I started working in radio at WJDX the summer of 1967 and stayed till early fall of 1968. I thought I'd drop some names of folks I worked with during those my time at WJDX-AM-FM/WLBT and WRBC/WJMI.
I was hired part-time on WJDX-FM (easy listening at the time)...by Bob McRaney, GM, Monroe Looney (AM PD) and June King (FM PD). It took a village to hire me in those days. I worked afternoons on WJDX-FM, evening booth announce on WLBT and weekends on WJDX-AM, running NBC Monitor. Do these names ring a bell?
Alon Bee-Jackson legend for lots of reasons
Ed Hobgood-great voice and wicked sense of humor
Forrest Cox-Ag News Director and delightful
Maurice Thompson-WLBT legendary PD/Starmaker--trained a couple of Miss Americas on elocution and poise and later started the "Ask Jack-Sunn" column in the Jackson Daily News.
Hagan Thompson-WLBT News Director, pipe smoker, son of Maurice, droll wit and later worked with the precursor of FEMA, I believe.
Mark Ledbetter-WLBT news anchor-warm, wonderful guy who did a great job on the air
Judy Moon-WLBT weather personality
Bill Killebrew-WLBT legend-cartoonist, kid show host and nice guy
Woody Asaaf-WLBT legend-all-round host, weatherman,
Howard Lett-WJDX/WLBT-newsman, later on staff of local church, then on Mississippi Public TV in later years
(Hobgood once swapped out a flash bulb for the "on air" new light in the booth for Lett. Lett always sat and stared at that bulb until it went on and then began his newscast...this time the flash went off and he was blinded for 45 seconds while trying to read his news around the bright sphere centered in his vision-he was a bit stuffy, so it was hilarious.)
Joby Martin-WJDX-black announcer w/Sunday morning gospel show and live spots for King the Tailor. I worked opposite him upstairs on WJDX-FM and we became good friends. He was a marvelous fellow.
Chuck Cooper-WJDX-FM-announcer about whom the less said the better
Phil Seymour-WJDX-FM-started out in art department for WLBT and switched to FM announcer. Very aggressive guy, but he was instrumental in getting WJDX-FM changed to Acid Rock in the spring of 1968. I guess I helped a bit as well. He left soon after we got our "rock pendants" to wear.
Milt Lawrence-WJDX-FM Music Director. Nice fellow, owned a van with a hydraulic lift for his electric organ. He played in clubs and lounges all over Jackson---schmaltzy jazz and love songs. He didn't make the transition to Acid Rock.
Ike (Rocky) Touchstone-WJDX-FM-hired out of Forrest, I believe, as one of the Acid Rock DJs. Great guy, later heard him on Mississippi Public Radio, I believe.
Tom Raney-WJDX-AM-host of "Land of Dreams"--soft soupy nighttime easy listening show with Tom reading poetry over the music. Tome was a nice guy, about 5x5, and we often walked out together at midnight, having finished our shifts on the AM and FM stations. Often there were women at the front door wanting to know if Tom was still in the buiding. Tom would always pitch his voice high and tell them that Tom would be out in just a couple of minutes. We'd get in our cars and drive away while these middle-aged groupies waited anxiously at the front door.
Vassar Dubard-WLBT-executive of some sort...I just remember his wonderful Southern name.
Bill Slayton-WJDX Sports and maybe some WLBT-nice guy--did my last gig with him as color guy on a football game in Natchez. I had no idea what I was doing and Bill had spent too many hours in the old Southern Tea Room that afternoon. Kinda funny really. I had been working a live broadcast at the State Fairgrounds the week before that game. Three of my closest buddies walked up to the little red and white trailer I was in, next to the dead whale in the tractor trailer truck tank. They, by coincidence, had all quit their jobs that day. I decided to make it a foursome-this was 1968, remember. lke Touchstone had arrived early to work the late shift and I told him to take over now 'cause I was outta there! Next day I walked into Bob McRaney's office and dropped the Rock pendant we all wore on his desk and said, "Bob, I'm turning in my rock." When I walked out, WJDX-AM PD Monroe Looney told me he wanted me to work that football game in Natchez with Bill the next night. Bob and Monroe went into the men's room and had a shouting match for a few minutes, then came out, said they'd give me fifty bucks to do the game 'cause they were in a bind. That's how I came to be in Natchex with Bill Slayton for my last gig for Lamar Life Broadcasting.
