Roanoke Radio Listeners Remember....

I am Bill Rand and I was the President and CEO of Richardson-Wayland from 1978 until 1992. I had heard from Mr. Frank Carmack who was a director of the company, a lot of tales about the start and early operation of the radio station. This site sure seems to have gotten the true flavor of the things that I was told. One of those things was that WDBJ stood for "We Do Big Jobs".

What a GREAT web site on Roanoke Radio. I never lived in the area but am from Statesville, N.C. and worked at WSLS and WFMX as a "just out of High School" Jock 1967-1970.

I had a show from 6-10 p.m. each night and I use to ride the board 10-12 p.m. running the Van Hobbs Show.

Ben Fleming
Fayetteville, Arkansas

I would like to let you know what a great site this is for some of us old Roanoke radio guys. I worked at WBLU in 72 and 73 during my last year of high school. Perhaps you remember Gary Seeger; or perhaps not! Anyway, the real name is Tommy Joynes and I am writing to mention the man who carried both WROV and WFIR - my Dad, Jerry Joynes. While putting WROV on the map, he also attained some of the highest ratings ever in Roanoke. After ROV, he brought WFIR into prominence not only as program and sports director, but also as the Voice of the Hokies for many years. I grew up listening to Big Bart at ROV and I think most would agree that he is the best DJ ever to hit the air in Roanoke. But the best and most legendary radio man in Roanoke radio has to be my DAD, Jerry Joynes. Pictured on the left is Jerry Joynes, Tommy Joynes and Bart Prader at the 2007 WROV Reunion.

Tommy Joynes

I have been checking in every few weeks to see what's new. You have done a great job putting
all of this together.

I grew up in Roanoke... listening mostly to 'ROV... still the greatest Top 40 station ever in my opinion. But I also checked out what was going on over at Pixie ...and WBLU in the days when they were rockin' and trying to challenge 1240.

WBLU had me one summer when they were playing Dick Orkin's "The Tooth Fairy". You had Chickenman on WROV, and The Tooth Fairy on WBLU. What else could you need in one radio market?

I went into radio when I was 15... working for Jeff Hunt at WPVR when it was in the Hotel Roanoke. I eventually made the rounds and ended up at WSLC for a few years in the mid 70's, working with King Edward IV, Steve Akers, Swifty Gillock, Tom Henehan and others.. including a red haired girl named Pam who worked in the front office. She and I have now been married for 27 years.

We moved to Nashville in 1979 after I accepted a job at WLAC. We now own Spotland Productions, a voice over studio here that does mostly commercials and syndicated radio show production.

Once again, thanks for all the work you have put into your site, It really is terrific.

Note: Some of Ben's accounts include the following: XM Satellite Radio, Crook and Chase,SPI, NASCAR, Westwood One, Jones Radio Network, MJI/Premiere, and the U. S. Air Force.

My first employment was as an usher at the fabulous American Theater. WROV went on the air in 1946. I joined the staff in 1947. Affiliated with MBS, and was located on the seventh floor of the old Mountain Trust Building.

The original manager was a fellow named Lambert Bewkes. The "on the air" staff included: Coleman Austin, one of the finest DJs and sports re-creators in this part of the country; Bob Gayle (Hugo Giringelli III); Don Bowman, who introduced Rock and Roll music to Roanoke; Jim Shell; Ray Bentley, who later became a station owner; Gordon Phillips, the Program Director; and me. Lambert Bewkes was replaced as manager by Frank Koehler, and we entered the field of television, the original Channel 27. Sadly, business (or the lack thereof) caused us to voluntarily surrender our permit to the FCC. We then went into competition with WDBJ Radio for Channel 7. While all this was going on we were affiliated with both, MBS and ABC. At the time I had become Program Director. I left the station (1953) before Bert purchased it, to take my spot at WSLS-TV.

The transmitter site for WROV was on Cleveland Avenue, easily viewed from the Memorial Bridge. Before I left WROV as program director, we were affiliated with both, ABC and MBS. (That made scheduling very interesting.)

The halcyon days of broadcasting were, to me, the years when WDBJ, WSLS and WROV were the only radio stations in the Roanoke Valley.

