Voice Acting

Old School Radio Pictures

Tara Parachuk | September 24, 2009


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

Randy Thomas
This is Randy Thomas as ZETA 4 in Miami doing the mid-day show in 1978.
Larry Wayne Radio Days 1968
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!”

Lisa Rice Guam
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!”
Lisa Rice
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.
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
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!”
Cia Court with singer Sarah McLachlan
I also received a picture from Bob Bair, which you’ll see here below:

Bob Bair and Jon Wilson
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.”

Anita BonitaThis 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?

Kevin WalshHere’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. PerkinsJamee 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

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Comments

  • Avatar for Alex Rain
    Alex Rain
    September 25, 2009, 8:22 am

    Great article, Stephanie! I love seeing vintage radio pictures. I started in radio in the mid 90s at an old station that still had a lot of vintage equipment just as the transition began to digital automation systems. Fun taking a trip down memory lane. 🙂

    Reply
  • Avatar for Blair Wilson
    Blair Wilson
    September 25, 2009, 9:14 am

    Great Post Stephanie,
    Memory lane certainly plays true through this guy’s heart.
    I got a start in radio much later in life and I’m not about to leave any time soon either!
    I began my career training on the latest state-of-the-art digital technology at 106.9 X-FM CIXX (Formerly 6-XFM as you know), and got my first real gig soon after working on some of the most archaic technology – i.e. carts and cassette tapes!
    Now, and for the past long while, I’ve been working at a radio station that has all the latest in computer software, quality mics, digital editing software, sound proof production rooms and the list goes on – it’s great!
    But now after all these years of having a ‘face’ for radio, I’ve been offered a position as Host for a “Talk Local” show on our community televsion – Rogers TV.
    It’s produced by a pretty good guy who has a passsion for TV, lighting, sound, graphics and ll the stuff a Producer should know.
    All in all, the voice still rules (so I’m told) – and that’s good to hear!
    Of course I’m still enjoying keeping tabs with Voices.com and all it has to offer – yes the on line auditioning process in very competitive to nab those jobs, but the learning aspect of Voices.com far exceeds my expectations.
    Job well done Stephanie, David and the rest of the Voices.com team!
    Job well done!
    Cheers!
    Blair Wilson

    Reply
  • Avatar for Bobbin Beam
    Bobbin Beam
    September 25, 2009, 11:35 am

    Stephanie,
    I must’ve missed your request for the photos or would’ve sent some of mine from WZMF, WQFM or WLPX in Milwaukee from the 1970’s or from KGB-FM San Diego in the 80’s (big hair & all). What a hoot to look at those old consoles! Thanks for the ride down memory lane.
    Best,
    Bobbin

    Reply
  • Avatar for Stephanie Ciccarelli
    Stephanie Ciccarelli
    September 25, 2009, 12:33 pm

    Thanks Blair and Bobbin!
    We’ll be doing another roundup of old school radio pics to be published sometime within the next three months.
    If you’d like to participate, please send your old school radio picture, along with some context (the year, where you were working, what’s going on in the photo, and who may be with you) to accompany the image.
    Send all old school radio pics to [email protected] 🙂
    Cheers,
    Stephanie

    Reply
  • Avatar for Victoria Fenner
    Victoria Fenner
    September 25, 2009, 1:37 pm

    Love that retro technology.

    Reply
  • Avatar for dc goode
    dc goode
    September 25, 2009, 5:41 pm

    Good Lord Wayne!
    Check out those sideburns! The Mono Reel to Reel, The cart machines! The rotary pots on the console! An old RCA I’m thinkin?
    And the smell of stale cigarette smoke…
    Thanks for the pic.!
    I’ll have to scan in some of my old ones with muttonchops!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Dan Gorham
    Dan Gorham
    September 26, 2009, 1:11 pm

    Stephanie,
    I love those pictures of old time radio stations, reminds me of my early days in radio in the 1980’s. When I worked at WGHQ, Kingston, NY in the late 80’s we had an automated system similar to the one pictured named FRED, which stood for cuss word not typed, ridiculous, electronic, device. Radio is a bug that will never leave me, as I do some occasional work for WKNY, Kingston, NY which still has in a production room with a turntable, reel to reel recorder and carts!!!
    My voice training with Voice Coaches is going real well and I’m looking forward to my entry into the great world of voice over to take advantage of the great voice I have. I am also forwarding this e-mail to some of my radio friends.
    Dan Gorham
    Kingston, NY

    Reply
  • Avatar for Denny Pompa/DenWay Productions
    Denny Pompa/DenWay Productions
    September 27, 2009, 10:38 pm

    Great Pics Stephanie ! That’s when radio was radio!
    I started in 1978 at a 500 watt daytimer in west/central Pa. We had cart machines that needed whacked on the front when they didn’t work, turntables with pennies taped to the tonearms and a vintage RCA ribbon mic in our talk show studio and an old teletype machine from the Associated Press. I truly miss those days!

    Reply
  • Avatar for Brooks M. Sweeney
    Brooks M. Sweeney
    August 24, 2011, 4:33 pm

    Hi Stephanie!
    I stumbled on this site recently, and love the pics. I have no photos to share right now, but I’d like to tell you something about my late father, Brooks Morton. He began his broacasting career at the tender age of nineteen at radio station WLOG, Logan, WV in 1946. After stints at other radio stations in WV, he moved to WKBN-TV in Youngstown, OH to do on-air work. He then went to WADC-AM in Akron, OH, WAKR-AM, WCUE-AM and others. He married my mom during that time, and then I came along in 1955. Then we moved to Toledo, OH to WTOL-AM & TV where he was A DJ. And then on their TV station, he became an on-air kiddie show personality by the name of MR T.(for Mr. Thistledown). He had a dummy sidekick named Ethelbert. After doing that for several years, it was back to Akron, & Canton, OH to work at several radio stations. Dad retired in 1986, and passed away in 1993. The main reason I’m writing is, if anyone remembers Dad & has old videos, air checks, pictures, etc. Thank you, so much! Brooks Sweeney

    Reply
    • Avatar for Gracia Lu
      Gracia Lu
      June 28, 2021, 7:49 pm

      Hey Brooks,
      Was your father close with Cameron Douglas while they worked together at WDBN by any chance? Trying to reach out to Cameron for photographs for a documentary.
      Thanks!
      Gracia

      Reply
  • Avatar for Rick Hanson
    Rick Hanson
    May 6, 2018, 10:52 pm

    Enjoyed this article very much. I listen to Roy Bunales, on WRJW AM 1320 In Picayune, MS. via their audio stream. Enjoy everyone at this station. Brings back a lot of memories from my radio days in the 70`s & 80`s , at WOTW AM 900/FM 106.3, In Nashua, N.H. The AM was 1000 watts daytime, and the FM was 3000 watts 6:00am to 1:00am. We were Country on FM and Oldies on AM. Also a noon time call in talk show, With Special Greek & Polka shows on the weekend. I was on the air helping with week night fill-ins and Saturdays 12 to 5 pm. The management let us program all the Country music and some Gospel too. We only had turntables & Cart machines for our music & commericals , the news was fed from the Mutual Broadcasting System, Local newscasts were at the 12 noon hour. Loved the Old School Radio !

    Reply