I started to listen to WVOT back in 1976 with great personalities such as Captain Midnight who did nights and the equal to Venus Flytrap of WKRP. His real job was working at a used car lot in the 5 points ares. He knew me when I called up as the Yo Yo Freak. (Yo Yo's were popular back then) Skip Carney did mornings. Is he the same guy who owns the ad agency in Rocky Mount? and Jones Fuquay who did weekends, (who was GM when I joined later). It was a thrill to meet him. I told him so. I still have cassette tapes of the jocks and the jingles they used back them. I used the same jingles in the '80. I used to hit the jingle and could hear the song "Silly Love Songs" in my head instead of what I was really playing which was "She's like the Wind" by Patrick Swayze.
I've started working at the Wilson's Voice of Tobacco in 1987 and left in 1991 and rejoined back in 1997 to 2000. I was with Pastor Smith when the station was sold. I agree with most of you. He is a nice man but is clueless on how to run a station. His first act was to get rid of the Carolina Mudcats who was paying and a religious show on Sunday morning that was paid programming. Now how many of you out there (a show of hands please) could replace over $5000 of revenue at night on a local AM radio station in the summertime? I don't see any hands. I asked him what kind of format was he planning to put on and he said religious and I pointed out to him that WLLY and WGTM was already using that format why are you going to do the same thing? He told me that was the format he knew. He told me all the black churches were going to support him. I wished him good luck and headed to Greenville.
The previous owner (who is in Hawaii now) did a Major Upgrade to the inner works of WVOT but did not hire any salespeople...he did it backwards. Again nice man couldn't get into the mindset of Wilson people. (my pencil is better that yours because I bought mine in Raleigh).
The sports guy you are referring to is a great guy Alton Britt. The man knows HS football inside and out. He could tell you what kind of breakfast the kid liked..he is just that knowledgeable. He was doing HS football over at WLLY but now is doing the PA at the Wilson Tobbs baseball team in Historic Fleming Stadium.
When Voyager took over the station in the 80's that was when WVOT has it's second life with people like Andrew Scott Honeycutt, who was at WRDU and promised a "promotion" if he took ops manager at VOT. Bill Bunn did mornings a ole (not old) WTGM alumni and Michael Buscemi did nights. I honestly thought that I could offer a million dollars for the first phone caller at nights and no one would call..that 7pm to 12m shift was a lonely one. I moved up to afternoon drive after Bill Benjamin went to 100% sales. Bill Benjamin did afternoon drive and is in Plymouth now. The last I heard of Andrew he was selling cleaning supplies in his father's company. If I know Andrew he is probably running the company now.
thats all for now
