A Day in the Life of an old Radio Station

Long before I was born, in 1951, a local businessman in Easley, SC decided the little town was finally large enough that one might possibly operate a radio station successfully from this location without going broke. The larger surrounding cities had radio stations of their own, which could also be heard in this little town, but no one locally had ever attempted to operate a station in a town this size, promoting only the local town and smaller outlying communities, local area businesses, and the area's churches. (Church was a large part of American life back then.) Obtaining a broadcast license from the FCC (no easy task- especially back then), radio station WELP was born. Over the years, people have laughed and joked that the call letters stood for "We Employ Lazy People" or that the call letters were supposed to be "WEEP" because listening would make you want to cry. In reality, the calls stood for "Easley, Liberty, Pickens," the three towns closest to this station's broadcast tower. The businessman was right- the town was able to support a radio station, and the station has been quite successful financially, over time giving birth to it's sister FM station in the early 60's (now a Hispanic-formatted station). The station has had many owners over the years, and I've been privileged to work for all of the owners except two. The company I work for now operates 20 outlets which I oversee from this location, along with the help of 18 other local station managers in each market. Who, in 1951, would have known that this tiny little station (which has since been granted a power increase at five-times its originally-licensed power) would be part of a growing network of stations that can be heard anywhere in America or around the world? While we're still relatively small compared to many giant radio chains, I have been blessed with owners who pay me an excellent salary and wonderful benefits that even the giant companies don't offer to their employees. Over the years, many have encouraged me to "move up" to larger markets and bigger jobs, saying things like "better to be a little fish in a big pond than a big fish in a little pond" but I'm not sure I could ever experience the kind of life I'm enjoying here- a great part of the country to live in, fantastic pay, great benefits, wonderful people to work for, job security (which is typically unheard of in radio), and lots and lots of fun! No, God willing, I think I'll stay here a little while longer. This place has become a part of my life.

Long before I was born, in 1951, a local businessman in Easley, SC decided the little town was finally large enough that one might possibly operate a radio station successfully from this location without going broke. The larger surrounding cities had radio stations of their own, which could also be heard in this little town, but no one locally had ever attempted to operate a station in a town thi…  (read more)

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