These Guys Will Kickstart Your Heart
Alumni radio hosts rock Central Florida mornings
Pat Dougher, ’90 & Bob Miller, ’96 | On-Air Personalities, WJRR
By Angie Lewis, ’03
The subject matter can get a bit raunchy, and the occasional bodily function may slip through the airwaves, but what Orlando rock fans tune in for are the on-air personalities and guitar-laden music.
Loyal listeners of Orlando’s WJRR morning show are familiar with its hosts, Pat Lynch and Taco Bob. But, even if you just channel surf through morning FM radio, you’ve probably heard their unmistakable voices. The guys regularly promote local rock concerts, describe the latest viral videos and, most importantly, talk about their alma mater — UCF.
Meet “Pat Lynch”
Pat Dougher, ’90, better known as Pat Lynch, grew up in South Florida. He chose to attend UCF thanks to a recommendation about WUCF radio from a counselor at Palm Beach Community College.
While he was a student, Dougher worked an internship, which, he says, was key to his future career because it allowed him to meet some of the real players and shot callers in the local radio industry. “Doing an internship opened the door to the people who have and still do make it possible to do what I do for a living,” he adds.
As a radio/television major, Dougher ended up leading a student drive to gain an afternoon block of student programming on WUCF, which proved successful.
After WUCF, he went on to work for Central Florida’s old Q-96, then Relativity Records in New York City. After a brief time up north, he moved back to Orlando, where he worked as a manager at Peaches Music. In addition, he worked part time for WDIZ, which was eventually merged with WJRR when Paxson Communications bought the station. Seventeen years later, Dougher’s still with WJRR.
Meet “Taco Bob”
Bob Miller, ’96, better known as Taco Bob, says he chose to attend UCF because it seemed like the next step on the ladder after growing up in Central Florida and attending Valencia. “Plus, UCF offered a great communications department,” he adds.
As a radio/television major, Miller had the opportunity to meet guest speaker Jenny Sue Rhodes from then-Paxson Communications [now WJRR], to whom he credits helping him get his foot in the door of the radio industry thanks to an internship with her company, after which he was hired on as an employee. This year marks his 20th year with WJRR.
Pat Lynch, Meet Taco Bob
So, how did this pair end up together?
“When WDIZ merged with WJRR, our program director walked in the studio one day and said, ‘Pat, this is Taco Bob. He’s going to be on during the lunch hour with you to do entertainment news,’” Dougher explains. “I said, ‘OK,’ and we hit it off immediately. We had good chemistry, so the powers that be said, ‘Looks like we may have something here we can develop into a full show.’ The rest was history.”
Learn more about the guys and their lives in radio in the Q&A below.
WJRR has had several format changes over the years, but adopted its current rock format and call letters in 1993. Some of the station’s alumni includes Larry the Cable Guy, Just Plain Mark and Buckethead.
Rockin’ On Q&A
Q. Describe a typical day at work.
Pat Dougher: Arrive at 4:10 a.m., catch up on overnight news and start the show at 5 a.m. From 5 a.m. to 10 a.m., we execute the mechanics of the show as well as the online/social media aspects of the show. After the show, we produce any promos or commercials that have been assigned, meet with our programming boss and sales counterparts as needed. The day sometimes also includes on-site appearances for client and station promotions. I try to leave the office by noon, catch a nap and then begin a couple of hours of show prep for the next day’s program.
Q. Favorite thing about your job?
Bob Miller: When we have a great show.
Q. Why do you do what you do?
PD: I always loved radio as a kid and decided I would try to make it a career.
BM: I love entertaining people.
Q. Working in radio, you’ve probably had opportunities to meet some pretty famous people. Who has been your favorite so far, and why?
PD: Hands down, Ozzy Osbourne. Why? He is the front man of, in my honest opinion, the most important hard-rock band, Black Sabbath.
BM: Matt Damon because he’s very down-to-earth and a great guy to have a beer with. Slash because he’s Slash, and he does so much more than rock. Larry the Cable Guy because Pat and I worked with him for years, and it’s so good to see a great person become beyond successful.
Q. What did you want to be when you grew up?
PD: Police officer/law enforcement
BM: Meteorologist or actor
Q. How did you end up at WJRR? (What other jobs have you had?)
PD: My previous radio jobs have been at WUCF (when the station played rock music and paid some of the students, including me). I then went to work for the old Q-96. After that, I briefly worked for Relativity records in NYC. I moved back to Orlando and worked for Peaches Music as a manager, and also part time at the legendary WDIZ (where I ended up working full time). WDIZ was merged with WJRR when Paxson Communications bought WDIZ. Been at WJRR ever since.
BM: I did an internship at WJRR while attending UCF, and they hired me. I worked in the restaurant business from [age] 14 to 21.
Q. What advice would you give to current UCF radio/television students?
PD: Minor in something that will make you more valuable to a potential employer — business, marketing, etc. And, do an internship to establish some contacts.
BM: Do an internship and learn as much as you can while you’re there about promotions, marketing, production, sales, etc.
Q. What was your first paying job?
PD: I started mowing yards when I was 10. When I turned 15 and was legally allowed to work, I went to work for a mom-and-pop grocery store chain in South Florida.
BM: Sold mistletoe at the age of 7. We made a killing growing up in Winter Park!
Q. What or who inspires you?
PD: Adversity inspires me. There’s nothing more satisfying than overcoming adversity.
BM: Successful actors who give back to their local communities and anyone who does charitable work
Q. What’s the first album you ever bought/owned?
PD: Kiss’ “Destroyer”
BM: Bob Marley’s “Uprising“
Q. What was the first concert you ever attended?
PD: Cheap Trick and U.F.O.
BM: Pink Floyd
Q. What music/artist would you never be caught listening to?
PD: Mumford and Sons
BM: One Direction — unless my daughters do a sneak attack on me
Q. What songs would make up the soundtrack of your life?
PD: “Street Fighting Man” by The Rolling Stones, “You Won’t Change Me” by Black Sabbath, “You’ve Got Another Thing Coming” by Judas Priest, “Simple Man” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Cool Change” by Little River Band, “I’m No Angel” by Greg Allman, and “Back for More” by Ratt
BM: Songs by Bob Marley, Sublime and The Zach Brown Band
On the Air
In preparation for this article, the guys invited me to stop by the WJRR studio and sit in with them during one of their live shows. Our executive director (and huge WJRR fan), Tom Messina, ’84, and our social media coordinator, Stephanie Sheppard, ’12, accompanied me.
