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South Georgia Radio Pioneer Dies

F

fwillis

James S.Rivers,former owner of WACL AM/FM in Waycross passed away Thursday afternoon at home after a long battle with cancer.Jim Rivers bought WACL from his father in 1953,and took it from a 1kw.daytime operation to 5 kw.days/1kw.directional at night.He put the 100,000 watt FM on in 1972.He will be missed.
 
Sad news from Waycross indeed. I briefly helped out on air at Fox 103 many years ago...one of those getting on air for the fun of it. Lasted six weeks, couldn't keep up the 100+ mile drive one way. In that time and afterwards, I got to know Jim. He was indeed a pioneer and a great mentor...
 
fwillis said:
Jim Sr.was his father,and E.D.was an uncle.
Click to expand...

As a kid I recall hearing the ID's on the big 570 voiced by Jim Rivers, Jr.

"This is your 5000 watt voice in Waycross, WACL (Atlantic Coastline Railroad) Serving all our friends in Jasper, Florida, Willachochee, Georgia and nearly everyone in Georgia and Florida with great country sunshine."

WACL's half mil signal went from Tifton to Savannah to Valdosta and Jacksonville. Mammoth signal. At night, I once sat in the FSU football stadium listening to WACL on a transistor radio. The nighttime signal was shapped like a bomerang with the arms extending to the SW and SE of Waycross. The 180 degree spaced towers...3 of them.....spanned half a mile from one end tower to the other.

I'm told the Waycross Country Club wanted to buy the 50 plus acres and Mr. Rivers figured he could make more money selling the land than anyone would pay for the station. There is a CP for 570 near Savannah but one wonders if it will ever be built due to the number of towers, etc.
 
I believe the 570 cp near Savannah has expired.It was listed with a broker 3 or 4 years back,way overpriced in my opinion.
 
I remember those towers on the Ware/Pierce County Line. Never worked for the Rivers', worked with them. Rivers and Rowlands at one time were Waycross radio before the move to BWK with the towers in Hickox.
 
Art...

The ID actually went like this: "This siz ya BIG five thousand watt voice in WaaayCRAWSE, Dubbayouwayseeell, serving our friends and neighbors in Jesup and Jacksonville, and almost everyone in Georgia and Florida, with Country Sunshine".

These were recorded on a 15 minute cart, and God only knows how many cuts there were. Jim ("stick with ol' Red Rivers, son...I'll make you a star") wanted to salute every town he could think of, using a town in Georgia and a town in Florida...both beginning with the same first letter. There were a few that weren't like that.

I was joking around one day, and walked up behing him (he was standing in front of the FM automation, with his back turned to the door), and did my best imitation of him doing those God-awful ID's, but I ended mine with, "serving our friends and neighbors in Memphis and Miami, and almost everyone in the ENTIRE free world, with Country Sunshine". He was not amused.
 
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