-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
WDDQ Adel/Valdosta
- Thread starter fwillis
- Start date
fwillis said:
That makes two FM news/talkers in the Valdosta market, with News/Talk 105.9 WVGA being the other. It'll be interesting what will happen with WDDQ. After all, it was only about 5-10 years ago that WDDQ played soft AC music as "Super Q-92". Now it's a talk station in a relatively small town. ???
Re: Adel
Somewhere in my large assortment of "communications collectibles" (my wife calls it 'that radio junk'), I have a copy of WBIT's (WDDQ's former sister AM) Gwinsound jingles. Of course, we all know that Adel is pronounced "A-Dell". Tommy Gwin's folks weren't sure, so they did the legal ID jingle BOTH ways. It's hillarious to hear the 'other' version, "W-B-I-T, Adull Georgia".
Long live the memories of Wonderful Wabbit Wadio.
Hmmm...the WBIT calls aren't being used now. Nah, forget it. Nostalgia is only for us old pharts.
Somewhere in my large assortment of "communications collectibles" (my wife calls it 'that radio junk'), I have a copy of WBIT's (WDDQ's former sister AM) Gwinsound jingles. Of course, we all know that Adel is pronounced "A-Dell". Tommy Gwin's folks weren't sure, so they did the legal ID jingle BOTH ways. It's hillarious to hear the 'other' version, "W-B-I-T, Adull Georgia".
Long live the memories of Wonderful Wabbit Wadio.
Hmmm...the WBIT calls aren't being used now. Nah, forget it. Nostalgia is only for us old pharts.
Jay, I am one who definitely appreciates hearing about the "good ole days". I live by the philosophy "you'll never know where you're going unless you know where you've been." It's wonderful history lessons that teach me how to do radio, and do it properly. I appreciate all of the hard work you and other radio veterans have done to blaze the path for us. I feel there's still a future in radio. We just have to weather the storm and, those of us rookies that have learned from the veterans will survive to become legends in our own rights.
Well...
Thanks FloydB. I usually have little to share, except for stuff that happened more than 20 years ago, or so it seems. It's always good to know you have an audience. Just let me know if I put you to sleep...
Barry Joe...as many times as you've told folks about that (and other things that I shudder to remember), I've shared the story of that visit to WRFG...LONG before it got the influx of support it now seems to have. As Bette Davis once said, "what - A - dump!"
wayx1230...I don't remember it as WAAG, but I heard stories from Don Wingate. WAAG was once co-owned with WMES/Ashburn.
Thanks FloydB. I usually have little to share, except for stuff that happened more than 20 years ago, or so it seems. It's always good to know you have an audience. Just let me know if I put you to sleep...
Barry Joe...as many times as you've told folks about that (and other things that I shudder to remember), I've shared the story of that visit to WRFG...LONG before it got the influx of support it now seems to have. As Bette Davis once said, "what - A - dump!"
wayx1230...I don't remember it as WAAG, but I heard stories from Don Wingate. WAAG was once co-owned with WMES/Ashburn.
A WBIT story
Here's a story that continues to be source of amusement to me and a certain "Spokane Radio Pal".
In 1975, I was working at WJEM/Valdosta. J.J. Hemingway was working at WBIT/Adel. Both stations were standalone, daytime-only AM's.
One night, I was visiting J.J. in Adel, and we were trying to put some great and fabulous production together. WBIT's production room was equipped with an Ampex 601...the one in the brown "suitcase". In order to mark the tape for editing, I had removed the head cover from the machine.
In the midst of doing this, the fellow who was WBIT's "engineer" (and also a staff announcer) came walking in. Upon seeing the 'destruction to station property', he had what we in south Georgia call a "jump nekkid fit", screaming and cussing at me, demanding that I immediately vacate the property.
