Memories from former WTMA On-Air People

[John Quincy]

On July 23, 2004 former late 60s-early 70s WTMA DJ Bob Riley commented on the pictures we posted of WTMA's Orange Grove Road site in disrepair.

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What a sad sight to behold for an Ole WTMA "Good Guy." It kind'a breaks my heart to see that's all that's left of the old building and studios. Even the address in the 60's" WTMA, Number One Radio Park, Orange Grove Road, Charleston" had a magical ring to it. Everything seemed bigger then life back then. Why did they abandon the building? Not enough room for all the new stations? Do they still use the towers and transmitter?

It was great to walk out on the pier at sunset and take the base current reading. What an incredible sight to behold. I remember sitting on the pier leading out to the big tower in the Ashley River and watching an eclipse of the sun in the marsh water around the tower, that way we didn't have to look through dark glasses. It's sad, but I guess all good things must come to and end.

WHAT FOND MEMORIES I HAVE OF THAT WONDERFUL RADIO STATION AND THE GUYS WHO WORKED THERE. THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER TEAM OR STATION LIKE THAT AGAIN. IT WAS TRULY ONE OF A KIND, AND THOSE WHO WORKED THERE ARE BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF.

Bob Riley

[John Quincy]

On July 23, 2004 we received this note from former WTMA manager and on-air talent, CJ Jones of "CJ and Buzz" fame.

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More outstanding work Ted. You clearly have a love and passion for radio, and especially for The Mighty TMA. I believe that every person who entered a TMA studio, downtown or Orange Grove has a strong and positive feeling about the experience.

I was very lucky, working as a very young guy downtown, then going to be the PD for WBBQ in Augusta, where I openly stole the slogan "THE MIGHTY BBQ".

Then many years later as VP and GM and morning show co-host of WTMA.

What memories. My wife Carolyn and I, along with some folks from accounting were up in the attic at the Orange Grove building, cleaning our decades of paper files when Carolyn found my paychecks from the early 60's. What fun, how cheap I worked, how cheap Chuck Smith was! Amazing. I was thrilled to see that the great Bob Mitchell, who was the PD and my boss at WTMA years earlier, was only paid $10.00 a week more than me.

I was pleased one day, while VP/GM of TMA to get a phone call from the long retired Chuck Smith asking me if I could arrange for some free circus tickets for him to take his grandchildren to the circus with. I was so proud to be able to give something back to Chuck...and to remember that once in radio always in radio and always looking for something free!

Take care, and keep up the great work.

C.J.

[Keith Nichols]

WOW!! What a sad site to see the old building torn down. Many, many fond memories of the time I spent at WTMA....from the "after work" get togethers to the Battle of the Bands at the old fairgrounds on Dorchester Road...to the winter of '73 when JJ Scott and I were the olnly ones who could get into the station after the big snow and ran on generator power all day. Thanks, Ted. You obviously have a passion for radio in the "good ole days"....keep up the good work.

[John Quincy]

On December 30, 2004 we received these WTMA memories from Scott Young (a.k.a. Doc Washburn), who was a WTMA nighttime DJ in the mid-80s.

I got there sometime in the summer of '85. Steve King was PD and did afternoons. Jay Donovan did mornings. I had done two-and-a-half years at WIGL (then a country FM in Orangeburg) before coming to Charleston.

My first night at WTMA was the last night for a black fellow (Bill Quinn) who had gotten a gig in Philadelphia. I left at the end of February '86 to do middays and be Music Director at I-95 (WIXV) in Savannah (which flipped from CHR to AOR on St. Patrick's Day, a few weeks after I got there).

When I got to WTMA, I had been in radio for eight years. I had started in my home market of Charlotte at WPEG (which was then an automated Drake-Chenault Top 40) in the Fall of '77. I was also the first live weekend jock and first live overnighter at WSOC-FM (which was then the #1 station in Charlotte and they said they were the most listened to country station in America at the time). But I knew absolutely nothing about show prep or how to do personality radio until I went to work for Steve King at WTMA. He really taught me how to do it. He was very patient and explained to me how to take items in the news and find a funny angle to them. His aircheck sessions were invaluable. I have not spoken with him in many years; but I am indebted to him to this day.

May I share a funny story? When I worked at WTMA, our studio was in an old wood house that was connected to a more modern building which housed our FM sister station (95SX). My first night on the job, at about 11:30 I started noticing the smell of burning rubber. A few minutes later, I saw a thin wisp of smoke coming out from under the control board.

I called Steve King at home (obviously waking him out of a sound sleep) to report this oddity. His response was, "Hmmm...I wonder why that would be happening", to which I replied, "Gee Steve, I don't know; but it's really starting to concern me - what should I do?" He told me to run down to 95SX and tell the DJ on duty, which happened to be Dave Allen (their Music Director). He grabbed a fire extinguisher and we ran back down to the WTMA studio.

In the short time that had elapsed, the room had filled up with smoke! So Dave emptied the contents of the extinguisher into the studio! At some point, someone figured out the problem. I am definitely not an engineer, but to the best of my understanding, someone had jerry-rigged an amp on the headphone jack under the board and it was getting too much juice and the wires were literally frying!

