Gadsden Radio Reunion to honor broadcasters from three generations
The Gadsden Radio Reunion featuring local broadcast personalities from three generations is set for 7 p.m. May 4 at Top O' the River in downtown Gadsden.
Current and former broadcasters are organizing the event to celebrate those individuals, and Ray Estes, current morning DJ on WGAD, said the hope is that up to 50 will attend. The reunion will feature a keynote speaker, dinner and other special events, and a social hour is planned where the public can mingle with the guests of honor.
Gadsden's first radio station, the 10th in Alabama, was licensed in August 1926 as WJBY. Stations became more prominent after the inclusion of radios in cars in the 1930s.
The local radio market grew over the years and the city's second AM station, WGAD, was licensed in 1947, as was WGNH, owned by The Gadsden Times. Since then, radio stations have been added and ownerships, call letters and station formats have changed over the decades.
Gadsden has been home to many radio announcers or DJs who became popular with local listeners. Many went on to become major market announcers or corporate broadcast executives after becoming household names in Gadsden and Etowah County.
Broadcasters like Charlie Boman, Harry Butler, Chris Chastain, Dave Fitz, J. Holland, Jim Pruett, Kerry Rich, Rick Risk, Archie Wade and dozens of others helped make Gadsden one of the most vibrant and respected radio markets in the state during the medium's heyday.
It's likely that more than 300 men and women have worked at local stations over the years. Many local residents had their favorite DJs who helped get them the day started, kept them entertained while they worked, updated them on the latest news or helped put them to sleep at night.
Local radio veteran David Ford said, “There was a time in history when radio, rather than cellphones and computers, was the primary source throughout the day for music, news, weather information and entertainment."
Gadsden radio was a prominent force and a leader in keeping the public informed, helping local businesses to thrive and entertaining listeners with music, sports, and conversation, he said.
Ford recalled a time when the three AM stations in Gadsden (WAAX, WGAD and WJBY) would each broadcast high school football games on Friday nights.
“The managers would get together and negotiate which station would have which game,” he recalled, “and they all did exceptional jobs with high school football coverage.”
Ford called broadcasters like Butler, Wayne Ball, Harry Butler, Harry Dennis, Mike Hathcock, Keith Pitts and Rick Hester “among the best high school sports broadcasters you could find anywhere,” Ford recalls.
That tradition remains alive in Etowah County with two stations broadcasting high school football games.
There also was a time when prominent stations would report live from events like Kiwanis Pancake Day and Riverfest. “The stations were all over the place and were promoting the great events in Gadsden,” Ford said.
He recalled the blizzard of 1993 when WAAX was able to stay on the air, and stopped its music programming and went all listener-led talk throughout the week of digging out from the snow.
“It was one of those times that radio made a huge impact in Etowah County,” Ford said. “The people loved it and kept the talk going for days, which was good for everyone stuck at home.”
While radio still exists and is a major part of society, the medium has changed over the years with the addition of more stations and fewer personnel, thanks in part to computers and the internet.
“Gadsden grew from four stations to seven over time, which gradually splintered the industry here,” Holland said. “While radio still exists, it’s now primarily on FM, news has almost been eliminated and the local talk shows and call-in request shows are becoming a thing of the past here.”
Holland, who has been involved with all but one of the local stations over the decades, continued, “In the past, people depended on the newspaper each day and the radio all day to learn what was happening in the community, and to be informed about the big events of the day.
“Our local talk shows at WGAD and WAAX were very popular over the years, and even the old Dick Clark oldies show, Casey Kasem’s 'American Top 40' and the Sunday morning 'Songs of Inspiration' show drew large audiences around the county and beyond,” he said.
Ford and Holland each recalled how the late Dave Fitz set the standard for radio news in Gadsden and Etowah County and was one of Alabama's best in his field for several decades.
For more information on the reunion, email radioreunion@yahoo.com.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Gadsden Radio Reunion to honor broadcasters from three generations