Hi, was surfing the web and found your reference to my father - Buford Epperson. I knew he was involved in the radio business in Roanoke (which is where I was born) , but was not sure in what capacities, etc. I have seen old newspaper clippings etc that he had kept thru the years....but never really paid much attention to them. You referenced "Johnny Angel" as well....I actually remember him from my childhood....it seemed like he was always around. My father passed in 1998.

I just wanted to commend you on your site. I've been on the air in Lynchburg for the last 28 years and when the new company bought Travis media last year I finally got back on in the Roanoke market in November 2004. Keep up the good work keeping the memories alive.

November 18, 2005

Ken Tanner (WROV, WSLS) put me onto the Roanoke Radio site. What a treat! I worked at Y Radio and WDBJ from 1959 thru 1964.

December 31, 2005

I wanted to drop you a note and congratulate you on your Roanoke Radio website. I heard it mentioned on the radio in passing the other day and checked it out. A couple of the links brought back some memories.

I began in Roanoke radio fresh out of college in June 1973 when I landed a job as a news reporter for Herm Reavis at WSLC Radio and John Willet at WSLC-FM. The only newsperson there at the time was a veteran named Bob Halmesser, who later left to become a full time court reporter. I believe it was in January of 1974 that WSLC-FM changed from its easy listening format to rock and became WSLQ. I vividly remember all the nasty phone calls we received at the station in the next 48-72 hours from angry listeners who thought we had committed the worst sin by doing away with their easy listening music and playing that "horrible rock music". But, as time would prove, it was the right decision. One of the joys of working for the station at that time was King Edward Smith IV. King's office was adjacent to mine and we got to be good friends. He frequently would call me into his studio and have me listen to new albums with him and ask for my opinion on what song I thought was the best on the album. I was constantly amazed at how many of the leading artists in country music knew King personally. A lot of that had to do with the fact that he was a studio musician in Nashville and played guitar on many of their albums. Many of them would stop by the station to visit with him whenever they were in town. I never knew who I would walk in and see from one day to the next.

One of the more amusing incidents occurred in 1974 when the secretary in the front office came running back into the main control room one afternoon when King Edward was on the air live......she was all out of breath and said....."King Edward, King Edward!!! Elvis is on the phone....Elvis is on the phone!!!" In King Edward's normally calm manner, he told her..... "Now calm down honey, you just go on and put him through." It turned out to be Col. Tom Parker calling on behalf of Elvis from Washington State. Elvis had decided, while on tour, that he wanted to talk to King Edward, so he had Col. Tom place the call. King Edward ended up interviewing Elvis live on the phone for a few minutes that day.

King Edward's down-home conversational style was always enjoyable. He had many favorite sayings, one of which he used during his mid afternoon shift: "For those of you who are listening to us out there in the car as you are driving, be careful and don't wreck us, you hear?"

After I left WSLC-WSLQ in late 1975 to become the evening news anchor for Lee Garrett at WSLS-TV and, later, when I went to WVTF-FM to start the full-time news department in 1977, King Edward and I remained friends. In fact, after he was named CMA Announcer of the Year in 1980, I went up to the station and sat down and did an in-depth interview with him and used segments of it on the air at Public Radio. The next year, when he died, I took a copy of the full interview to his widow and gave it to her as a remembrance of King Edward. He was truly a pioneer, certainly a gentleman, and a friend.

Other people I had the pleasure of working with or knowing over the years, other than those I have mentioned, included Mel Linkous, Lee Garrett (and we're still good friends to this day), Hal Grant, Artie Levin (we used to run or ride bicycles together for many years), Roy Stanley (we started in the business here in Roanoke the same year), Mel Foley (former morning guy at WSLC), Steve Akers (WSLC), and the list goes on. Some great personalities.

Marshall Moore
News Reporter-WSLC/WSLQ 1973-1975
Anchorman/Senior News Editor-WSLS-TV 1975-1977
News Director, WVTF-FM 1977-1981

I have to tell you I was absolutely "blown away" when I discovered the WPVR section on your site. WPVR was my first job in 1970 and then a year as PD at WLRJ and back to PVR for two years as program director. Keep the memories alive!!

Bob Abbott, VP of Operations
Centennial Broadcasting, LLC
19-C Wadsworth Street
Lynchburg, VA 24501