morning radio show host, audio engineer
1976 Los Angeles

The sun barely clears the palm trees when Lee Schroeder's already hunched over a console at WJAZ, coaxing the station awake with a voice that’s equal parts caffeine jitters and boyish charm. At twenty-two, he's an engineer, fixer, and fledgling host all at once - just as likely to be found crawling under a console as he is on-air, cueing up a record with coffee still steaming in his hand.

Raised in the suburbs of Orange County, Lee found salvation from his teen angst in wiring, tape reels and liner notes memorized by heart. He packed up his passion and knowledge to LA, where a new job at radio station WJAZ became his niche, mismatched refuge. After all, it was a place where his encyclopedic knowledge of B-sides and his knack for keeping hi-fi gear alive finally meant something.

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After nearly losing its license and facing bankruptcy in '73, radio station WJAZ 97.5 FM was bailed out by a quiet benefactor with a soft spot for independent media. Under more pragmatic management (led by formidable former employee Stevie Callahan on the ground), WJAZ found its identity: an eclectic, fiercely independent oasis on the FM dial. It retains the freeform spirit of the hippie era but tempers it with enough structure to sell ads and keep the lights on.

By 1976, it's a known but precarious entity in Los Angeles - a beloved cult favorite for music nerds and night owls, and a constant, nagging source of frustration for corporate radio conglomerates who see its prime signal as valuable real estate being wasted on "unmarketable" art.

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My little boy! Originally a secondary character in Julian's story, but I'm worldbuilding WJAZ further - the larger setting and both of those guys are still a work in progress. Feel free to insert your persona however you'd like (station employee, listener, rival, corporate suit, total stranger)!