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Albany Radio, Where Are They Now?

J

JohnAllan

Guest
Ok, I've seen this topic for Atlanta, Macon, and Savannah. So I wanted to know where the people are that I used to work with. I'll start with my list and what is known of the people on it.

Jim Shepard - Used to be my PD at K-Country 101. I've always wondered what happened to him after the "blow up" of ownership.

Sonny Lofton - Haven't seen him since the WEGC 103.7 days (When it was still Country). I filled in for Jim O'Brian one afternoon and Sonny was doing sports.

Rick Segar - I know you are on this board, but where are you and what are you up to?

Jackson Riley - Last time I saw him, he was doing weather at Fox 31.

Brother Dave (I can't remember his last name to save my LIFE!) - He was doing mornings at 1590 WALG. After he left there, I have no idea.

Feel free to add to the list!
 
Jim Shepard went down to Bainbridge, GA to WJAD after K-country. He then went to Athens, GA and then to Brunswick to work for the Rowlands. I lost touch with him after that.

Jackson Riley is still in Albany and does some work for Cumulus on occassion. I think he does some work with the university there as well.

I think Skip Elliott is in KY.
 
Didn't Dave Miller do mornings at WALG? He's been with WALB-TV now for a long long time.
Rick Williams was at WALG and he has been News Director at WALB for a long time. I saw Harris Blackwood the other day. He told me that Tom Bryant who came to WALG from Bainbridge and later worked at WALB-TV is deceased. Clyde Scott who was with WJAZ when they were a country giant is doing radio engineering from his home base at Moultrie.

JohnAllan said:
Ok, I've seen this topic for Atlanta, Macon, and Savannah. So I wanted to know where the people are that I used to work with. I'll start with my list and what is known of the people on it.

Jim Shepard - Used to be my PD at K-Country 101. I've always wondered what happened to him after the "blow up" of ownership.

Sonny Lofton - Haven't seen him since the WEGC 103.7 days (When it was still Country). I filled in for Jim O'Brian one afternoon and Sonny was doing sports.

Rick Segar - I know you are on this board, but where are you and what are you up to?

Jackson Riley - Last time I saw him, he was doing weather at Fox 31.

Brother Dave (I can't remember his last name to save my LIFE!) - He was doing mornings at 1590 WALG. After he left there, I have no idea.

Feel free to add to the list!
Click to expand...
 
Thanks Art, MILLER! Now I remember! Sorry to hear about Tom Bryant. I remember watching him on the news. Thanks to you as well, Rcombs. And Skip is indeed in Lexington, KY.
 
And where is Harris Blackwook, Art? Harris use to switch stations about every 3 months and every station he joined he added a syndicated farm program we did. Harris got us on more stations than an agent would have.
 
Harris Blackwood is the Community Editor for the Gainesville Times. Dave Miller is web master for channel 10 in Albany. Sonny is still in Albany and was doing some writing for the Albany Journal. If I know Hiram (Sonny) he has his hands in radio somehow. Right now I am in Gainesville and have recently joined the ranks of the unemployed. I was selling for a local four day a week fishwrapper but the perceptions of the bad economy in a VERY rich county did me in there. I have not done radio much since 1998. I did do news for the Qantum stations in Brunswick for a couple of years when I lived on St. Simons Island. And I also helped out a friend of mine in Brunswick and did remote news for him for a few months last year.
 
ricksegers said:
Harris Blackwood is the Community Editor for the Gainesville Times. Dave Miller is web master for channel 10 in Albany. Sonny is still in Albany and was doing some writing for the Albany Journal. If I know Hiram (Sonny) he has his hands in radio somehow. Right now I am in Gainesville and have recently joined the ranks of the unemployed. I was selling for a local four day a week fishwrapper but the perceptions of the bad economy in a VERY rich county did me in there. I have not done radio much since 1998. I did do news for the Qantum stations in Brunswick for a couple of years when I lived on St. Simons Island. And I also helped out a friend of mine in Brunswick and did remote news for him for a few months last year.
Click to expand...

Hey Rick, sorry to hear that you are "between jobs" right now! We're struggling with a "sucky" economy right now as well. Hopefully, things will turn around for everyone soon!
 
How about Bill Burns? An old friend, whom I haven't heard of in ages, would've been a country air personality. His wife works/worked at Phoebe Putney.
 
Bill Burns also known as "Dr. Don Reid". Last I heard he was with the Dougherty County Police but that's been a few years ago.
 
ricksegers said:
Bill Burns also known as "Dr. Don Reid". Last I heard he was with the Dougherty County Police but that's been a few years ago.
Click to expand...

He was the evening man at the old WGEC in Springfield while I was doing overnights there. I still count Bill and Cheryl as two of my dearest friends. Bill was a man of many interests; he was also a licensed bar pilot ... river bar pilot, just so no one confuses him with anyone who flies a barstool. ;)
 
Art Sutton said:
Didn't Dave Miller do mornings at WALG? He's been with WALB-TV now for a long long time.
Rick Williams was at WALG and he has been News Director at WALB for a long time. I saw Harris Blackwood the other day. He told me that Tom Bryant who came to WALG from Bainbridge and later worked at WALB-TV is deceased. Clyde Scott who was with WJAZ when they were a country giant is doing radio engineering from his home base at Moultrie.
Click to expand...