Now to WRBC/WJMI from early fall 1968 to June, 1969:
Ed Webb-Gen.Mgr-decent sort. I seem to remember some problems with the McCartneys who owned Rebel Broadcasting regarding Pepper-Tanner trades but he may have left for other reasons.
Dennis Hudson-WRBC PD-Really great guy, very energetic and worked himself to death trying to make "1300, The Home of The All Americans" amount to something. Dennis taught me a lot. He went to Starkville in 1969 and stayed there, I believe. He worked radio for some years and then became a staff member at Miss. State, I think.
Scarlett Booth-WJMI-FM-midday announcer on beautiful music WJMI. Gorgeous Eurasian girl, very nice and fun to work with...her dad was a detective thriller writer, I believe.
Don Allen (Gillentine)-WRBC PD after Dennis left. Another nice fellow. We were great friends till the changeover in management and we both left-I for my wedding and move to Memphis and WREC and Don to a career as a corporate jet pilot.
The Wizard-WRBC/WJMI-can't remember his name, but he was the engineer. Seems he lived upstairs in the building on North State while he was there. He came up with the idea we could go to full power at midnight instead of next morning's sunrise. We did this for about 4 months until he got word the FCC was sniffing around due to complaints from other 1300 stations that were getting blown out overnight by some peanut whistle in Jackson, MS! Suddenly all the staff was called in one day and given the task of correcting(?) four months of transmitter logs so we would show compliance! Several staff members had left during the period and I got to forge a number of entries under false names. (I deny I wrote that sentence!)
Morris (Moose) Curry-WRBC-Sales/Sports-Moose was only interested in sports and sold local games for the most part. Nice guy, just very directed. He kept what extra mikes and cables we owned in the trunk of his car.
I found that out my first day on the job...sign-on Sunday morning. No one gave me a key to the building and no one was there when I pulled up about 5:15 with a 6am sign-on staring me in the face. I tried all teh windows in the building and found one open in the sales room. It had been raining overnight, so I trailed mud through the window and across a desk to the transmitter room. I found the log and got things going and was about to sign on when I noticed a group of men outside the front glass doors. (The two stations had side-by-side control rooms facing the reception area and front doors.) I went to the door and discovered the Spiritual Morning Hummingbirds were trying to get into the buildingt to do their 15 minute live music show! The doors were locked on the inside as well as out, so I sent them around to the sales office window. They came in through the window with their amplifiers, guitars, and dressed to the nines. Then they asked me where the mike was.
That's when I found out about Moose Currie's propensity for keeping station audio gear in his car trunk after a ballgame. I told the Spiritual Morning Hummingbirds to start vamping while I went to the control room and unscrewed my annoouce mike and found a cable and stand we could use. I plugged it in, found the correct pot on the board, signed on, and faded up on their playing. Then I grabbed the page out of the copy book and ran to the sales room/studio and read the open from the backside of the mike while they all gathered in close on the front side. It was sponsored by King the Tailor at this station as well, I discovered. They began their program and I noticed another group of fellows at the front door! Yep, the next live program needed directions on which window to crawl through while the first group did their quarter hour show.
Three groups crawled through that window before Scarlett Booth arrived about 6:40am to sign on WJMI-FM. She had a key to the front door! On top of that, while I was reading the intros a member of each group would hand me $15.70 in cash to pay for their airtime. I learned I was to put the money in an envelope, seal it, note the group's name on the front and slip the envelope under the business manager's door. I survived that first day on the air and realized if I could do that, I could probably survive anything in this wacky business...except children of sponsors coming in to be produced in daddy's commercial. Deliver me!
Sorry to roll so long, but maybe one of these names will spark another posting. Thanks for letting me ramble.
I was hired part-time on WJDX-FM (easy listening at the time)...by Bob McRaney, GM, Monroe Looney (AM PD) and June King (FM PD). It took a village to hire me in those days. I worked afternoons on WJDX-FM, evening booth announce on WLBT and weekends on WJDX-AM, running NBC Monitor. Do these names ring a bell?
Alon Bee-Jackson legend for lots of reasons
Ed Hobgood-great voice and wicked sense of humor
Forrest Cox-Ag News Director and delightful
Maurice Thompson-WLBT legendary PD/Starmaker--trained a couple of Miss Americas on elocution and poise and later started the "Ask Jack-Sunn" column in the Jackson Daily News.
Hagan Thompson-WLBT News Director, pipe smoker, son of Maurice, droll wit and later worked with the precursor of FEMA, I believe.
Mark Ledbetter-WLBT news anchor-warm, wonderful guy who did a great job on the air
Judy Moon-WLBT weather personality
Bill Killebrew-WLBT legend-cartoonist, kid show host and nice guy
Woody Asaaf-WLBT legend-all-round host, weatherman,
Howard Lett-WJDX/WLBT-newsman, later on staff of local church, then on Mississippi Public TV in later years
(Hobgood once swapped out a flash bulb for the "on air" new light in the booth for Lett. Lett always sat and stared at that bulb until it went on and then began his newscast...this time the flash went off and he was blinded for 45 seconds while trying to read his news around the bright sphere centered in his vision-he was a bit stuffy, so it was hilarious.)
Joby Martin-WJDX-black announcer w/Sunday morning gospel show and live spots for King the Tailor. I worked opposite him upstairs on WJDX-FM and we became good friends. He was a marvelous fellow.
Chuck Cooper-WJDX-FM-announcer about whom the less said the better
Phil Seymour-WJDX-FM-started out in art department for WLBT and switched to FM announcer. Very aggressive guy, but he was instrumental in getting WJDX-FM changed to Acid Rock in the spring of 1968. I guess I helped a bit as well. He left soon after we got our "rock pendants" to wear.
Milt Lawrence-WJDX-FM Music Director. Nice fellow, owned a van with a hydraulic lift for his electric organ. He played in clubs and lounges all over Jackson---schmaltzy jazz and love songs. He didn't make the transition to Acid Rock.
Ike (Rocky) Touchstone-WJDX-FM-hired out of Forrest, I believe, as one of the Acid Rock DJs. Great guy, later heard him on Mississippi Public Radio, I believe.
Tom Raney-WJDX-AM-host of "Land of Dreams"--soft soupy nighttime easy listening show with Tom reading poetry over the music. Tome was a nice guy, about 5x5, and we often walked out together at midnight, having finished our shifts on the AM and FM stations. Often there were women at the front door wanting to know if Tom was still in the buiding. Tom would always pitch his voice high and tell them that Tom would be out in just a couple of minutes. We'd get in our cars and drive away while these middle-aged groupies waited anxiously at the front door.
Vassar Dubard-WLBT-executive of some sort...I just remember his wonderful Southern name.
Bill Slayton-WJDX Sports and maybe some WLBT-nice guy--did my last gig with him as color guy on a football game in Natchez. I had no idea what I was doing and Bill had spent too many hours in the old Southern Tea Room that afternoon. Kinda funny really. I had been working a live broadcast at the State Fairgrounds the week before that game. Three of my closest buddies walked up to the little red and white trailer I was in, next to the dead whale in the tractor trailer truck tank. They, by coincidence, had all quit their jobs that day. I decided to make it a foursome-this was 1968, remember. lke Touchstone had arrived early to work the late shift and I told him to take over now 'cause I was outta there! Next day I walked into Bob McRaney's office and dropped the Rock pendant we all wore on his desk and said, "Bob, I'm turning in my rock." When I walked out, WJDX-AM PD Monroe Looney told me he wanted me to work that football game in Natchez with Bill the next night. Bob and Monroe went into the men's room and had a shouting match for a few minutes, then came out, said they'd give me fifty bucks to do the game 'cause they were in a bind. That's how I came to be in Natchex with Bill Slayton for my last gig for Lamar Life Broadcasting.
