You might have known him as Joe Breezy in California, but most of us know him as Gringo Suave, the HR nightmare/stunt boy on MG’s Morning Madhouse back in the day on Power 92.3 (KKFR).

Since then, he’s had stints as Joe Breezy in Northern California markets such as Modesto, Monterey, San Francisco and most recently, KDND-FM in Sacramento.

Gringo Suave returns to the Phoenix airwaves taking over mornings on Top 40/rhythmic 101.5 JamZ (KZON). Program Director Bruce St. James made the announcement February 19.

Catch Gringo Suave’s first show this morning on 101.5 JamZ, 6-10am.

Original post: Feb. 22, 8:22pm. Last edit: March 8, 1:19am

Tim Pohlman will be joining CBS Radio Phoenix as their new market manager after the announced departure of Mark Waters in November. Pohlman will join the three station cluster consisting of country KMLE, classic hits KOOL, and top 40/rhythmic KZON.

Pohlman is no stranger to CBS Radio or the duties as market manager. He had been market manager of CBS Radio Los Angeles’ cluster. He has been CEO of Riviera Broadcasting.

Tuesday morning power outages in the Valley have not only left an estimated 18,000 people without electricity, according to APS spokeswoman Jenna Henry, but also briefly knocked out several major Phoenix FM radio stations.

Several– if not a majority– of the FM stations went to static around 10:27am. The static lasted for a minute or two before broadcasts returned on-air. A few others, like KOOL-FM, went from static to silence for a few moments more.

A second occurrence reportedly occurred just minutes shy of 11am, that affected Bonneville’s KPKX and KTAR-FM. Since both stations returned just before the noon hour, we presume the hour was used for transmitter work. Both are located on South Mountain, which supports a majority of Phoenix FM radio station transmitters.

Mark Waters has left the building at CBS Radio Phoenix as Sr. VP/Market Manager, overseeing Country station KMLE, Classic Hits KOOL, and Rhythmic/Top 40 KZON.

In 2006, Waters left Bonneville Phoenix. He joined CBS Radio Phoenix in November 2006, and has held the Sr. VP/Market Manager position of the three station cluster since February 2007, succeeding Marco Camacho.

It is not known at this time who the replacement will be.

We reported here at the end of August that Ruben S. (formerly of KZON, KKFR, and KZZP), landed a gig at Sierra H rhythmic oldies Mega 104.3 (KAJM) doing Friday nights’ “Mega House Party.”

Beginning Monday, Ruben will be spending afternoons on KAJM, and nights on sister station, KNRJ “The Beat.”

Rumor sparked earlier in the week on the radio industry message board of Radio-Info.com about former Power 98.3 (KKFR) DJ, “Melissa the Midnight Mamacita” getting the midday spot at competing station, 101.5 Jamz (KZON). Melissa had fallen victim at KKFR to cutbacks, along with several others at the station and sister station KEDJ.

It is confirmed that since Monday, November 9, Melissa is back on the radio at competing station, 101.5 Jamz (KZON) doing middays. You can call her: “Melissa the Music Mamacita.”

This year’s VA Veterans Day Parade in Phoenix will include longtime Valley morning radio host, Dave Pratt, as Celebrity Grand Marshal. The parade is set to begin at 11am from Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center on Wednesday November 11.

Pratt, who has been on the radio in Phoenix for nearly thirty years (KUPD, KZON, KMLE), was let go from CBS Radio/KMLE in late 2008 due to budget cuts. His support and dedication for the Phoenix community continues on. You can catch him at the upcoming parade.

Click here for more parade information.

The month of October brought trouble to CBS Radio Phoenix, with the suspensions and departures of both on and off-air employees.

We begin with the KMLE Country 108 morning duo, Tim and Willy. Sources state the reason for their three day absence during the last week of the month was due to a suspension without pay on charges of plugola. Another CBS Radio Phoenix staffer(s) lost their job on the same charge.

101.5 Jamz (KZON) morning guy, Strawberry, was apparently charged of the same, suspended then fired. You can now hear him during the weekend on San Francisco’s MOViN 99.7.

Tim and Willy returned after their three day suspension; Jamz is in the process of searching for a brand-new morning show. No information is known on the replacement of the other position(s).

Ruben S (who had co-hosted mornings on KZON, KZZP, KKFR) returns to the airwaves starting Friday the 28th, on Mega 104.3 (KAJM).