Now, here is the funny part: in those days, WTMA had a music format until midnight. At 12, we would go to the Larry King talk show on the Mutual Radio Network. So we didn't need an overnight DJ. The janitor signed on the log at 12. But he didn't show up that night until 12:30! I told him how the whole building almost burned down earlier. He told me that in the future I would not need to hang around until he got there; that "everything would be cool" if I went ahead and left the building each night at 12, whether he was there or not. I immediately understood that he either did not comprehend or (perhaps) did not care what could have happened if we had had an actual fire between midnight and the time he showed up. I explained this to Steve King the next morning. My second night on the air, a different janitor showed up at midnight. I don't think the new guy was ever late.

[rickt]

In 1978 I received a phone call from Booby Nash (P.D. at the time) regarding an aircheck I had sent. Apparently I played the aircheck through the phone for him and was on the air doing afternoon drive 24 hours later.

It was truly the beginning of my radio career.

1978 Line Up:

Mornings - Booby Nash

Middays - John Burwell, Jack Lundy

Afternoons - Rick Tracy

Nights - Tim St. George (one of the most talented guys I've ever met)

Number one memory: After the hostages were taken in Iran we came up with an idea to hand free arm bands to listeners. After just a couple days of promotion we started handing them out on a Saturday morning. By 10 am there was a line of people half way down Orange Grove Road. It lasted for days. The media showed up and that evening we were on the NBC Nightly News with the late Jessica Savitch (did I spell that right?). It was my 15 minutes of fame. I believe John Burwell still has it on video.

Rick Tracy
Afternoon drive WTMA 78/79/80
[e-mail]

[brnn64]

That was YOUR idea? I remember those "50" armbands and wearing them at Wando High School during the hostage crisis of 1979-81. I also remember TMA playing a skit record of that incident called "A Message to Khomeini" by Vince Vance and the Valients.

Interestingly, my college US History students today have no clue of the hostage crisis. Oh well.

[John Quincy]

Former WTMA DJ Terry Allen (sometimes known as thingy Clark)contributed these WTMA Memories:

"The Royal Ross" Ross McVicker used to camp out overnight in the office at the transmitter after the move.

I cannot for the life of me remember the TMA jock I replaced in May of 1965 that had done 9-12 noon. Of course, I made big bucks: $1.25 an hour.

I took the bus to work -- what a trip -- and did Saturday (don't remember the hours) and Sunday -- and recorded "Silent Sam" that ran Sunday 8-mid (basically records and jingles on tape.)

I was never "Paul Playboy" 2 local guys -- Gary Messinger and some guy named Olick (last name) -- they took the requests. I just was in board training during the evenings when they took the requests for Danny Knox.

Did I tell you I won a Beatle wig from Jim Diamond as a civilian listener?

My sister was a huge TMA fan. On my thingy Clark #1 tape I added a dedication to her and Gary Lewis for "My Hearts Symphony". She was also a huge Gary Lewis Fan and is 3 years younger than I am. Both of us used to win on "Name It and Claim It." I still have some of the 45s she won and picked up from "Kooky Dave's Carolina Instrument Service (Any five 45s for three seventy five)."

I had many conversations with Doug Randall and he is what I consider the consummate program director. He was also the host of a TV dance show.

I also remember a Bill Walton. I think he was at TMA for awhile and then went to WQSN.

I was music director at WQSN for a while after my early TMA years. I considered Doug Randall my mentor and visited him at TMA and asked his opinion on the WQSN playlist. What a hoot!

I also remember visiting a TMA remote broadcast at Morris Sokol Furniture Store on King Street. The DJ was George Wilson. I was awed by him and still am.

Bob Townsend was a TMA Good Guy and his father drove a city bus. I do not remember the time frame...but it was definitely when TMA was on Church Street.

[markshipman]

I mark shipman began an exciting but, short career at wtma/wpxi in 1974 reporting high school sports scores via the "hot line" 556-4301 to wtma and john burwell and others just get air time for my high school. As a reward of sorts john made a studio tour possible for me and encouraged me to get a third class FCC ticket with a broadcast endorsement and he may be able to get me some weekend board work with tma. I got the license at Savannah GA. at the ripe old age of 15! and true to his word john got me a partime job on the weekends running the "god" tapes and AT/40! Kieth Nichols was my 12 noon relief man and then I would return later that evening to re-run the AT-40 and then a 2 hour live show finally shutting down the station at midnight Sunday for repairs. After some months of doing this Lee Richards offered me the all night show (and still the week ends too) as well as the board work for remote broadcasts for Gery London and many others. There are so many memories of those who taught me! In August of 1977 I left for college for broadcast journalism at USC Columbia and a job at wnok am/FM/TV later to return to WTMA/WPXI as Mark O'Brien until January 1979. Now, employed by Kapstone paper (westvaco) I'm an instrument/electrical technician/union president for 30 years! I still have some of my air check tapes and my top of the hour ID...oh, to go back to those days??