Now to WRBC/WJMI from early fall 1968 to June, 1969:
Ed Webb-Gen.Mgr-decent sort. I seem to remember some problems with the McCartneys who owned Rebel Broadcasting regarding Pepper-Tanner trades but he may have left for other reasons.
Dennis Hudson-WRBC PD-Really great guy, very energetic and worked himself to death trying to make "1300, The Home of The All Americans" amount to something. Dennis taught me a lot. He went to Starkville in 1969 and stayed there, I believe. He worked radio for some years and then became a staff member at Miss. State, I think.
Scarlett Booth-WJMI-FM-midday announcer on beautiful music WJMI. Gorgeous Eurasian girl, very nice and fun to work with...her dad was a detective thriller writer, I believe.
Don Allen (Gillentine)-WRBC PD after Dennis left. Another nice fellow. We were great friends till the changeover in management and we both left-I for my wedding and move to Memphis and WREC and Don to a career as a corporate jet pilot.
The Wizard-WRBC/WJMI-can't remember his name, but he was the engineer. Seems he lived upstairs in the building on North State while he was there. He came up with the idea we could go to full power at midnight instead of next morning's sunrise. We did this for about 4 months until he got word the FCC was sniffing around due to complaints from other 1300 stations that were getting blown out overnight by some peanut whistle in Jackson, MS! Suddenly all the staff was called in one day and given the task of correcting(?) four months of transmitter logs so we would show compliance! Several staff members had left during the period and I got to forge a number of entries under false names. (I deny I wrote that sentence!)
Morris (Moose) Curry-WRBC-Sales/Sports-Moose was only interested in sports and sold local games for the most part. Nice guy, just very directed. He kept what extra mikes and cables we owned in the trunk of his car.
I found that out my first day on the job...sign-on Sunday morning. No one gave me a key to the building and no one was there when I pulled up about 5:15 with a 6am sign-on staring me in the face. I tried all teh windows in the building and found one open in the sales room. It had been raining overnight, so I trailed mud through the window and across a desk to the transmitter room. I found the log and got things going and was about to sign on when I noticed a group of men outside the front glass doors. (The two stations had side-by-side control rooms facing the reception area and front doors.) I went to the door and discovered the Spiritual Morning Hummingbirds were trying to get into the buildingt to do their 15 minute live music show! The doors were locked on the inside as well as out, so I sent them around to the sales office window. They came in through the window with their amplifiers, guitars, and dressed to the nines. Then they asked me where the mike was.
That's when I found out about Moose Currie's propensity for keeping station audio gear in his car trunk after a ballgame. I told the Spiritual Morning Hummingbirds to start vamping while I went to the control room and unscrewed my annoouce mike and found a cable and stand we could use. I plugged it in, found the correct pot on the board, signed on, and faded up on their playing. Then I grabbed the page out of the copy book and ran to the sales room/studio and read the open from the backside of the mike while they all gathered in close on the front side. It was sponsored by King the Tailor at this station as well, I discovered. They began their program and I noticed another group of fellows at the front door! Yep, the next live program needed directions on which window to crawl through while the first group did their quarter hour show.
Three groups crawled through that window before Scarlett Booth arrived about 6:40am to sign on WJMI-FM. She had a key to the front door! On top of that, while I was reading the intros a member of each group would hand me $15.70 in cash to pay for their airtime. I learned I was to put the money in an envelope, seal it, note the group's name on the front and slip the envelope under the business manager's door. I survived that first day on the air and realized if I could do that, I could probably survive anything in this wacky business...except children of sponsors coming in to be produced in daddy's commercial. Deliver me!
Sorry to roll so long, but maybe one of these names will spark another posting. Thanks for letting me ramble.