace!