Sometimes the best journeys in broadcasting don’t begin with a microphone.
Sometimes they begin with a dream, a little curiosity, and a teenager who discovers that speaking into a microphone doesn’t feel like work at all.
That’s the story behind Christy Brittain, who is heading to Raleigh as the new afternoon personality on Curtis Media’s Variety Hits station, 96.1 BBB.
For listeners throughout the Triangle, Brittain arrives with a résumé built across multiple states, multiple formats, and decades of audience connection. Most recently, she spent afternoons on Kat Country 100.7 in Southern California, but her career has taken her through North Carolina, Tennessee, and some of the country’s most competitive radio markets.
In many ways, however, this move feels less like a relocation and more like a return.
Before her California adventures, Brittain spent time in North Carolina, making this latest opportunity something of a homecoming. That familiarity with the region should serve her well as she settles into afternoons in one of the fastest-growing areas in the country.
And make no mistake—the Triangle is not the same place it was ten years ago.
New residents arrive daily. Neighborhoods continue to expand. Businesses open. Schools grow. Communities evolve.
Yet amid all that change, people still want the same thing they’ve always wanted during the drive home: someone to keep them company.
That’s where Brittain has built her reputation.
Over the years, she’s connected with listeners across a variety of formats and markets, becoming known for a style that feels more like a conversation than a performance. It’s a skill that can’t be taught in a seminar or downloaded from a webinar.
It’s something you either have or you don’t.
Brittain also brings a unique perspective to the role. In addition to her broadcasting career, she spent time working as a paraeducator supporting autistic preschoolers, an experience that speaks to a commitment to service, patience, and human connection.
Those qualities don’t disappear when the microphone turns on.
If anything, they become even more valuable.
For 96.1 BBB, the addition gives the station a personality with both experience and relatability. For listeners, it means another familiar voice joining the soundtrack of daily life—whether that’s battling rush-hour traffic on I-40, making one last stop at the grocery store, or trying to figure out what’s for dinner while sitting at a red light.
The move also marks a changing of the guard in afternoons, as Program Director Sammy Simpson steps aside from the shift and hands the reins to a broadcaster whose career has been built on connecting with audiences one conversation at a time.
That’s ultimately what makes this story resonate.
Formats change.
Technology changes.
Music changes.
But the ability to make someone smile during a stressful drive home remains timeless.
And that’s exactly what Christy Brittain will be setting out to do in Raleigh.
The strongest personalities don’t simply talk to listeners—they become part of listeners’ lives. As Christy Brittain returns to North Carolina, she brings decades of experience, a genuine love for people, and a reminder that companionship may still be broadcasting’s most valuable currency.
On The Dial covers breaking radio industry news, including layoffs, programming changes, talent moves, and broadcast trends across the United States.