Ron Brooks exited his post as PD and afternoon driver of the University of Florida's country WRUF-FM (103.7 The Gator) Gainesville, Fla., and PD of WRUF-AM on July 14 after a year on the job. He was brought in to flip the FM station from rock to country and to re-brand WRUF-AM as an all-sports station. Brooks says, "After my first year was up, we were unable to reach an agreement to extend. Now, I’m available for my next exciting challenge." Brooks, who previously programmed country WNOE New Orleans, is seeking programming and on-air opportunities in any format and can be reached at 352-443-1655 or e-mail RonBrooksRadio@aol.com. He's programmed WCOS Columbia, S.C., WESC Greenville, S.C., and stations in West Palm Beach, Fla.; Sacramento, Calif.; Denver and Madison, Wis. See more at http://www.linkedin.com/in/ronbrooksradio.

Meanwhile, the Gainesville Sun reports that Brooks' wife, morning co-host Audrey Lynn, is also out and her co-host,Alex “Big Stew” Sawyers, is now hosting the program solo.

Brooks told the newspaper he had been hired as an independent contractor and developed major parts of the station before and after its launch, with the expectation that he and his wife eventually would be hired full time and given benefits.“I put my heart and soul into the radio station, into the job," he said. :I expected this job to be one I’d be in for years."

Radio-Info.com's North Florida discussion board is reporting that Jerry Butler (now using the on-air name J.J. Thomas for his afternoon shift) was hired brought in to replace Brooks and started that job July 11. Butler has worked in radio for 23 years in Oklahoma, Georgia and, most recently, Billings, Mont. He earned a CMA Award nomination for small market radio personality of the year in 2007 and was an NAB Marconi Award finalist for small market radio personality of the year in 2008.