CJ and all of the WORD Alum... I am glad to be able to let you guys share your stories about the once was stations... I try to do station picks because I want people to know what once was great radio from either small markets or some of SC's bigger markets... With what is happening in Columbia and other parts of the state with Clear Channel and other radio companies destroying great radio this is the place where we can discuss what was once a great radio listening experience... Robyn and Myself have the same idea on putting together a SC radio legends website, but Robyn has been not doing that well and I thought a few weeks ago I was having a Heart Attack so I had to put my idea on hold... The other problem I that I am just about blind so building web pages is something that is hard for me to do... I would like to have a website kinda like what Kahuna has, but with low vision that dream is on hold... I love SC radio and what it brought to the table... Thanks to big companies what was once fun to listen to is now just bad for me... I can't take credit for station picks though... It was first started by Neil AKA DoubleO... I just took the ball and ran with it so he deserves the credit where credit is due... As for WORD that was one magical station... While at the Deaf and Blind School it was a friend to the school, as well as the community... It is just a shame that what was once Spartanburgs very own is just a relay for Entercom and even on a different frequency... Long live WORD and the people who made it last as long as they did... CC1
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STATION PICKS WORD 91 (WORD) SPARTANBURG
- Thread starter CrazeeCarroll1
- Start date
WORD was the first station I ever listened to while driving. It was soft enough not to be a distraction (imagine that!), and the song I still remember hearing was "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney. I do like the bass on that song.
Chimp you must be a mind reader... That is scary you would mention that song... I have his greatest hits cd ripped onto the HD here at the mother ship and that song just played as I was reading your message... I love that song even if I was just six years old LOL... You are right the bass sounds awesome... Hope to see ya at the Eat & Greet... Remember it is under two weeks away... CC1
By the way, the reason I bring up the fact the station was soft is that we didn't get a car with FM until a year after the experience I described. WSPA-FM would have been my choice after that. And yet this is a station that was top 40 at one time.
M
morganskid
Guest
I realize that this thread is over a year old, but I just found the site and had to put in my two cents. I am Bob Morgan's daughter, or as I was affectionately named by many of you who have posted on this thread..."Morgan's Kid." I spent most of my formative years sitting at Dad's desk doing my homework after school and was occasionally employed by Sgt. Rick to stick "Property of WORD" labels on Fleetwood Mac records! LOL! Names that come to mind when I read this thread were CJ, Billy Mac, Sgt. Rick, Tony Brooks (and his ulcer!), Tom Herndon, Rich Boholic, Bobby Dean, Bill Thomas, Aussie Geer and Anna St. John. So many great people.
As you may or may not know, my Dad passed away in January 2001 after a short battle with brain cancer. He was up at ProComm Studios in Hendersonville cutting some spots and lost the ability to speak in the middle of the session. What appeared to be a stroke at the time turned out to be an inoperable tumor and he died at age 58. Prior to that time, he was working as a voice over announcer full time. Some of his colleagues up at ProComm (and Sun Spots in Arden, NC- I believe) were Bill Thomas, Russ Castle and Lindsay Ayliffe.
Dad always spoke fondly of his days at WORD. He started out there in the 60's after moving to South Carolina when he finished in the army. In fact, it was a WORD employee by the name of Cobb Simpson (not sure what his position was) who introduced him to my mother, Marilyn. He left WORD in the late 60's-early 70's to go to a station in Roanoke, VA. Bob Canada was there as was Bill Thomas. My Mom has a lot of crazy stories about their time up there. Dad came back to WORD in the early 70's and then left again to work at WBT-AM in Charlotte and worked with Jay Thomas whom I occasionally catch on one of the Sirius channels. After Charlotte, Dad returned to WORD until Tony Brooks fired him when the ratings were down! Then he went to WFBC-AM in Greenville. From there, I believe he came back to WORD and then went to WSSL from there. He also did a brief stint at WANS writing copy, of all things! Then he went to WSPA for a bit. What many people may not have realized, though, is that he was doing a lot of voice over work on the side and it turned out to be his true passion.
Good to know that so many of you are still in the business!
As you may or may not know, my Dad passed away in January 2001 after a short battle with brain cancer. He was up at ProComm Studios in Hendersonville cutting some spots and lost the ability to speak in the middle of the session. What appeared to be a stroke at the time turned out to be an inoperable tumor and he died at age 58. Prior to that time, he was working as a voice over announcer full time. Some of his colleagues up at ProComm (and Sun Spots in Arden, NC- I believe) were Bill Thomas, Russ Castle and Lindsay Ayliffe.
