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Where are they now: Macon Radio

K

kenglish

Guest
I had this posted on the "Where are they now" forum for a few weeks, but no response...so let's try it here:

"Dave Reeves....
Originally from Macon, Georgia. Was "David Reeves" on the "Doris (Martin) and Dave Show" on WMAZ-TV.

Went to KGIL, Los Angeles, in 1968-69, according to laradio.com.

Was on-camera and VO talent for Levitz Furniture in the 1980's.

Where is he now?"

Of course, we can ask about other Macon broadcasters, too.
 
Where is former WMAZ-TV anchor Chuck England? How about Rick Wimberly of MAZ?
WNEX: Tommy Goodwin, Johnny Hayes (retired from K-Earth in LA), Tom Healy?
 
Macon hasn't been the same since Bill Powell died, Bill Elder retired and Rick Knight was canned.
 
I think David Reeves is still in California. I understand he was passing through Macon a few years ago and visited WMAZ.

Rick Wimberly went to the South Carolina Network, a radio news network. I don't know if he's still there or not.

Tom Healy became an Episcopal priest and was doing part time radio up north near Boston, I believe. Paul Beliveau and I found him but lost touch.

I haven't seen Johnny Hayes since I was a teeanger in the 70's. A Google search reads:
In the summer of 2000 he received his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on Hollywood Boulevard in front of the famous Hollywood Wax Museum.
Click to expand...

Ben Sandifer and I had dinner with Greg Rice last night. We were all at WNEX in the early 70's. Greg was at Mercer and I was in high school. He had some news about Chuck but I'd like to confirm before posting.

Radio is what it is and I don't think you'll see it change. Those that are entering the business see a different industry than we did. And your 18-24 demographic all program their own radio stations on their iPods. As Greg said, "They see radio as something their parents listen to." Kyscott, thank you for your kind comment.
 
Haven't been to Macon in years. Looked at the Q106 website and I don't see Chuck or Sarina. CC voicetracking that station 24-7 now?
 
billelder said:
As Greg said, "They see radio as something their parents listen to." Kyscott, thank you for your kind comment.
Click to expand...

People are questioning my sanity 'cause I'm seriously looking at buying two stations up here in Kentucky.
 
Hugh_Allegood said:
kyscott
I NEVER questioned your sanity........always knew the state of it........good luck
Click to expand...

Yep, I was nuts to come work for Manny and even crazier to go work for Lowell!
 
Mr. Elder:
You are right about radio. I am a 41 y/o and carry an MP3 player to substitute for some of the on-air programming and talent in "today's" radio. You haven't missed a darn thing.

If I want to listen to Seventies or Eighties hits I have to deal with whatever other silliness is bundled with it by whatever station. And nobody in Macon has just an "oldies" or "classic hits" station other than an AM which goes dark and an FM far away in Podunk.

One thing that might save radio is WiFi. I read a blog which bemoaned "national programming" and said this would be the wave of the future. My prediction is that we will, yes, have AM/FM radios in some cars but as an option. "Radios" (now called something else) will have inputs for the Ipod, a USB port, probably a media card reader (which one don't ask me; I am hedging on SD), and the unit will receive WiFi audio. All the user must do is program the URL for their favorite website which streams audio in a compatible format.

There are issues to be worked out with the AFRTA as has been with streaming radio station feeds (commercials aired outside of the target market) and the signal must not, again, require a different player for each station. But this is so exciting! In fact some stereos may have players for media cards already.

And no, I haven't forgotten satellite. It may become standard in some cars and on some home stereos but WiFi will push it aside. Why settle for fewer choices?

KT
 
kturnerga said:
And no, I haven't forgotten satellite. It may become standard in some cars and on some home stereos but WiFi will push it aside. Why settle for fewer choices?
Click to expand...

Why wait, Ken? I have XM in my Jeep and it comes in handy alot! I pretty much listened to it exclusively when I came down to Dooly County from Louisville over the past weekend. I love it and will use it until I can get WiFi in my car!
 
Anyone know if Stubby Wilder's (WBML) old place is still on Brookdale Avenue? Last I heard, it was the repeater site for one of the Ham clubs.

(I'm curious if the old plans/drawings for 'BML's "Topside on Riverside" studios are still around).
 
WBML studios ("Topside on Riverside") were at Spring and Riverside, adjacent to the City bus barns. The building was torn down in 2002, just a week before I was in town :( , but there is a photo still living on the Bibb County Tax Assessor website.

Stubby had his radio stuff in his mother's former grocery store, just off Brookdale...I think that might be, technically, in Payne City.
 
kenglish said:
WBML studios ("Topside on Riverside") were at Spring and Riverside, adjacent to the City bus barns. The building was torn down in 2002, just a week before I was in town :( , but there is a photo still living on the Bibb County Tax Assessor website.
Click to expand...

It was torn down?! :eek: What are the gonna put in it's place, a Walgreen's?! ::)

Bill Elder has a picture on his website. http://www.billelder.com/radio/wbml.htm
 
fussbudget said:
Last I saw, it was just a sad, weed covered lot. Small parts of the Peek-A-Blue's Control #1 reside in my closet.
Click to expand...

What kind of "parts"? I've made our "clean-it-up-and-throw-it-out" people stay away from an old Gates console that I think is the same model as was in WBML's main control room. I'm saving it, in case the GMHOF ever wants to do an "Old Radio vs. New Radio" exhibit, and do a replica of the 1960's control room.

I think it would be cool to have a "semi-working" 60's CR (complete with a Dura Trans of the old Macon skyline behind the windows), and, on the other side of the window, have a fully-functional 2000's era control room....with all the (ISDN/SW56/etc) connectivity to do remotes from there to anywhere in the world.
 
Among other things, I have the "Control Room 1 On Air" panel from the wall above the board, that overlooked the window into the adjoining news studio.
 
Was that a single panel, or are you talking about that big, long thing (shaped like a speaker baffle, in side view) that went across above the master control window? I think it had "Conelrad Alert", "Red Transmitter on-air", "Blue transmitter on air", "Door Alarm", etc.

I always thought EVERY station needed something like that!
 
Billy Sowell gave me the On Air light that was outside the control room at WMAZ in the Southern Trust Building. It was the first control room I ever used and it's a cherished possession. Unfortunately, given my odd sense of humor, I have it hooked up to "The Clapper." If I am watching "The Price Is Right" on 13WMAZ it's like a party in the room! <g>

About those WBML signs. I never worked there when Patton owned it, but was there during a couple of "Bellinger / Hannah" years. That would be 1975-76. I was told (second hand) that Stubby actually explained those lights as being as much to impress the people riding by as they were to be functional. My question was always why they had 4 cart machines going into one pot on the board that would clip the audio when going from one cart to another. I was told that his answer was something along the line of..."Have you seen the people who work here? They can handle maybe three pots at a time. Four, tops!" ;D
 
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