CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) — With a decade of experience in Charlottesville radio already under his belt, Tom Morgan is back to host The Big Greasy Breakfast with Morgan in the Morning every weekday from 5-10 a.m. on 97.5 3WV.

Outside of his new show, Morgan is also working as 3WV’s new program director.

“There are big expectations,” Morgan said, “but [I’m] living the dream here. This is an opportunity that you don’t pass up.”

Morgan, a native of Roanoke, first arrived in Charlottesville in 2006 after starting his career in Knoxville, Tenn. Since then, he’s worked in Atlantic City, N.J., and Philadelphia before returning to Charlottesville, then later taking a job with Harrisonburg Media Group, which is owned by Charlottesville Media Group’s parent company, Saga Communications. (CMG also owns Cville Right Now.)

While mainly working in Harrisonburg, Morgan split time between there and Charlottesville, working for 92.7 C-Ville Country. Now in his new role, he is back full-time with CMG, working with both 3WV and 92.7 C-Ville Country.

Morgan said while his first goal upon arriving to Charlottesville in 2006 was to make it to a bigger market. But now that he’s older and has experienced a bigger market, he’s happy to be back in town with his family.

“Charlottesville’s just really grown up,” he said, “and I’m also older too. So, I’m not 20-something years old hanging out on the Corner anymore. I’m 40-something years old and this is a great place to raise a family.”

He also said his history with the listeners here, many of whom have listened to him for decades at this point. But he also wants to create new listeners and knows that’s what his stations will need moving forward.

“We have a thousand different options when it comes to our entertainment, our information,” he said. “Our goal is [for people] to choose 3WV and 92.7 C-Ville Country and our sister stations here at Charlottesville Media Group.”

That’s where Morgan’s role as program director comes in. He said the position has been exciting but overwhelming at first, as there is a lot of work to be done. He believes after his first year, he’ll look back and say, “Okay, we learned a lot,” but he’s ready for the challenge.

“The station is already successful,” Morgan said. “How do we enhance the project?” How do we continue to evolve? It doesn’t need a rocking the boat. It doesn’t need a full makeover. But it needs a steady course, maybe a few tweaks here and there.”

Morgan has already begun thinking about way to attract more listeners, but he wants to go beyond just advertising and connect with listeners directly.

“While we could create TV news stories or commercials, billboards, whatever, like that’s great, but let’s bring our listeners lunch right at their office,” he said. “Let’s get down and have them meet us and create and start that relationship. It starts with one listener at a time, which is how I’ve gotten here.”

And Morgan will get the opportunity to connect with listeners new and old with his new show, The Big Greasy Breakfast with Morgan in the Morning. It’s a continuation of the longtime radio show The Big Greasy Breakfast combined with what Morgan said is “a shot of me in there,” bringing over everything that made Morgan in the Morning successful on its own in the process.

“It’s kind of like mixing two cereals together,” Morgan said. “Like it doesn’t sound right, but when you taste it, it’s pretty darn awesome.”

About a week into hosting the new show, which began on last week on Monday, Feb. 2, Morgan said his “gears are turning extremely fast,” and that he’s excited to not only to continue his new show but also learn more about 3WV and its listeners, some of whom have been avid followers since the late ’70s.

“This is their station at the end of the day,” he said. “I’m just here to navigate the ship and not try to change something that they’re so accustomed to listening to.”

All-in-all, Morgan said he is pumped to be at 3WV.

“I walk in the studio and Van Halen’s blasting, or ‘Cult of Personality,’ ‘Living Colour,” he said, “and I’m like, ‘This is so cool. I get to work here.'”