Old School Radio Pictures

Look familiar to you? About a month ago, I asked people via social networks to send in their pictures from back in the day at broadcast radio stations.

Do you know who is pictured above?

In this article

1. Radio Births Some Great VO Talent!
2. Voice Over Pros Enjoy a Rich Heritage in Broadcast Radio
3. Comments?

Find out who this gent is and see more retro radio pictures from voice over artists in today’s VOX Daily.

Radio Births Some Great VO Talent!

Generally, there are two camps that professional voice over artists hail from background-wise; theatre and broadcast radio.

Radio has served as a starting point and gateway for thousands upon thousands of voice over professionals, including Joe Cipriano, a network voice for stations such as NBC, the voice of Deal or No Deal, and many others.

Harlan Hogan, author and superstar commercial talent, also got his start in radio as did the most recognized female announcer in America, voice talent and author, Randy Thomas.
While working in radio may not be where one chooses to stay following their broadcast career after delving into voice over, radio is often still in the hearts of those of got their start as an on-air personality.

When working in radio, you learn about a number of things that you wouldn’t learn elsewhere on the job, including how to communicate to an unseen audience, deliver copy at lightning-fast speed, produce finished audio, and develop an appreciation and respect for the ever-ticking clock.
Today, we salute talent who have come up through the ranks of broadcast radio in a photographic tribute to riding the airwaves in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.

Voice Over Pros Enjoy a Rich Heritage in Broadcast Radio

This is Randy Thomas as ZETA 4 in Miami doing the mid-day show in 1978.

The man of mystery you see here is… Larry Wayne! Larry says, “The year was 1968. It was my first paid on the air gig, WNWC Arlington Heights, Il. After my 15 minutes of fame on the Art Roberts ‘Guest Teen DJ Show’ on mid America’s Friendly Giant, WLS in Chicago, the radio bug had bit me hard. I was lucky enough to get hired to answer phones at The Big 89 at night while attending Columbia College during the day. But I left there for my own show on WNWC, soon to become WEXI. Note the 2 mics… we were stereo!”

I’ve included two pictures sent in by Lisa Rice when she worked at KTWG in Guam!
Lisa shares, “I happen to have these on hand because I put together a job presentation for a school last year and used these to explain how recording technology has changed over the years. I learned how to record and edit audio the ‘old-fashioned’ way with a grease pencil, razor blade and splicing board. Things are soooo much better now!”

Do you remember the old TV show WKRP? Keep that in mind while reading a little blurb about the picture sent in by Roy Bunales.

“This is a picture of me at my first and only radio station job started back in 2001. This was the first week of going solo.

One of the original 60 country radio stations in America, WRJW 1320AM in Picayune, MS is a Pearl River Communications, Inc station, privately owned, and serving the local community since 1949. The format is Country/Southern Gospel. I am on air from Noon until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday mostly live programming.

Not much has changed at the radio station since they first signed on back in 1949. Even some of the equipment used. (You can see carts and LPs in the background.) We still use a hard copy paper programming log. Most of the music is hand picked by the announcer. There is no voice tracking or automation at all. Commercials, music, programs are manually cued/played, always live station IDs and announcements, and the announcer has total freedom with creative control. ABC News feed at the top of the hour, State news feed at the bottom of the hour, and live local news twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon. The local news also includes birthday and anniversary announcements from our local community and obituary notices.

I still work there to this day. The station has been very generous to me and my family. In fact, my voice over recording studio is in one of the old FM transmitter room. The staff is very family and community oriented. Even some of my friends working in major market radio in New Orleans envy my radio station as it has not been ‘sterilized’ by those big chains or networks.

You wanted old school and I work at an old school radio station that’s still going strong in a modern society for over 60 years.”
— Roy Bunales

Cia Court sent me a couple of images, too. This is circa March 1998 when Cia was the afternoon drive air talent on KNRQ in Eugene, Oregon.

Cia relates, “I was so stoked to be interviewing Sarah McLachlan, I am a huge fan of hers. Don’t forget to take a peek at the sincerely ancient board we used. I think we all contrived to spill coffee on that thing at one point or another so that it would break beyond repair and our station GM would replace it!”

I also received a picture from Bob Bair, which you’ll see here below:

Bob writes, “The picture is of me (foreground) and Wilson (background) working at 106.5 FM WEND Charlotte. This was during the morning drive time show in the late 90’s. I would sit in as a guest often with him and we did many projects together on and off the radio. He still is in radio and also TV. He is on WBT 1110 AM regularly and also a TV personality at the local Fox news affiliate, for the Fox News Rising show.

I always had a blast on that morning show. He and I had a great rapport and worked well together with call ins and some comedy bits we did together.”

This article has been so much fun to research and write.

I think it’s wonderful that so many people wanted to share their old school radio pics with the VOX Daily audience… and I am confident that you’ll agree wholeheartedly that this post is one of a kind!
There are only a few more photos, including this great moment captured during the traditional Z-Morning Zoo Friday rendition of “Shout.”

Take a look at the size of those headphones on Anita Bonita!
Do any of you remember having to wear gigantic headphones?

Here’s another picture sent in from one of our readers, Kevin Walsh.

Kevin says, “It’s from around 1994 when I was the Program Director at WVVV, Rock 105 in Blacksburg, VA (a commercial rock station, not a college station). I spent about nine

years in the radio biz. My last job was at WTKS, Real Radio 104.1 in Orlando, FL.”
Do any of you listen to the stations mentioned in this article? Perhaps you have even worked at some of these radio stations!
If there is one thing that’s for sure, radio is a great source for people who may become passionate about recording voice overs… just look at the pictures! They speak for themselves.

Jamee T. Perkins shared this picture with me of her on the air at WASU – Appalachian State University, Boone, NC, circa 2000.

Maybe you got your start in college or university radio. If you did, was it the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship?

Comments?

If you’ve enjoyed this post or have any comments to add about what you have just read, I’d love to hear them!
Be sure to add your thoughts here on the blog and join the conversation 🙂
Best wishes,
Stephanie