I have been in press boxes on Friday since August of 1971. The previous June, I had just graduated from Ahoskie High School, and for those of you who know Wes Bradshaw, that was me back then. I was eat-up with Ahoskie High like Wes lives Gryphon sports.
My junior year in high school I had an opportunity to go to work at our local radio station. Yes, I spent several years playing the hits on the old turntable radio station back during the dark ages of the 70s.
It was only natural that I would start doing games on the radio fresh out of high school. To show you how "dark Ages" it was back then as the color man on the games, my main job was to read the commercials live at the game. High school press boxes, even though some are still small, most schools in the 70s only had press boxes for the PA man and the timekeeper. So I came up during an era where in some cases we had to sit in the stands on the opposing sidelines during our broadcast.
In most cases, it was very hostile place to be cheering for the team on the other side of the field to the folks back home. For those of you who know me and think I talk too loud all the time, this is where I got it from - trying to be heard on the radio as people jeered and cheered for their team as I sat beside them in the stands.
Times have passed and as corporations have bought up all the local radio stations, there is no more of let's go cover the game as a public service to the community. It is now "If we can't make 200% profit on it" it isn't worth doing. So, as you hit the seek button on your radio on Friday nights, there are fewer and fewer high school games.
Wes' obsession for radio play-by-play and the Gryphons has led him to AM 1390. He is buying the time from them on Friday nights to cover the games. He is going out trying to sell ads, which is going great. He is buying equipment so when you hear the broadcast, it will all be done from the press box with a laptop computer. All the commercials will be played by us at the stadium - not back at the control board at AM 1390.
Yes, Wes, now at the age of 26, has done something that I was never able to do. Follow through on a dream. I had a chance to buy my station back home, but was too scared to pull the trigger and sign the dotted line.
Even though this is not the whole station, Wes is out laying a lot of money for this project to work. I have "talked the talk" for several years about doing what Wes is doing - fulfilling a dream.
I am glad to become the color man for Gryphon football this fall because Wes is helping me live the dream.
Live it with us on Friday nights this fall. Pay your $6 and go and sit in the stands to see it live and carry your Walkman radio and let us tell you what you missed!
My junior year in high school I had an opportunity to go to work at our local radio station. Yes, I spent several years playing the hits on the old turntable radio station back during the dark ages of the 70s.
It was only natural that I would start doing games on the radio fresh out of high school. To show you how "dark Ages" it was back then as the color man on the games, my main job was to read the commercials live at the game. High school press boxes, even though some are still small, most schools in the 70s only had press boxes for the PA man and the timekeeper. So I came up during an era where in some cases we had to sit in the stands on the opposing sidelines during our broadcast.
In most cases, it was very hostile place to be cheering for the team on the other side of the field to the folks back home. For those of you who know me and think I talk too loud all the time, this is where I got it from - trying to be heard on the radio as people jeered and cheered for their team as I sat beside them in the stands.
Times have passed and as corporations have bought up all the local radio stations, there is no more of let's go cover the game as a public service to the community. It is now "If we can't make 200% profit on it" it isn't worth doing. So, as you hit the seek button on your radio on Friday nights, there are fewer and fewer high school games.
Wes' obsession for radio play-by-play and the Gryphons has led him to AM 1390. He is buying the time from them on Friday nights to cover the games. He is going out trying to sell ads, which is going great. He is buying equipment so when you hear the broadcast, it will all be done from the press box with a laptop computer. All the commercials will be played by us at the stadium - not back at the control board at AM 1390.
Yes, Wes, now at the age of 26, has done something that I was never able to do. Follow through on a dream. I had a chance to buy my station back home, but was too scared to pull the trigger and sign the dotted line.
Even though this is not the whole station, Wes is out laying a lot of money for this project to work. I have "talked the talk" for several years about doing what Wes is doing - fulfilling a dream.
I am glad to become the color man for Gryphon football this fall because Wes is helping me live the dream.
Live it with us on Friday nights this fall. Pay your $6 and go and sit in the stands to see it live and carry your Walkman radio and let us tell you what you missed!
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