Pretty much everybody working at the station hated J.J., as he was trying to get them to adhere to a format, which none of them wanted to do. This incident was the beginning of the end for him, and the ending was one of those absolutely unbelievable stories...one in which I also innocently got caught up in. There was a Chevrolet Vega station wagon with a bad transmission, a search warrant issued and executed, and both of us spending a few hours behind bars. They couldn't hold us, as we were not guilty of anything...anything but terminal stupidity. Fortunately, there ain't no law against that.
There's much more to the story, which involves 'nursing' the Vega from Ashburn to Perry before it finally gave up the ghost, renting a tow-bar with a bad check, towing the station wagon with my Chevrolet Nova through Atlanta, during rush hour, in a monsoon-like, flooding rain, a return trip to Adel in a borrowed Ford Econoline van (that used to be a Singer Sewing Machine vehicle), the trip from Adel back through Atlanta, with the van being hit squarely in the front bumper with tire/wheel that had spun off a vehicle way ahead of us. After the tire/wheel hit the van bumper, it bounced forward, hit the back of the car ahead, then bounced completely over the van, hitting the roof of the car behind us. We never stopped.
About the guy who had a fit about the Ampex...he had never attempted to edit anything, and had never seen anyone else do it. I ran into him years later, and bit my tongue resisting the overpowering desire to tell him what a no-good SOB, worthless POS he was. I also did not tell him that his breath stunk and that he did NOT love Jesus!
I know, I know, I know...I gotta write that book. Thing is, I need a few more people to die, so I won't get sued over what I have to say about them. When I tell it, I'm gonna tell it all.
Did I say a few people?
Here's a story that continues to be source of amusement to me and a certain "Spokane Radio Pal".
In 1975, I was working at WJEM/Valdosta. J.J. Hemingway was working at WBIT/Adel. Both stations were standalone, daytime-only AM's.
One night, I was visiting J.J. in Adel, and we were trying to put some great and fabulous production together. WBIT's production room was equipped with an Ampex 601...the one in the brown "suitcase". In order to mark the tape for editing, I had removed the head cover from the machine.
In the midst of doing this, the fellow who was WBIT's "engineer" (and also a staff announcer) came walking in. Upon seeing the 'destruction to station property', he had what we in south Georgia call a "jump nekkid fit", screaming and cussing at me, demanding that I immediately vacate the property.
Pretty much everybody working at the station hated J.J., as he was trying to get them to adhere to a format, which none of them wanted to do. This incident was the beginning of the end for him, and the ending was one of those absolutely unbelievable stories...one in which I also innocently got caught up in. There was a Chevrolet Vega station wagon with a bad transmission, a search warrant issued and executed, and both of us spending a few hours behind bars. They couldn't hold us, as we were not guilty of anything...anything but terminal stupidity. Fortunately, there ain't no law against that.
There's much more to the story, which involves 'nursing' the Vega from Ashburn to Perry before it finally gave up the ghost, renting a tow-bar with a bad check, towing the station wagon with my Chevrolet Nova through Atlanta, during rush hour, in a monsoon-like, flooding rain, a return trip to Adel in a borrowed Ford Econoline van (that used to be a Singer Sewing Machine vehicle), the trip from Adel back through Atlanta, with the van being hit squarely in the front bumper with tire/wheel that had spun off a vehicle way ahead of us. After the tire/wheel hit the van bumper, it bounced forward, hit the back of the car ahead, then bounced completely over the van, hitting the roof of the car behind us. We never stopped.
About the guy who had a fit about the Ampex...he had never attempted to edit anything, and had never seen anyone else do it. I ran into him years later, and bit my tongue resisting the overpowering desire to tell him what a no-good SOB, worthless POS he was. I also did not tell him that his breath stunk and that he did NOT love Jesus!
I know, I know, I know...I gotta write that book. Thing is, I need a few more people to die, so I won't get sued over what I have to say about them. When I tell it, I'm gonna tell it all.
Did I say a few people?