Dad always spoke fondly of his days at WORD. He started out there in the 60's after moving to South Carolina when he finished in the army. In fact, it was a WORD employee by the name of Cobb Simpson (not sure what his position was) who introduced him to my mother, Marilyn. He left WORD in the late 60's-early 70's to go to a station in Roanoke, VA. Bob Canada was there as was Bill Thomas. My Mom has a lot of crazy stories about their time up there. Dad came back to WORD in the early 70's and then left again to work at WBT-AM in Charlotte and worked with Jay Thomas whom I occasionally catch on one of the Sirius channels. After Charlotte, Dad returned to WORD until Tony Brooks fired him when the ratings were down! Then he went to WFBC-AM in Greenville. From there, I believe he came back to WORD and then went to WSSL from there. He also did a brief stint at WANS writing copy, of all things! Then he went to WSPA for a bit. What many people may not have realized, though, is that he was doing a lot of voice over work on the side and it turned out to be his true passion.
Good to know that so many of you are still in the business!
R
radiojjh
Guest
hey there "morgan's kid," it's JJ Hemingway...i had the honor of working with your dad...he was such a great guy....so funny and what a great radio pro. I was with WORD 91 from July of 1982 thru August of 1985, then returned again in the spring of 1986 thru May of 1987. Your dad was a part of our illustrious bowling team at pinewood lanes in spartanburg, and we actually won the league title, your dad, gary sparber, gary cohen and me....that was so much fun.
I was so sorry to hear about the loss of your dad, so many memories flooded thru my mind....he was a good one! And for me it was again an honor to work with him.
In 1985, I returned to Seattle for a spell and then Bob Brown kept upping the ante for me to return and indeed I did. Loved working for Bob---he was challenging at times, but he had and still has an amazing ear for talent. I loved working with Tony Brooks, CJ, Ted Love, Jack Morrow(BTW--anyone know whatever happened to Jack???), Tom Herndon, Anna St. John, Don Crain, Phil Tuck, Yates Davis, George & Roxanne Walker, Gary Sparber, Gary Cohen, Mark Kruea, Janet Kennedy, Sara Ellis, Bobby Dean, Bob Dean, Jackie Wayne, Humble Carl, and a multitude of others who went through WORD doors. I enjoyed doing afternoons, mornings and programming the music. WORD91 had a very unique sound musically after the days of Top-40. And I know we were #1 in Spartanburg County by leaps and bounds. And I remember doing a live countdown show every week called the "Carolina Countdown," and I played the 40 biggest hits in the Carolinas. People called me WORD's Casey Kasem. That was a fun show to do!!! All original, live and local!!
After I left WORD 91 for the last time in 1987, I did contemporary Christian radio--doing afternoons in Dallas for 3 years, then it was onto mornings and music director in Colorado Springs at CHR 102.9/KIKX, then up to Spokane for a year again doing contemporary Christian radio---doing mornings and programming at KTSL, then onto Great Falls for 2 1/2 years---again doing mornings and programming HOT AC K99. Then it was back south to Columbus for 3 years doing mornings and music at A/C "Sunny 100"/WGSY. Then in May of 1998 I returned to Spokane to run a radio station for a buddy of mine, the deal to buy it fell through and I landed at "Lite Rock KISS 98.1," and have been doing the afternoon show there for over 10 years, always garnering top ratings---never have been with one radio station for so long. And since the summer of 1998 have owned and operated "CBS-Spokane," a production company and voiceover service. My website is: www.cbsspokane1.com Primarily providing produced commercials for radio stations all over, with me and around 10 other voices---we are heard all over the U.S. Throughout the Northwest and 22 states coast to coast. I even do some stuff for Bob Brown's WKBC in North Wilkesboro. Along the way I have voicetrakked and garnered great ratings for Y102 in Victor Valley, California, 1055/The Oasis in Lancaster, California and I also did a nice 5 year run at 95.7/KJR-FM in my home town of Seattle. Never would have expected to wind up in Spokane(market #92 in eastern Washington--right on the Washington/Idaho border), but it is a great place to call home, I finally bought a house back in 2000. And i do believe this will probably be my home for the rest of my life. My career is going great, my company is doing fine, i have good friends, a great girl that I am seeing that I am in love with....so not too many complaints.
Last time i went through Spartanburg was 1995, and it looked so odd, NOT to see those 3 towers and the neon 91 W O R D lights all gone from the side of I-85. And the station no longer where it was for so many years. Now, it's even stranger to realize WORD is now where WSPA-AM was at 950 on the dial. One of my fondest memories is that incredible iced tea from the Beacon Drive Inn, and of course John White and J.C. and many lunches at the Beacon with a group of great radio people....those were indeed days etched in my memory that will live on forever.....
if you worked at WORD91, or listened to me then, i would love to hear from you... [email protected] is my email address.
