Posted on 03/13/2006 11:05:27 AM PST by raccoonradio
Twenty-five years ago yesterday, Bob Nelson was a bright-eyed sophomore at Salem State College, anxiously broadcasting his first radio show.
That was when the college station went back on the air after a five-month hiatus because a wind storm had knocked down the antenna. It had taken months to get the money to rebuild it.
"I remember catching up on stuff we missed after five months off the air," Nelson recalled. "John Lennon and Yoko Ono had just released an album ('Double Fantasy') before he was killed and I remember we were playing those songs."
That was March 12, 1981, and while Nelson may have graduated many moons ago--in 1984--he never stopped making radio waves at WMWM 91.7 FM at Salem State College. Yesterday the station's veteran DJ broadcast his 25th anniversary show.
"When I was a student I figured maybe I'd stick around for a year or two after college, but I had no idea I would still be here 25 years later," Nelson, now 44, reflected as he sat in front of the microphone in the studio yesterday.
Nelson's fellow DJs at the station organized a jam-packed anniversary celebration for him yesterday, surprising Nelson with live bands and singers and enough pizza, barbecue, and other food to feed an army.
"It feels good," said Nelson, who looked the part of a DJ yesterday wearing blue jeans, a music T-shirt from Nashville and a black-and-white flannel shirt. His energy ran high as he excitedly answered a slew of phone calls at the studio from people congratulating him on his anniversary, including his 85-year-old father from Cape Cod. "It feels good to be here."
Nelson's years at WMWM have been filled with excitement and good music, from the day he broadcast the news that President Ronald Reagan had been shot, to the time he got to interview blues legend John Lee Hooker.
And while his love for music hasn't waned, the unmarried Beverly resident admits his tastes may have toned down with age.
"I may have gotten a little more mellow. I was more into punk and now I'm more into blues," said Nelson, who grew up in Nahant. "I'm 44 now--I'm not a kid anymore," he said with a laugh.
Since 1988, he has been hosting a blues show for WMWM called "The Juke Joint" but he doesn't have time to host it weekly anymore. Nelson works for the U.S. Postal Service and has cut back his hours at the station. WMWM's signal originates from the basement of the Ellison Campus Center and carries as far north as Ipswich and as far south as Revere and Boston, Nelson said.
During his broadcast yesterday morning, Nelson played an array of music, including clips of his old "Juke Joint" broadcasts. He likes to infuse some humor into his shows with dialogue and music. For example, yesterday he put on Father Guido Sarducci's "Beatles Medley".
"I just like doing the show," he said. "I like getting down here and choosing my own music. It's fun and it tends to go by pretty fast."
Nelson tries to get into the studio to do a show once every month or two and he'll occasionally fill in for other DJs. He also set up and maintains the station's web site, www.wmwmsalem.com TALKING RADIO
Vivid Memory? Years ago we used to do the news and I remember the day in March, 1981 when the teletype machine started going nuts because (President) Reagan had been shot. It was exciting. We were certainly witnessing the news.
Does it feel like 25 years? The current students may not have even been born yet when I started doing the show. It's funny when you think about that.
Trade secrets? Knowing the music and knowing little trivia bits about the songs and the artists. Just before you go on the air, you have to know roughly what you're going to say so you're not saying "Um" and "uh".
New technology? Well, I remember when we only had vinyl. It wasn't until 1990 that we had CDs coming in.
Changes? A big change is that we're on 24 hours a day now because we put in a computer system last Christmas.
At 11 am we did our weekly "salute to the troops". I played
Toby Keith's "Angry American (Courtesy of Red White And
Blue)". And even though it's a blues show I played some
non-blues stuff, like Toby's "I Wanna Talk About Me"
Congrats!
thanks!
http://wmwm.250free.com/bobn.jpg
Congratulation! FWIW, I'm about your age and grew up in Marblehead. It's a small world.
Thanks! Our studios of course aren't all that far from
M'head!
Waddaya think about Savage?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.