• 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

WVOT 1420 BEACH (Wilson, NC)

S

SoCentralChik1

Guest
I did a weekend shift (in the 7th grade) for WVOT when it was Beach music. Does anyone on here happen to know anything about any of the former jocks from that station?
I remember J.T. Austin and Mark Miller, but have no idea how to get in touch with them. It's been so long, and I have always wanted to catch back up with them at some point.
 
I was there during that era, but don't remember you. We must have just missed each other. I haven't heard from Mark or JT since I left. BB is lurking around this board somewhere. ;D
 
When WVOT-AM FM finally was sold - they tweaked everything to treble to sound great on that ancient AM transmitter and tweaked the old cbs volumax & audimax. WVOT sounded like a million dollars. This was during the Voyager Communications days in mid 70's. So sad to see what has happen to stations Wilson. 4 religion stations? WHY?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WVOT
 
I went by Steve Casey while on WVOT. I forget the guy's name who did their sports broadcasting, but I helped him do a few high school football games. That was a long time ago.
Now I'm in Knoxville, on the CHR.
 
As being a former owner of 1420 Beach WVOT, here is what I can tell you. Mark Miller is in Columbia South Carolina woking for the Clear Channel properties. The last I heard of J. T. Austin, she was living in the western part of the state and has gotten married. Former morning man John Drake is more or less a bum and couldn't get hired to sweep studios and is now selling credit card machines. Alton Britt the Sports Director, is now a teacher at Fike High School. Susan Jones is living in Greenville. Brent Grinell left for Virginia after a very messy incident involving killing a pedistrian while working at Domino's Pizza. Michael Buscemi is working for Henry Hinton in Greenville. Not sure of the whereabouts of Maurice Brown, or Dan "The Torch" Mills. Don Flowers our most talented part timer is working in the school system in Wilson County if I understand correctly. Roy Rogers has his own business in Wilson. As for Rick Mendelson, he is retired and living in Wilson. Joe George is in sales in the Rocky Mount group and Juanita Hawkins is retired. Busniness Manager Diane Owens is...who gives a crap about her. Me, I own WPNC-FM in Plymouth NC and have been here for 14 years.
 
Alton Britt as of a couple years ago did the radio play-by-play for us on WZAX for the Barton Bulldogs when they won the National Championship. Joe George is also working for us here at First Media as a Sales Rep and is a nice guy.
 
Alton Britt was the guy I worked with. I'm going to try and search for Mark Miller on Clear Channel's different sites. It would be great to hear from him again.
thanks
 
Double J said:
Alton Britt as of a couple years ago did the radio play-by-play for us on WZAX for the Barton Bulldogs when they won the National Championship. Joe George is also working for us here at First Media as a Sales Rep and is a nice guy.
Click to expand...

JOE IS STILL THERE???!!!??? Seriously, Joe is a good salesman and nice guy. I never had to worry about the copy he wrote...it was generally dead on. Sure, he's a little gruff, but that's just Joe. Man, I miss Rocky Mount!
 
mjcarter1981 said:
Double J said:
Alton Britt as of a couple years ago did the radio play-by-play for us on WZAX for the Barton Bulldogs when they won the National Championship. Joe George is also working for us here at First Media as a Sales Rep and is a nice guy.
Click to expand...

JOE IS STILL THERE???!!!??? Seriously, Joe is a good salesman and nice guy. I never had to worry about the copy he wrote...it was generally dead on. Sure, he's a little gruff, but that's just Joe. Man, I miss Rocky Mount!
Click to expand...

Yes he is still here. I have a feeling one day we will get a call from a client saying he died in their office. Really he is a nice guy and I know you know that Mike. How's things in Kentucky?
 
Double J said:
mjcarter1981 said:
Double J said:
Alton Britt as of a couple years ago did the radio play-by-play for us on WZAX for the Barton Bulldogs when they won the National Championship. Joe George is also working for us here at First Media as a Sales Rep and is a nice guy.
Click to expand...

JOE IS STILL THERE???!!!??? Seriously, Joe is a good salesman and nice guy. I never had to worry about the copy he wrote...it was generally dead on. Sure, he's a little gruff, but that's just Joe. Man, I miss Rocky Mount!
Click to expand...

Yes he is still here. I have a feeling one day we will get a call from a client saying he died in their office. Really he is a nice guy and I know you know that Mike. How's things in Kentucky?
Click to expand...