Re: A WBIT story
If there was a law against that, then they'd just have to put a huge wall around the state of Georgia!... and Florida... and Alabama... and Washington DC... Aw hell, the entire country! ;D
As you see, Jay, it's almost 4am, and I'm definitely NOT asleep! Right now I'm wondering on how many parts were left out in the "Cliff's Notes" version of the story you just told! NYT Best seller for sure!
jovialjay said:
If there was a law against that, then they'd just have to put a huge wall around the state of Georgia!... and Florida... and Alabama... and Washington DC... Aw hell, the entire country! ;D
As you see, Jay, it's almost 4am, and I'm definitely NOT asleep! Right now I'm wondering on how many parts were left out in the "Cliff's Notes" version of the story you just told! NYT Best seller for sure!
Re: WDDQ Adel/Valdosta-Exit 10-FM?
So my first reccollection of 92.1 was the era of a certain Mr.. Williams who ran the King Frog Shopping center at (then) Exit 10. WDDQ was a "program length commercial announcement" that ran over and over and over spots for various merchants at the Williams' Properties shoppping center. They did little skits, and really silly spots for Bon Worth, and the King Frog Restaurant, and Brims and Boots, and Captain D's seafood and all of the other goofy stores. I drove east of I-75 one day to find the small tower and the station in a kind of house..windows shut with plywood. No studios there that I could see. Went to the Williams properties office in the shopping plaza and there looked to be a shaeffer carousel behind the receptionists desk..was THAT the station? They had a pretty good announcer named "Ron" something..and a very Georgia sounding lady talent who wasn't bad..but WDDQ just ran King Frog, King Frog and more King Frog.
Any stories or insights into that eara of the station would be interesting reading.
So my first reccollection of 92.1 was the era of a certain Mr.. Williams who ran the King Frog Shopping center at (then) Exit 10. WDDQ was a "program length commercial announcement" that ran over and over and over spots for various merchants at the Williams' Properties shoppping center. They did little skits, and really silly spots for Bon Worth, and the King Frog Restaurant, and Brims and Boots, and Captain D's seafood and all of the other goofy stores. I drove east of I-75 one day to find the small tower and the station in a kind of house..windows shut with plywood. No studios there that I could see. Went to the Williams properties office in the shopping plaza and there looked to be a shaeffer carousel behind the receptionists desk..was THAT the station? They had a pretty good announcer named "Ron" something..and a very Georgia sounding lady talent who wasn't bad..but WDDQ just ran King Frog, King Frog and more King Frog.
Any stories or insights into that eara of the station would be interesting reading.
Ron was great..some very creative stuff that held a driver's attention, and i did go to the King Frog, and even bought tee-shirts and hats..so it worked. Was it a deal that the merchants had with Williams that if they bought space in the King Frog plaza they got free spots? OR did they have to pay extra to be on that thing. It is a great idea for LPFM's when the FCC finally let's them run commercials..Any more info on King Frog, and DDQ?
thanks
jl
thanks
jl
I worked at WDDQ for a few years while Mr. Williams owned it and just about a year after Wild Adventures bought it. I also lived at the station. I remember one time when our smartcaster crashed between Ron and I we were on the air just playing music and our commercials. Then when we received another smartcaster we had to put in all new music. That took a steady two to three days of hard work. I loved that station. Update on Ron the new owners now fired him. Sad he was so loyal to that station for years no matter who owned it.
oh and I am Judi by the way not the other woman that use to work there. ; )
Hi Judi..no I remember her name "Helena Hanbasket" I think..Ron could probably make a good buck just doing commercial production for small and medium markets. Sorry he was let go. Shows you where loyalty gets you..Funny how employers crave employee "loyalty" but never seem to give it back for the most part. If you are loyal..you get boned, if you aren't they call you a troublemaker and drop you..either way you don;t keep working. Makes you wonder what the point is? Prestige? Glamour? Yeah that would be it.
Hi Jeff, love the way you said the other womans name cute. : ) and accurate. Yes I agree with you if you are loyal, hard working etc sometimes it isn't appreciated. I know when I worked there I worked alot at night putting in commercials, and music. I moved out of Georgia and when Ron had his major heart attack and by pass surgery I went up there since I was familiar with the system and stayed for six weeks taking care of the station. Wild Adventures owned it then. Kent was a great guy to work for. I miss it sometimes but life moves on. The new owners are letting Ron still live by there though so that's nice.
A
Art Sutton
Guest
Re: Adel
When I was a kid growing up in South Georgia's Worth County, I was often found on a tractor helping out on my Dad's farm. Back then, early to mid 1970s, tractor radios only had AM receivers but they were extremely sensitive...I think as good as the receivers used in field strength meters. You could pick up WSB in the daytime like a local and WBIT boomed into Worth County on that tractor radio. They were Top 40 then and frankly Ralph Deen operated one of the best sounding small market radio stations in that entire area.
WBIT went on the air March 1955. It had a remote studio in Nashville and had the calls WAAG until Ralph bought the station. WAAG was owned by Esther Sheppard and W M Forshee. Forshee owned a farm supply company and peanut warehouse in the Turner County community of Coverdale. I think he and Ms. Sheppard actually had a daughter. In addition to WMES (which I suspect was W M of W M Forshee and ES of Esther Sheppard) and WAAG, they owned WSEM in Donaldsville (Seminole County).
My favorite AM radio station signoff aired over WMES when Ray Mercer owned it. The background music was Nadia's theme and Ray would begin reading in his great voice..."As the sun sinks beyond the horizon and the black veil of darkness covers the earth..(pause) powerful WMES rests." WMES was 1000 watts at 1570, not exactly a power house but Ray certainly created bigness in the theatre of the mind. My second favorite was WEYY in Talledega, Alabama. It always ended with this statement "and remember...when WEYY goes off the air, even the sun goes down." Not be outdone, the ladies who put WGOG(AM) on the air and always stayed in trouble violating the NAB Code for running too many commercials, their sign off at WGOG was always sold...to one of the local funeral homes in Oconee County, SC.
I understand Ray is a resident at the Baptist Home in Waycross, GA. His wife, Evelyn passed away a few months ago. Ray did a good job, I feel, when he had WMES. At the time, the economy of Ashburn/Turner County was much stronger than it is today. One of the more popular shows which aired over WMES was the Coke Show which aired Saturday mornings. One of Ray's sons and students from Turner County high would host the program and take requests for teenagers. This program continued even after WMES switched from Top 40 to country.
Financially WMES always did better than WOGA in Sylvester. Probably because Sylvester was too close to Albany while Ashburn was further away from outside AM signals. Another big station in that area which is no more was WSIZ in Ocilla. They were 5000 watts on 1380 with a tall half wave tower that sat in the middle of a pond behind the station. They were the Top 40 station for that entire area..the station that had Kasey Kasem's American Top Four. The most bizzare program on WSIZ was their classified ads show. The announcer would take callers and then the caller would either begin the conversation or say "off the air." With that caller, you only heard the announcer's side of the phone call and he had to repeat whatever the caller said.
WBHB was a killer back then too in nearby Fitzgerald. Not as slick as WSIZ, WBHB was a real jewel of a station when it came to local news and sports. Charlie Ridgeway was everywhere doing live sports coverage. I even remember hearing a wrestling match on the station. All of it was sold of course. WBHB also aired the location of fires in Fitzgerald. In those days, small towns would sound a fire alarm to alert volunteers of a fire. WBHB would come on the air "The Fire Alarm has sounded in Fitzgerald. 12-40 WBHB will bring you the location of the call after this message from Ben Hill Insurance Agency. Ad. Then the announcer came on to describe the call. Then the close would go....whenever the fire alarm sounds in Fitzgerald, tune to 12-40 WBHB for details. These reports made possible by"
WMES, WOGA, WSIZ all gone now. The result of owners who didn't know what they were doing and a shrinking economy brought on by the demise of industry in those towns and the fact the farm economy consolidated into larger but fewer farming operations. South Georgia has really become a wasteland for AM radio. These, WWGS, WNGA, WGAF, WMGA, WDEC, WCLB, WACL, WMJM, WBBK, WDWD and WAZA..all gone.
