By Tom Charlier - The Commercial Appeal -

Whether it's during informal walking tours, excursion cruises or lectures, Jimmy Ogle talks up the Memphis riverfront with the fervor and panache of a street preacher.

Soon, he'll be drawing a regular salary to do it.

The self-described storyteller, adventurer, urban historian and "river-lorian" has been hired by the Riverfront Development Corp. to head up the programming of events along the Mississippi River. He starts the second week in July.

"His job is going to be bringing more activities to the riverfront, get more groups doing things," said RDC president Benny Lendermon.

The exact title for the 58-year-old Ogle hasn't been determined yet. He'll be paid "about $60,000" for the full-time job, Lendermon said.

The hiring, announced during a meeting of the RDC board of directors Wednesday, comes during a tight financial period for the nonprofit group that manages the city's riverfront.

Under a new contract taking effect July 1, the City Council reduced funding for the RDC from $2.64 million during the current fiscal year to $2.37 million for fiscal 2012. Other revenues have fallen off, as well, during the sluggish economy.

Lendermon said the RDC has been cutting costs through measures that include reducing staff at Mud Island River Park, slashing marketing expenditures and mowing grass less frequently.

Those cuts, Lendermon said, more than compensate for the cost of hiring Ogle. And his work will be important in cultivating "grass-roots" activity along the river, he said, adding, "We think that's what's missing."

Ogle's work experience includes stints as Mud Island general manager, deputy director of the old Memphis Park Commission and general manager of what was then Memphis Queen Line riverboats.

More recently, he has conducted informal walking tours and lectures about Downtown history and lore, which drew heightened interest during the Mississippi River flood last month. Ogle said he made a point of rebutting what he called the national media's exaggeration of the flood's impacts.

"It shows that we need to be proactive down there during disasters as well as promotions," he said Wednesday.

Ogle said he hopes his work increases interest in the riverfront.

"Everything I've done in my life has led up to this culmination," he said.

-- Tom Charlier: (901) 529-2572