Early Media
My Life and History
One of my greatest fascinations has been the media--radio and television. I can remember from a very early age listening to the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday nights on the family's AM radio.
As I got older, I became interested in listening to radio, then pretending I was a disc jockey myself.
For my birthday in 1965, I received a reel to reel tape recorder. That opened a whole new world of recording. From that, I became interested in electronics. I started simply trying to connect old transistor radio speakers to the tape recorder and later discovered vendors like Olson Electronics in Akron, Ohio and Radio Shack where I could buy other components. Tinkering with electronics eventually moved into the purchase of more sophisticated recorders and amplifiers. I was able to create my own radio station from these components.
As I experimented more and found other sources of electronic parts, I was able to build a much more sophisticated radio station, with an audio mixer, multiple turntables, microphones and audio recorders. It featured an AM transmitter that would broadcast in about a city block radius. By this time, I had decided I wanted to have a career in media.
Using my first tape recorder "on location" 1967
My first radio station, 1970
Upgraded radio station--1973