Jim O’Brien approaches life with an attitude of gratitude. Known to thousands of WCSX listeners as “Big Jim”, for nearly 24 years, he was the voice of so many mornings on 94.7, but that suddenly came to an end on Thursday morning.
“I love that I was appreciated by so many men & women in the Motor City and Veterans and classic rock fans,” he said from his Waterford home on Friday.
Jim made the stunning announcement on the show’s Facebook page that he was being let go. He took time to thank the listeners, teammates, and veterans for all of their support.
Jim first joined WCSX back in 2002 as the executive producer and co-host with his good friend, the late Ken Calvert. Calvert and another co-host and friend, Jamie Samulesen, were on his mind.
“I think about them every Friday,” he said. “Every Friday on the way home from work, I think about the two of them.
“I miss ‘em, and I think about Kenny Boy,” he said of his nickname for Calvert. “I’m sad that I can’t say ‘I love you, Kenny Boy’ every Friday on the air.”
“Big Jim’s house” was a staple on the classic rock station, and doing work to help veterans. O’Brien served eight years in the Navy.
This past Monday, he held his first “Halfway to Veteran’s Day” event.
“Over the years here with CSX, we’ve raised over $3 million with our show and some of the projects, he said. “If you’re in Allen Park, right by City Hall, if you go there, you will see Bob Seger Blvd.”
Dedicating streets to legendary artists stemmed from the idea of honoring Detroit’s stars while they were alive. It arose from the death of Detroit native and Eagles lead singer Glen Frey.
“It’s a blue-collar work ethic that goes back to Bob Seger and Dilla and Ted Nugent and Jack White, and Aretha, it all threads together in Motown,” he said. “There is a synergy here, and you work hard when you’re on the air here, because you appreciate what you’ve got.”
Jim insists he’s not done, and he is carrying a ton of gratitude into this next chapter.
He made it clear he has no plans to leave Michigan, and he’s open to plenty of new opportunities that could come his way.
“It’s an honor to be a small part of the DNA of Detroit Radio, and I’m not done, man,” he said. “It’s just that’s one chapter, and the only way to make God laugh is tell Him your plans. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next.”