Al Brown Media

01/17/2026

“It’s taken me all my life to learn when not to play.”

Dizzy Gillespie

Dizzy Gillespie was a jazz trumpeter, composer, vocalist, bandleader, and virtuoso. When someone who devoted his life to sound says that, he isn’t really talking about silence.
He’s talking about wisdom.
About discernment.
About understanding your role inside something bigger than yourself.

As a musician, I understand exactly what he meant.
Early on, you want to fill every space. You play more. You prove what you can do. You make sure you’re heard.

Experience teaches something different. The quality of a piece isn’t measured by how much you contribute, but by how well what you contribute serves the whole.

Some of the most important lessons I’ve learned didn’t come from playing more notes. They came from watching what actually made groups better. From noticing when a line lifted the work, when support mattered more than spotlight, and when restraint made everything stronger.

That lesson doesn’t stop with music.

In leadership, in organizations, and in communities like ours, we are always being invited to play.

To speak first. To fix fast. To step in. Sometimes that’s exactly what’s needed. But experience also teaches that progress often starts with listening longer. With learning from voices that have already been in the room. With valuing experience so we don’t keep repeating mistakes others already paid to learn from.

One of the greatest resources around us is experience.

It sharpens timing.
It shapes priorities.
It helps us know when to step forward and when to step back.

Years ago, my late friend Rick Courtney was a guest on my radio show. Over time, we developed a simple phrase.

"Meridian, Mississippi Sounds Amazing!"

It was never just about music. It was about people. Energy. Stories. The collective sound of a city exercising voice.

I think Rick would be proud of how Meridian sounds today.

Because when people learn when not to play, the whole piece changes.
The right voices rise.
The noise settles.
The work gets better.

And when that happens, you can hear it.

Meridian, Mississippi Sounds Amazing!

12/25/2025

11/08/2025

It was a great day at Old Waverly. Thanks to my friend Skip!

09/21/2025

Fear of Change

Fear has a way of whispering in my ear, telling me to stay where it’s safe, where it’s familiar, where nothing can surprise us. Change, on the other hand, asks us to step into the unknown, to risk comfort for the chance at something greater. It’s no wonder so many of us hesitate.

But life has a way of forcing our hand. There comes a moment when the weight of staying the same becomes heavier than the uncertainty of change. When that balance shifts—when the fear of staying the same becomes greater than the fear of changing—change is no longer just possible, it becomes inevitable. Thanks to my friend Marvin for this advice.

Think about it: no growth, no progress, no breakthrough has ever come without someone facing that moment. The greatest leaders, the boldest cities, the most resilient people all share this truth—stagnation was no longer an option. They chose movement, even when the road ahead was unclear.

Please don't allow the fear of past mistakes define you. Not one person is through making mistakes just yet, right?

Change is not the enemy. It is the bridge between who we are and who we can become. Yes, it will challenge us. Yes, it will ask us to let go of what is comfortable. But it also holds the promise of progress, hope, and a better tomorrow. Let's never underestimate the power of Momentum!

So when fear rises, let's ask ourselves: which is scarier—risking change, or living every day knowing things will never get better if they stay the same? The moment we decide that staying stuck is no longer acceptable, look outward; help is all around.

08/29/2025

Mistakes aren’t setbacks, they’re stepping stones. I relearned that this week. Grateful for every lesson that helps us grow stronger.

Every mistake is a chance to improve. We learn, we adjust, and we keep moving forward with purpose.

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

07/04/2025

Happy 4th of July! 🇺🇸

01/24/2025

James Spann, a television meteorologist, TikTok, and podcast host based in Birmingham, shared his thoughts on the topic on Monday night during the WeatherBrains podcast. Spann has been a meteorologist working in television for 47 years, starting in 1978.
“Some people are just furious. They feel like those local meteorologists are part of their family,” said Spann. “They have been in their child’s school to teach them the weather. They have held their hand through violent tornado outbreaks, vicious floods, or whatever high-impact events for years. And just like that, they are gone. They are out of here. I feel so badly for them that they have lost their jobs. I have been so blessed. Most everybody loses their jobs multiple times if they do what I do for a living. I’ve been pretty blessed. I don’t know exactly what it feels like, but I have had some heartbreak in my life personally, and I know that it is traumatic when you lose a job, and it just happens like that.”
“I am so sorry for those men and women who have lost their positions in broadcast meteorology. But having said that, I want everybody to hear that I am so positive about what we are going to do in the future. There will be a lot of short-term pain, and this is an example of that. There will be long-term gains in that the products and services we deliver will still be on different platforms in a much more efficient way.”
He asked the people listening to or watching the podcast what they watch at night while at home.
“You are going to watch Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, or YouTube,” said Spann “You don’t watch linear TV.”
The award-winning meteorologist then explained that the media has to provide products and services that people can consume on a regular basis and during high-impact events in order to be successful.
“Having said that, I want people to understand that as horrible as this is, in the long term, I am excited. Can the Weather Channel adequately do live tornado warning coverage for Tupelo, Mississippi, or Huntsville, Alabama? I guess we will have to wait and see. I really don’t know until it happens. But I will say this – You can’t do severe weather right unless you understand the people, culture, geography, and microclimate of the market where you serve, and you can’t do that from a distance. …. I think there will always be local meteorologists.”

01/18/2025

It's important to understand that small markets are under the control of big media companies. It's just plain wrong but true.

Matt Laubhan, perhaps the most well respected and followed meteorologist in Mississippi and certainly in our area, has been laid off by WTVA according to local reports. Reports say the TV station will no longer have local meteorologists.

01/18/2025

Let's all be aware and thoughtful of each other.