Lowcountry radio legend The Critic makes a triumphant return to the airwaves
by Lorne Chambers | Editor
Two years ago, longtime local radio fans paid a fond farewell to one of the most beloved radio personalities in the Lowcountry. After nearly 30 years on the air, Jim Voigt, better known to listeners as “The Critic,” announced that his DJ days were behind him and that he was retiring from radio and moving on to the next phase … whatever that may be.
For those accustomed to hearing Voigt’s distinct voice during their daily commute, there was a noticeable void on the Charleston airways. From his early days on 96Wave to his time with The Bridge (105.5 FM), The Critic’s nasally Long Island lilt had somehow woven itself into the fabric of the community until it had become as synonymous with the Lowcountry as palmetto bugs.
“Well, I am the cockroach of radio,” Voigt jokes while sipping a pint of the appropriately- named Critical Hit Kölsch at Frothy Beard Brewing Company in West Ashley.
Like a cockroach, it has proven a challenge to rid of the retired Voigt from Lowcountry airways. Earlier this year, he was invited by the community-supported, commercial-free station Ohm Radio 96.3 FM to revive his popular “Critic’s Choice” show, where Voigt curates a playlist of new and old tunes, many underground favorites or deeper cuts. The episodes began airing on Saturday mornings on Ohm until a couple of months ago when Voigt got a text asking him if he’d be interested in coming out of his semi-retirement and rejoin The Bridge full-time again and taking over its popular morning drive slot. After speaking with the new station manager, Voigt agreed and as of Monday, Aug. 5, The Critic is officially back on the Lowcountry airways.
“I felt a little rusty,” Voigt admits. “I needed the reps. That’s why the Ohm Radio thing was great. But that was only once a week.
Located in West Ashley,in the back corner of the South Windermere Shopping Center, The Bridge’s studio was already a familiar place for Voigt. It was the site of his last radio gig before he hung up his headphones and microphone two years earlier. Before that, he made a name for himself during the ’90s and early 2000s as the often opinionated and sometimes acerbic loudmouth on the iconic but now defunct Charleston rock station 96Wave (R.I.P.). That is where he earned the moniker “The Critic,” which has stuck throughout his long and storied radio tenure, even as his radio persona has evolved over the years.
“When I first came to town, I had no radio experience. They told me, ‘Get on there and say whatever you want.’ I had nothing to lose,” he recalls. “I really wasn’t a critic. I was just a loudmouth who wanted to get into shows for free.”
These days, The Critic does a kinder, gentler radio show, focusing more on the music than some of the crazy antics from his 96Wave days. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still have opinions about things—like corporate radio, craft beer, who has the best MLB ballpark, the state of modern music, and so on. And now that Voigt is back on the air, he’s more appreciative of what he has. He’s taking his second radio act—and his life—a little slower now and allowing himself to stop and smell the roses rather than stomping on them on the way to the next party.
“We used to hit it hard,” recalls Voigt, who used to play in bands in New York before moving to Charleston in the early ’90s and becoming a radio DJ. “Now, I Iike getting my GNS (good night sleep). I’m really a morning guy. I like the day and living during the day. I look forward to waking up early and seizing it. I have a new zest for life.”
In addition to his on-air gigs, Voigt is still having a good time traveling around the country, checking out new cities, and catching live shows and occasional baseball games when he can. He hosts a music-themed bingo game every Tuesday at Taco Bartina in West Ashley and he’s even started a new endeavor called One Day Fun Day (#onedayfundaychs on Instagram), where he touts affordable, single-day adventures.
And as of late last month, the Critic’s Choice also returned to the airways. So, in addition to being on the air every weekday morning, Voigt has also revived his popular specialty show, where he has full autonomy to play whatever he wants starting at 8 a.m. every Sunday. For Voigt, the Critic’s Choice is just the icing on a cake that he’s been baking for more than 30 years.
“I am enjoying it. I’m actually having the time of my life,” says Voigt, pausing to take a sip of his beer. “I don’t know why, maybe it’s just having the experience and knowledge. But the way it’s going, I could do this forever. Maybe that’s how I’ll go out— face down on the (sound) board. That’s how they’ll find me one day.” He chuckles before framing an imaginary headline with his fingers. “And the radio cockroach finally gets stomped on.”