Things are going well at the Coyote! I'm settling in well in PM drive...plus I get to sleep in when the kids let me! The thing we're dealing with right now, though, is the 17-year cicadas that just arrived last weekend. Dang, they're loud!
 
I heard ya there! There's something about the "July flies" and their distinctive sound to me. When you hear it you know it's summer in the Carolinas!
 
Joe George is a great guy and a legendary salesman.Magic 95.9 is a tremendous station.If BB ever got into this market he would make a splash.He gets live & local radio and the power of playing variety.Dan Mills I would love to see,its been 13 years or so since I have seen him.He was very nice,a little differerent but nice.
Buscemi gave me some copies of WVOT from Summer 1977 a few years ago.Good station,fun listening...

Allen
 
magic95.9 said:
Don Flowers our most talented part timer is working in the school system in Wilson County if I understand correctly.
Click to expand...

Don't know about the "most talented" part, but thanks. The school gig ends for me on June 30th due to retirement. Then it's on to... other things.

Alton's daughter in-law works here in my office. Small world. Joe George also worked for a time (as did Juanita) in Goldsboro at 'KTC. He once did a live show on 'VOT called "B-Flat Blues". It was mostly jazz numbers from the 50's & 60's. My job was to spin his records and run the board, while he provided the commentary and intro'd the tunes. I think the world of Joe, but I hated doing that show. Dan Mills made Bananas Foster on my stove one evening. My wife thought he was going to burn the house down. That crazy Dan. ;D

Anyone remember Jones Fuquay, or before that, Dick Oakley?

Don
 
Jones Fuquay was in Farmville at WFAG/WRQR.I was young but I remember him because he was friends with my Uncle Marshall.This would have been maybe 1970-1974.A Beach Gold format would not be a bad idea even today.We tried it at
WRQR 1991-1992.The format wasn't the problem.There were lots of other reasons
it failed but the station had a good audience.If that format is done correctly it would work today.There was alot of drama when Steve Cohen/Steve Hardy had WRQR but the station sounded good..

Allen
 
WVOT. Did that not stand for... Wilson's Voice Of Tobacco? Does anyone remember or can tell me what happened to Randy Steele? I worked with him in Rocky Mount in the mid 80's at WFMA/WCEC. He used the air name of Wade Allen Jennings.

Kris
 
"Wilson's Voice of Tobacco" is correct. They now call it "Wilson's Voice of Truth". We use to call it "We're Very Obnoxious Turds".

Randy (as well as Dave Edwards and wife) left a few months after Voyager bought it from Century. Don't know where he ended up after 'FMA. Edwards did some time at 'CEC and 'EED. Andrew Scott Honeycutt took the OM/PD helm around that time. He now sells janitorial supplies for his family business in Garner.

Trivia... the great Pat Patterson did a short tour as morning man right after Voyager took over. There was a big publicity push for Pat, including billboards and print ads, but it didn't last long. Veteran Bill Bunn was eventually recruited and remained there until his retirement around 1990 or so.
 
Thanks for the update Don. I like the Turds part :D. I think I worked with Scott Honeycutt while I was at WQDR in the mid 90's. He was a part-timer and I did nights. Last I heard of Wade Allen (Randy), he and his girlfriend went to Panama City and worked at WPAP, that was a long time ago ,late 80's early 90's.
 
It's interesting how many people either worked or got their start in Wilson. I got my first taste of working in radio by getting an internship while at Barton College. My first gig? Being the gopher for Michael Buscemi at WVOT in 1997 ;D. Had the pleasure of coming back a few months after graduation and working as a news reporter for a short time. Had a great time there and learned a lot from Michael. Some of my fondest memories include trying to dodge traffic to run across the street to the little grocery store to get lunch....
 
G'ville Chick,
If you were Buscemi's gopher that is for sure starting at the bottom.... I'm just kidding... Michael is a great guy,a real pro, and simply very talented.He is the glue
at Cable 7 for sure.I think alot of him...

Allen
 
I'd say my Wilson start was so low, that it might not even be considered "my start." I rode my bike to WVOT after calling Mark Miller over and over, just asking for the opportunity to learn the business (I was in 7th grade). He'd let me come in and just hang around on Saturdays. I did that...just watching the way everything worked, for about 2 months, then he let me do a shift. I got my own Saturday shift and did that for about six months before having to leave because of other commitments. I moved to Knoxville in high school, then went on to major in Broadcasting at UT. Now, I'm a music director and I've got the #2 night show in east TN.
I'm very thankful that everyone there was cool enough to support a little kid who just wanted to come in to learn the business.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom