The Maysville Rotary Club did me the honor of inviting me to speak about WFTM at the group’s Tuesday meeting. I’d like to share part of my address with you, since it involves all of you in one way or another.

“Thank you for inviting me to speak before you today about one of my favorite subjects: WFTM Radio.

“We are on the tail end of repainting and modernizing our offices. As part of that, our big recording studio got a makeover. How many of you have been in that room? I call it the Museum, because it houses WFTM related photos, plaques and swag since the day the radio station went on the air January 1st, 1948.

“Before the walls could be painted, of course, the photos, plaques and awards had to be removed. I took meticulous pictures of everything, with the intention of rehanging each item exactly where they had originally resided.

“When it came time to repopulate the wall, however, I felt compelled to do a little tinkering with the placement of all that history. It could be my age, I don’t know. I just felt that having photos of faces of people who have passed through those studios tells as much if not more of our history as our plaques and awards do.

“When you visit the studio, you’ll see station founders James Mitchell Finch Jr. and Charles Clarke, standing outside the broadcast studios of WFTM on January 1, 1948, the first day we went on the air. Since the station is built into a tobacco warehouse, the first song played, appropriately, was Hank Thompson’s ‘Smoke Smoke Smoke That Cigarette.’

“Do you remember the Twilight Lady? A favorite of Maysville’s youth, Dot Wood graces the studios walls, much like she graced the airwaves each week.

“You’ll see autographed photos of Mason County basketball stars Chris Lofton and Darius Miller, each wearing the uniform of their respective colleges. Rosemary Clooney is there, of course, giving her hometown station all her love.

“There are photos of our original farm director J. Scott True, after whom the “True to the Farm” show was named. Pictures of True with President Harry S. Truman and Maysville native and Supreme Court Justice Stanley Reed dot the walls.

“His successor, the incomparable Bill Stewart, is well represented, with photos, newspaper columns and awards commemorating his contribution to agricultural broadcasting in this area.

“There is a wonderful photo of fitness champion Tina Rigdon who, aside from being one of the nicest people I know, has shown a discipline and dedication to her craft that I could only hope to possess.

“Two of the fabulous Osborne family are on the wall. Jazz singer Nancy Osborne and award-winning cabaret performer Georga Osborne are there, as well as actor Chancellor Miller, known for his performance as Jupiter Jones in the Three Investigator mystery series. You can still see his movies on the Disney Channel.

“As you look along the walls, you’ll see long-time morning man and ‘Mayor of Gobbler’s Knob,’ Charles Dee ‘Bud’ Boyd. I got to know him long after he distinguished himself as a Pearl Harbor survivor. It’s a friendship I cherished, and still miss.

“Bud was a 42-plus year veteran of WFTM, a theme you’ll notice when you look at past, present, and hopefully future employees. Former station Manager Doug McGill, well represented on the wall, was a fifty-year veteran of WFTM when he retired. I took his place, a mere young ‘un with only 37 years experience.

“Danny Weddle, of course, is there. A 40-year-veteran, he is enjoying his first month of retirement, after receiving every accolade a sportscaster like him deserves. If you had a chance to see his career exhibit at the Kentucky Gateway Museum Center (thank you again to CJ Hunter and all of the wonderful people in that amazing place), you got to see just a taste of what all the fuss about Danny has been about. Safe to say, the fuss was well deserved.

“His predecessor is on the wall, as well. Many of us fondly remember Don Stahl’s velvet voice, and his call of games on WFTM. His son, Donny was also an announcer at the station. As a matter of fact, a lot of local business owners and civic leaders got their start at WFTM. Like Donny Stahl. Tina Curtis. Daniel Sammons. Russ Curtis. Jason Butler. Gary DeVaughn. Former WKRC sportscaster Walt Maher. And, of course, a young lad named Nick Clooney.

“You’ll see photos of Miss Kentucky 1999 Heather Renee French, as well as Miss America 2000 Heather Renee French.

“Scores of people have spent time behind the WFTM microphone. Legendary Maysville basketball coach Earle D. Jones. Gene Waters, WFTM’s original Program Director. Jim McDaniel, Lou Kilgus, Doctor James Shires, Russell Dickson, Dickie Wietelmann, Carl David Newman, Tex McDonald, Guy Mitchell, Dennis Brown, Don Hiles, Tom Scahill, Amanda Mallory, Sean Allen, Karen Van Zandt…there have been a lot of people filling the airwaves over the last seventy years.

“How many of you have been on the air? Vicki Steigleder and Ashley Kirk, both Rotarians, are guests on a regular basis.

“With 37 years under my belt, I’m the last old-timer at WFTM. That’s why I find it exciting to introduce the next generation of WFTM broadcasting.”

At that point I introduced WFTM’s new Sports Director, Travis Scaggs, Sales, Promotion and Marketing Director, Drew Spangler, and Sportscaster J.T. Teegarden.

Travis and Drew have a cool thing in common: they were both part of the Mentorship program at Mason County Schools. Robert Moore was kind enough to discuss the program to the Rotary Club members in attendance. The radio station has had three mentorship students become prized employees at WFTM. I cannot endorse the program enough.

All of that from a photo wall in the recording studio of a small market radio station in Kentucky. Maysville’s history woven into a tapestry of sight and sound. Stop by if you get the chance.

https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/web1_Roe-5.jpg

Robert Roe