What you did not know about me!
Part One

My friend and one of my favorite educational technology gurus, Lee Kraus, shipped an email to me yesterday. This was a challenge to present 5 things you folks did not know about me. Check out Lee’s 5 you-may-not-know items below:
http://leekraus.blogspot.com/2006/12/mem-tagged-5-things-you-may-not-know.html

OK, Lee, I have accepted your challenge!

My first little known fact was that, while attending Spencer High School in the 60’s, I worked as a disc jockey at radio station WSPZ. On weekdays I hosted “The Jim Meads Show” (quite a unique name! – chuckle). The show was from 5 to 6 PM and I played the current hits on Billboard’s top 40 chart.

WSPZ 1400-AM signed on the air on Sept. 12, 1961, with 1000 watts day and 250 watts at night. I remember clearly of having to go into the transmitter room and flipping the switch to reduce our coverage power. It was always warm in the transmitter room since large vacuum tubes were instrumental in providing power for our limited signal. Fans continually cooled the circuits. The frequency became available because WCAW in Charleston had moved from 1400 to 680 kHz.



The photo above is of Bill Newbrough sitting at the broadcast console and showing the old Collins board and turntables. Another deejay, Charlie Ray, taught me the operational procedures for the Collins board. We would cue up the 45 or 78 rpm records on the turntables to the left and right and all of the recorded commercials were on large magnetic tape cassettes. With the advent of technology such as mp3 files, CDs, DVDs, I am certain that the broadcast board would be an antique.

Speaking of the rapid changes in technology, I was amused when I did a presentation for an academic banquet for Glenville Elementary. I asked the students if they knew about 45 or 78 rpm records. Not one hand went into the air. I then said, “Who knows about CDs, DVDs, and I pods?” Everyone knew of those items. How things have changed!

WSPZ was owned by Community Radio, H. Gordon Minns, President, with other staff as follows: Paul R. Fairchild, general manager; Robert J. Weaver, sales manager; Manuel Cederio, news director; and Emma Lou Mace, women's news director. Yes, that is Robert Weaver of Hur Herald fame. www.hurherald.com

The fellow who hired me at WSPZ was a fellow whose name is now famous in the country music arena. It was Tom T. Hall. Tom was working as a deejay at the station and left for the big city of Nashville soon after he hired me. That was the year 1964 and, within months of his arrival in Nashville, Hall's songs were on the charts. His material has been recorded by the likes of Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Faron Young, George Jones, Waylon Jennings and dozens of others. Perhaps the most celebrated of these was "Harper Valley PTA" recorded by Jeannie C. Riley which sold over six million records, won a Grammy and a CMA award, crossed over to the pop charts, and inspired a movie and TV series. Tom was single while in Spencer and only married his wife "Miss Dixie" after arriving in Nashville.



I, on the other hand, left Spencer in the fall of 1964 to travel to Glenville, WV, in order to begin my academic career at Glenville State College.

In 1966, the station was acquired by Nubro Broadcasting Co.

The call letters WVRC were chosen to stand for "the Voice of Roane County."