All the best.....
Your Spokane(and former Spartanburg)Radio Pal...
JJ Hemingway
I was so sorry to hear about the loss of your dad, so many memories flooded thru my mind....he was a good one! And for me it was again an honor to work with him.
In 1985, I returned to Seattle for a spell and then Bob Brown kept upping the ante for me to return and indeed I did. Loved working for Bob---he was challenging at times, but he had and still has an amazing ear for talent. I loved working with Tony Brooks, CJ, Ted Love, Jack Morrow(BTW--anyone know whatever happened to Jack???), Tom Herndon, Anna St. John, Don Crain, Phil Tuck, Yates Davis, George & Roxanne Walker, Gary Sparber, Gary Cohen, Mark Kruea, Janet Kennedy, Sara Ellis, Bobby Dean, Bob Dean, Jackie Wayne, Humble Carl, and a multitude of others who went through WORD doors. I enjoyed doing afternoons, mornings and programming the music. WORD91 had a very unique sound musically after the days of Top-40. And I know we were #1 in Spartanburg County by leaps and bounds. And I remember doing a live countdown show every week called the "Carolina Countdown," and I played the 40 biggest hits in the Carolinas. People called me WORD's Casey Kasem. That was a fun show to do!!! All original, live and local!!
After I left WORD 91 for the last time in 1987, I did contemporary Christian radio--doing afternoons in Dallas for 3 years, then it was onto mornings and music director in Colorado Springs at CHR 102.9/KIKX, then up to Spokane for a year again doing contemporary Christian radio---doing mornings and programming at KTSL, then onto Great Falls for 2 1/2 years---again doing mornings and programming HOT AC K99. Then it was back south to Columbus for 3 years doing mornings and music at A/C "Sunny 100"/WGSY. Then in May of 1998 I returned to Spokane to run a radio station for a buddy of mine, the deal to buy it fell through and I landed at "Lite Rock KISS 98.1," and have been doing the afternoon show there for over 10 years, always garnering top ratings---never have been with one radio station for so long. And since the summer of 1998 have owned and operated "CBS-Spokane," a production company and voiceover service. My website is: www.cbsspokane1.com Primarily providing produced commercials for radio stations all over, with me and around 10 other voices---we are heard all over the U.S. Throughout the Northwest and 22 states coast to coast. I even do some stuff for Bob Brown's WKBC in North Wilkesboro. Along the way I have voicetrakked and garnered great ratings for Y102 in Victor Valley, California, 1055/The Oasis in Lancaster, California and I also did a nice 5 year run at 95.7/KJR-FM in my home town of Seattle. Never would have expected to wind up in Spokane(market #92 in eastern Washington--right on the Washington/Idaho border), but it is a great place to call home, I finally bought a house back in 2000. And i do believe this will probably be my home for the rest of my life. My career is going great, my company is doing fine, i have good friends, a great girl that I am seeing that I am in love with....so not too many complaints.
Last time i went through Spartanburg was 1995, and it looked so odd, NOT to see those 3 towers and the neon 91 W O R D lights all gone from the side of I-85. And the station no longer where it was for so many years. Now, it's even stranger to realize WORD is now where WSPA-AM was at 950 on the dial. One of my fondest memories is that incredible iced tea from the Beacon Drive Inn, and of course John White and J.C. and many lunches at the Beacon with a group of great radio people....those were indeed days etched in my memory that will live on forever.....
if you worked at WORD91, or listened to me then, i would love to hear from you... [email protected] is my email address.
All the best.....
Your Spokane(and former Spartanburg)Radio Pal...
JJ Hemingway
WOW!!! I am glad to see this topic revived! JJ glad you are doing great out in the west coast. Morgans Kid glad you joined our group... I met your dad twice when I was doing a project at Spartanburg Methodist College. I needed to get a few little goodies to give my presentation and called your dad while he was at WSPA and what I thought would be just a quick conversation turned out to be about a 90 minute chat while he was doing his shift. When I got to meet Bob in person all I figured would happen would be he would give me what I needed and then say see ya later! It turned out to be about a 3 hour visit! I had a blast hearing him talk about all the stations he worked at! That was one fun day and I really really enjoyed it! JJ I remember you doing the countdown as well..... If I was correct it was on Sunday's... It was very simular to what Z100 in charlotte also had at the time. You mention bowling!!! I remember when you and Tony Banks came out to the Deaf and Blind school back right around the time you left WORD!!! Nothing like watching a bunch of blind teens bowl in our little two lane bowling alley LOL! CC1
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