Reconnecting - The Rock of the Delta, Wesso, Lee Hall, WYN96

[robgrayson]

My humility has always been my strongest asset, I am proud to say.

 

[oldtimer 1]

Glad to see the mentions of HKW. If you think the house was odd for a radio station, before that it was in a single wide mobile home in the same spot. Calls then were WVEL. Worked there full-time from 1974-1978 and part-time in the early 80's. Many memories...Many stories...

 

[smashedcd]

I worked at a station that was in a mobile home with padded walls and a hole in the floor in Clinton la. Well actually I worked there after it had moved but I stil heard lots of stories about it ;D

 

[davesand]

It probably won't make any top 100 lists, but in the 60's and early 70's, Greenville was a great place to grow up for a kid with the desire to do radio. The last time I went there, I put my AM on scan, and it landed on all sorts of stations that, back in the day, provided a textbook course in how to do radio right. 540-KNOE, 560-WHBQ, 620-WJDX, 680-WMPS; and at night, you wouldn't even have to move the dial far from it's setting on WDDT to hear WLS coming on strong, plus as a bonus: KAAY, WLAC, WOAI, X-ROCK-80 out of Juarez.

As kids, we were indoctrinated into Greenville's role as a breeding-ground for published writers. To this day, I am intimidated anytime I take on a blank piece of paper, afraid that I am not keeping up my end. But to think, besides the Carters, the Keatings, the Percys with their awards and literary laurels... at one time WJPR's spots were being written by Shelby Foote; now that would be a tough act to follow!

Thanks to "Moonshine" for bringing up great names from Greenville's past. So many talented people made it a stop on their way to places in broadcast destiny. If you make it to town sometime, take a look at Benjy Nelkin's museum downtown. Upstairs are artifacts from an era long gone... the old GE console and 16" transcrition turntables from WJPR, and the Gates President console from WDDT.

Hey Rockin' Rob,
Remember when WBAD FM came to town? Awesome sound. Another remarkable station for such a small town. It was out in a field near the very short DDT tower (the tower was short but as Ward used to say "the hottest thousand watts anywhere").

Dave

 

[robgrayson]

Yes I do remember WBAD. They used to postion themselves vs. WDDT by saying they were "the men with the music, not the boys with the noise.

 

[chuckie]

I am 5 years late, but I've just discovered this site. Dr. Bob? Is that Bob Stroupe? (sp?) And Sanderfur, I'd forgotten about the Yoko Ono bit. Even after all these years, I still detest that woman ! I know Barber is still out there. I remember asking him if I could come and watch him do his shift at JDX. I think Sandefur went with me. I was in awe. I remember the promo photo with the duct tape over Tim's mouth, too. As for Covington, he always called me "chuckie" and would leave me notes addressed as same. His wife is the director of some state agency. My wife had lunch with her a few years back. At that time, Dave was about the same. He was functional, but only to a limited degree. He was still not working at the time. It was great to read all the posts and humbling to see that I was remembered.

 

[Dr. Bob]

Yep Chuckie, you found me (and you spelled it correctly). I've lived in Houston, Texas for over twenty years. I'm still in the biz; send me a PM for more details. I try to get to Mississippi when I can to see my folks who still live at Senatobia. BTW, Joe Phillips Jr. is on Facebook. He had a cross post from someone the other day who had posted a picture of WSSO letterhead. It was just as I remembered. I would like to find Rick Williams who came to WSSO after you left for WKOR. I had worked with him at the Northwest Junior College station, WNJC and at WSAO in Senatobia. He was at WSSO when I left in 82 but I've never heard anything else. Sorry to hear that about Covington, he and his wife were always really nice to me.

Bob

 

[J Alex Bowab]

Joe Jr is in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach AL area. I am in touch with him regularly; he and I have been involved together in some cable tv projects over the last 25 years.

 

[nuffsaid]

If you really want to go back, who remembers Ken Dowd at WGVM? Tom Collins at WDDT? Now that is way back so most of you may not remember those guys. Jim Karr was at WDDT back in those days as a salesmen (RIP).

 

[J Alex Bowab]

If you are referring to Ken DOWE... yes I remember him ... later at WABB Mobile, on to KLIF Dallas... then owned an FM in Shreveport. KLIF, during his time there, was highly regarded as one of the nation's best, most dominant, top 40 stations... and according to some, the first such formatted station ... creation of Gordon McLendon.

 

[Henry McClurg]

I remember Tom Collins. He left WDDT to go to WYLD New Orleans about the time I arrived, if I remember correctly. I thought that name was cool. It made me want to go and have a cocktail. Which I did. Too often. The name Ken Dowe sounds familiar but I can't place it.

 

[nuffsaid]

Yea Collins went to New Orleans and then on to Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland. Remember seeing his pictures in Cashbox as Group Program Director in New Orleans for that group he worked for. Am sure he is now retired and living somewhere? Those were exciting days in radio. Ken Dowe went on the own stations in a number of states and later became COO at Secret Broadcasting in Dallas and became an extremely wealthy person.

 

[nuffsaid]

Who ownes the stations in the Delta these days? Any of them stand out or is it just basic syndicated and voice tracked work?