Rick Williams took over as ND when Jerry Cannady died. That was back in 1991 when I worked there. Dave Miller did a majority of the voiceover work on WALB when I was there along with running audio for the live broadcasts. Hate to hear about Tom's passing. Clyde has EME Communications down in Moultrie where he does consultant work.
 
Ok, since you guys brought up "the Ole Doc" Don Reed, I have one other question of where are they now. How about Tim O'conner? He did 7 - Midnight (following Don Reed). Last I heard, he went back to Florida.
 
I'm sure all of you are aware that, at some point, I've worked with all of these people we're looking for. Thanks for the update. Here's some more people I've been thinking about around Albany.

Jack O'Brian- PD/Mornings WALG. He was my first PD. What a great voice. Did VO for WALB-TV.

Kris Van Dyke- PD/MD/Afternoons at WALG. He's the guy that got me into radio in the first place. He was in the CC chain in Chattanooga for quite awhile but has moved to Enterprise/Dothan market.

Hal Edwards- Took over mornings at ALG either after Jack left or Dave Miller left. Last I heard he was in or near Enterprise, AL, either selling or management.

Bill Young- Was overnights/nights at ALG. Now at Albany State with Jaxon Rilee. He's somewhere in the Sports Department. I know this because he
called me one day out of the Blue! ASU plays Kentucky State every year in a home and home series and they're due to come up here in September (I can't wait!)

Mark Shor- anyone? Former GM at ALG and JAD after I left.

What about Doc Suttles and the old WJIZ crew?

Anyone know about these former employees?
Shannon West
Chuck Bare
Sterling Scott
Don Fox/Darryl Davis
Norm Tanner????
Damien
Tammy
Steve Preston!
Robert Ingram

There's another bit of a list to follow.

BTW: Thanks for the kind words about our WJAD project. It was a very special radio station that everything worked out right on. I had some GREAT people to work with that would listen and work to get the job done. If you've ever been faced with showing up in an area as large as the WJAD coverage area, which stretched from North of Albany to South of Tallahassee (we showed up in their books consistently then) East to Valdosta and West to Dothan, you know how daunting of a task it was and we did it with minimal turnover because of the Great People that were involved. It was NOT easy.
I was just the executor of it. The Staff made the station shine.

Skip Eliot
 
Robert Ingram is a good friend of mine...he's still around the area. He did mornings at WMGR-AM right before the Clear-Channel takeover, then did mornings at WPAX for a while. His main employment for the past few years was with WCTV as a Master Control Op, but moved over to WTWC this past year. He's doing well, and I think might stop by here occasionally. I'll make sure and tell him to say hello.
 
Greetings Skip...long time no hear..
Jack O'Brian is out of radio and driving a truck at least that was the case last time I talked with thouigh it has been a few years. KVD is an OM in Dothan area not sure where..
I wonder myself about Bill Young.
Mark I think is fully retired. He worked with me at 106.1/105.7 but that has been more than 10 years ago..
Doc Suttles passed away a couple of years ago..
Steve Preston is with Darton College..Head of the writing lab..
I have gotten obsessed with tracking folks down lately., I thin it has something to do with Buddy Green's death and Bill Schilling (Don Michaels) passing away too.

Rick Segers
 
ricksegers said:
I have gotten obsessed with tracking folks down lately., I thin it has something to do with Buddy Green's death and Bill Schilling (Don Michaels) passing away too.
Click to expand...

Oh have mercy, when did Buddy and Don die?! I remember working with Don at WALB, too.

In the words of the late great Lewis Grizzard, "Elvis is dead and I'm not feeling too good myself".
 
ricksegers said:
Greetings Skip...long time no hear..
Jack O'Brian is out of radio and driving a truck at least that was the case last time I talked with thouigh it has been a few years. KVD is an OM in Dothan area not sure where..
I wonder myself about Bill Young.
Mark I think is fully retired. He worked with me at 106.1/105.7 but that has been more than 10 years ago..
Doc Suttles passed away a couple of years ago..
Steve Preston is with Darton College..Head of the writing lab..
I have gotten obsessed with tracking folks down lately., I thin it has something to do with Buddy Green's death and Bill Schilling (Don Michaels) passing away too.

Rick Segers
Click to expand...

Is Don Michaels (Bill Schilling) the same guy that used to run Bananna's night club?

I used to work with Buddy at Cool 103.7 during my early time there. Skip, you remember, right? You were doing mornings.
 
That's what makes me feel really old. Buddy and I went back to WALG later adn then the WJAD move for me. Buddy was one of a kind. I think everything was allright when I saw the White Trooper coming down the road. Bill (Don) was a great person on the air as in life. I really liked talking to Bill.
Hey Segers, remember Julius?!?!!?
 
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