101.1 The Beat DJ slams ‘The Tennessean’ on the air

Hip-hop/R&B station 101.1 The Beat Jamz says midday personality AG is also known at “Your Friendly Neighborhood Gizzle.”

But AG wasn’t very friendly to The Tennessean today.

AG was talking about an upcoming autism awareness program around 10:50 a.m. when he suddenly mentioned that he didn’t think The Tennessean covered positive stories in the African American community.

AG — who served as president of 100 Black Men of Middle Tennessee for years — suggested The Tennessean only covers shootings in the African American community.

AG (real name: Adrian Granderson) referred to the autism event again and then said:

“If we wanna get some coverage from The Tennessean, we better go and get someone shot. This is ridiculous.”

The station ownership group’s big boss, Tom English, thought that was over the top.

“I understand to a degree the frustration the African American community feels about the lack of positive news being reported in all major media. When you work as hard as AG has over the years to advance the cause, without seeing the kind of recognition positive organizations like 100 Black Men, Nashville Minority Business Center and others deserve, it tends to wear you down,” Tom said in a statement to me.

“That being said, the comments made on the air were totally over the top. We will deal with this internally but I personally apologize to The Tennessean for the remarks.”

I’m supposed to be talking with AG soon.

I have e-mailed The Tennessean’s editor, marketing guru and columnist Dwight Lewis, who often writes about issues in the African American community. None of them have yet responded.

UPDATE

AG e-mailed me this response.

“I wanted to take a few moments to briefly respond to your blog and the statement that I made earlier on the air.

“I want to first recognize and acknowledge the misstep in fully articulating my point earlier this morning. ‘…We better go and get someone shot’ was a poorly verbalized expression of a much bigger issue. An issue that goes far beyond The Tennessean and it was unfair of me to single them out.

“However, this problem supercedes those seven specific words. Those words were verbally surrounded by the color of the situation with no malice intent, only a call for action and change in how African American issues, events, and causes are covered in mainstream media.

“The fact is that I have toiled and given my life to helping others while seeing those positive events fall silent in lieu of negative images and happenings. Our children deserve to see the total picture.

“My prayer is that we do not lose the message in the mistake of a few choice words. While I regret those seven words specifically, my cause remains true, which is to continue to pursue more involvement from our community media resources - including the voice that I have - to make sure that OUR Nashville community continues to be the shining example of philanthropy, social awareness, and prosperity that I have come to know and love.

“Peace & Blessings,

“Adrian ‘A.G.’ Granderson, Middays, 101.1 The Beat Jamz”

‘People’ puts up the first Sara Evans wedding photo

And here it is, courtesy People.com, and Ann Carroll, Jen Cook, Molly Hahn: ThePhotographix.com.

Yes, there is the beautiful pic and, as usual, Sara Evans is on top, yo!

Sara tells People that she and her new hubby, Jay Barker, gathered all their kids and grilled some steaks the day after the wedding.

“We wanted this week to be just us together as a family because next week we go on our honeymoon,” she said.

After that, Sara moves her crew to Birmingham, Ala., where Jay is a sports radio show host.

Kenny Rogers: Dolly didn’t deserve Howard Stern bit

Kenny Rogers closed the CMA Music Festival show Saturday night, but first, he weighed in with reporters over the Howard Stern/Dolly Parton controversy.

Satellite radio shock jock Stern drew Dolly’s ire when he mashed up Dolly quotes to make it sound like she was saying racist and offensive remarks. Dolly said she was shocked and hurt, and hinted she might sue Stern.

Kenny told reporters backstage that no one should take Stern seriously.

Having said that, Kenny added:

“I think it’s unfortunate that he chose to go that path with her because she is truly one of the sweetest people I have ever met in my life. She didn’t deserve that.”

The rest of Kenny’s press conference was much lighter and fun, with my fave answer coming to the question, “Who do you see a little bit of you in?”

“Oh, Carrie Underwood,” Kenny said, smiling. “I think there’s something there.”

Sara’s matchmaker? It’s her marriage counselor!

I am NOT kidding. There’s a “relationships expert” in town by the name of Joe Beam, who you can check out at the Web site of his company, Family Dynamics. You might know of Joe from a Sunday night show he used to have on WLAC, and he also has been on the Today show, Good Morning America and others.

Anyhoo, he met Sara and served as her “spiritual advisor” during her divorce from Craig Schelske, his publicist, Wade Jackson, told me.

I’m also told Beam served the same role for Sara’s fiance, Alabama sports radio personality Jay Barker.

So, check it out, when Sara’s and Jay’s marriages fell apart, their mutual marriage counselor/”spiritual advisor,” Beam, actually introduced them to each other, Sara’s camp confirmed today. Crazy! Talk about a full service marriage counselor! Say, if that marriage thing doesn’t work out, I might have another spouse candidate in mind….

Mr. Joe Beam wasn’t available for comment today.

But his involvement in this matchmaking might go even further. I’m told Beam, a longtime minister, will actually do the marriage ceremony for Jay and Sara.

Spokesmen for Joe Beam and Sara wouldn’t confirm or deny that today.

Sara is engaged to former ‘Bama star QB

Wow, check out this speedy timeline.

Sara Evans and her hubby, Craig, finish up a nasty divorce in September.

In November, Sara starts dating Jay Barker, a Birmingham sports radio dude who lead Alabama’s football team to a national championship in 1992.

Guess who confirmed her engagement this week?

“The couple are enjoying their engagement and lok forward to their upcoming nuptials,” Sara’s label publicist tells People.com, which also is the source of this picture.

Looks like Jay completed his pass. Whoa! Terrible joke! Love it.

Garth to kick off big radio seminar here

Looks like Garth Brooks and country radio are still sittin’ in a tree, K-I-S-S…. Well, you get the idea.

The recently un-retired Garth has announced he’ll be in Nashville March 5 to kick off the annual Country Radio Seminar, which brings country radio programmers from around the country. WSIX morning man Gerry House will be at the hotel to “interview” Garth in front of the other radio folks.

That could be a thank-you to country radio, which gave him the very first debut No. 1 single in radio history with his recent More Than a Memory song. Oh, but that’s not all. The hit tumbled down after its No. 1 open, but climbed all the way back up to No. 2. (That would’ve been odd if the same song hit No. 1 twice in a year, wouldn’t it?)

Looks like the radio love affair continues — Garth has a duet with Huey Lewis on the song Working for a Living, and after four weeks (mostly during Christmas season) the song already is at No. 31.