jovialjay said:
When I was a kid growing up in South Georgia's Worth County, I was often found on a tractor helping out on my Dad's farm. Back then, early to mid 1970s, tractor radios only had AM receivers but they were extremely sensitive...I think as good as the receivers used in field strength meters. You could pick up WSB in the daytime like a local and WBIT boomed into Worth County on that tractor radio. They were Top 40 then and frankly Ralph Deen operated one of the best sounding small market radio stations in that entire area.
WBIT went on the air March 1955. It had a remote studio in Nashville and had the calls WAAG until Ralph bought the station. WAAG was owned by Esther Sheppard and W M Forshee. Forshee owned a farm supply company and peanut warehouse in the Turner County community of Coverdale. I think he and Ms. Sheppard actually had a daughter. In addition to WMES (which I suspect was W M of W M Forshee and ES of Esther Sheppard) and WAAG, they owned WSEM in Donaldsville (Seminole County).
My favorite AM radio station signoff aired over WMES when Ray Mercer owned it. The background music was Nadia's theme and Ray would begin reading in his great voice..."As the sun sinks beyond the horizon and the black veil of darkness covers the earth..(pause) powerful WMES rests." WMES was 1000 watts at 1570, not exactly a power house but Ray certainly created bigness in the theatre of the mind. My second favorite was WEYY in Talledega, Alabama. It always ended with this statement "and remember...when WEYY goes off the air, even the sun goes down." Not be outdone, the ladies who put WGOG(AM) on the air and always stayed in trouble violating the NAB Code for running too many commercials, their sign off at WGOG was always sold...to one of the local funeral homes in Oconee County, SC.
I understand Ray is a resident at the Baptist Home in Waycross, GA. His wife, Evelyn passed away a few months ago. Ray did a good job, I feel, when he had WMES. At the time, the economy of Ashburn/Turner County was much stronger than it is today. One of the more popular shows which aired over WMES was the Coke Show which aired Saturday mornings. One of Ray's sons and students from Turner County high would host the program and take requests for teenagers. This program continued even after WMES switched from Top 40 to country.
Financially WMES always did better than WOGA in Sylvester. Probably because Sylvester was too close to Albany while Ashburn was further away from outside AM signals. Another big station in that area which is no more was WSIZ in Ocilla. They were 5000 watts on 1380 with a tall half wave tower that sat in the middle of a pond behind the station. They were the Top 40 station for that entire area..the station that had Kasey Kasem's American Top Four. The most bizzare program on WSIZ was their classified ads show. The announcer would take callers and then the caller would either begin the conversation or say "off the air." With that caller, you only heard the announcer's side of the phone call and he had to repeat whatever the caller said.
WBHB was a killer back then too in nearby Fitzgerald. Not as slick as WSIZ, WBHB was a real jewel of a station when it came to local news and sports. Charlie Ridgeway was everywhere doing live sports coverage. I even remember hearing a wrestling match on the station. All of it was sold of course. WBHB also aired the location of fires in Fitzgerald. In those days, small towns would sound a fire alarm to alert volunteers of a fire. WBHB would come on the air "The Fire Alarm has sounded in Fitzgerald. 12-40 WBHB will bring you the location of the call after this message from Ben Hill Insurance Agency. Ad. Then the announcer came on to describe the call. Then the close would go....whenever the fire alarm sounds in Fitzgerald, tune to 12-40 WBHB for details. These reports made possible by"
WMES, WOGA, WSIZ all gone now. The result of owners who didn't know what they were doing and a shrinking economy brought on by the demise of industry in those towns and the fact the farm economy consolidated into larger but fewer farming operations. South Georgia has really become a wasteland for AM radio. These, WWGS, WNGA, WGAF, WMGA, WDEC, WCLB, WACL, WMJM, WBBK, WDWD and WAZA..all gone.
- Status