1965-66 Herbert E. "Hub" Blankenship, Sr.
"When I was president Dr. Rick Uray came aboard as our first executive
manager. The excellent work of the search committee during Frank Harden's
term bore fruit for many years. It was my pleasure to help Pick
adjust to our South Carolina ways. Since a career change in 1970,
I've been in the real estate business but some of my fondest memories
of friends and events happened during my broadcasting years. Regarding
my personal life, Alva and I will celebrate our 44th wedding anniversary
in October. We are blessed with three children and seven grandchildren
and have lived in Spartanburg since 1969."
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Broadcast career began at WCOH in Newman, Georgia as an announcer in 1948.
While in broadcasting, he was known as "Hub Terry"
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Went on to work at WDUN, Gainesville, Georgia,WWNC,Asheville, North Carolina
and WESC, Greenville
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joined WIS Radio in Columbia as sports director then moved to WIS-TV as
sports director and also worked in sales
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In 1959, became part owner and general manager of VVJOT in Lake City. Ten
years later, became station manager of VVSPA-AM in Spartanburg
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Left broadcasting in 1974 to enter the real estate business where he is
today. Works for Prudential in residential sales and regional marketing
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for the Spartanburg area
-
Served as president of the Spartanburg County Heart Association, state
chairman of the Good News for S.C. Bible Distribution program and past
president of the Spartanburg Board of Realtors. Also served on the General
Board of the S.C. Baptist Convention and is a member of Morningside Baptist
Church in Spartanburg
1966-67 Joseph B.Wilder
"My most striking memory was announcing from the podium, during the
Winter Convention on January 2 7, 1 96 7, the tragic death of the three
crew members of Apollo 1. It stunned the audience of several hundred in
the Wade Hampton Hotel ballroom. I also remember working with other officers
to establish the broadcast sequence at USC and the employment of Dr. Richard
Uray as association executive manager.
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Served as a pilot with the Second Air Commandos in Burma and China during
World War II
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Graduated from the University of Georgia School of journalism in 1947 and
then entered the broadcast industry as program director and sales manager
of WKLY, Hartwell, Georgia
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Retired former owner of WBAW-AM/FM,WBHC-AM/FM and WAKS- AM/FM
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Received the Peabody Award for community service in 1953
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Served as District 91 representative in the S.C. House of Representatives
Inducted into the SCBA Hall of Fame in 1988
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Chairman Emeritus of the S.C.Aeronautics Commission and was elected to
the S.C.Aviation Association Hall of Fame
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Director Emeritus of the Lower Savannah Council of Governments
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Received the Order of the Palmetto from Governor Carroll Campbell for his
work with the disabled
1967-68 Wilson C. Wearn
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Graduated from Clemson University in 1941 then began his career as an engineer
at Westinghouse Electric Corp.
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In 1953, organized Multimedia Broadcasting company then served as president
from 1966 to 1977. Continued to serve as president and also CEO of Multimedia,
Inc. from 1977-1989
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Served as NAB chairman of the board from 1975 to 1977
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Inducted into the SCBA Hall of Fame in 1977
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Served as member of the Board of the Association of Maximum Service Telecasters
and as chairman from 1971-1973
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Held leadership positions with the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the
Greenville Hospital System, the United Way, the Greenville Symphony Association,
the Community Foundation of Greater Greenville, Presbyterian College, Furman
University and Clemson University, including serving as the chairman of
the Clemson University Foundation in 1979
1968-69 *William Bochman
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Managed WDXY in Sumter
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Along with James Coggins and John Davenport, Bochman initiated a special
project to receive voluntary contributions to help pay the cost of new
radio studio equipment for the University of South Carolina Broadcasting
Sequence
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During his presidency, Governor McNair's State of the State Address was
broadcast on January 15, 1969 over an FM network of SCBA stations
1969-70 James K. Whitaker
"I remember the attempt by our state legislature to pass an ad tax
in the dark of night. We weren't aware of it until a few days before final
passage. We had an immediate panic meeting in Columbia of all media and
SCBA members promised to contact their representatives over the weekend.
This meant that some had to reach representatives via boat as they had
gone fishing. At this time, I was station manager of WCSC/WXTC Radio in
Charleston. The owner (and my boss) and one of the very first SCBA presidents
was the late John M. Rivers, Sr. just before I left for Columbia where
G. Richard Shafto had convened the emergency meeting, Mr. Rivers instructed
me Jim, go to Columbia and do everything you can to beat this unfair tax.
Watch the legislature night and day and don't come back until we've won
the battle!' And that we did!"
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Began his career at WGRM radio, a station local people called "We Grind
Records Mostly"
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Went on to work at WOP in Bristol, Tennessee and WWVA in Wheeling,West
Virginia.WWVA was a 50,000 watt station that reached as far as Canada and
Cuba and even out to ships at sea
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Served in the Army Signal Corps from 1942-1946. During World War II, he
ran Army radio stations and monitored enemy broadcasts
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Returned to Wheeling,West Virginia in 1946 to cover Ohio,West Virginia
and Pennsylvania for CBS News. While there, he worked with Edward R. Murrow,
Harry Reasoner and others. Covered the Eisenhower- Nixon meeting the night
after Nixon's famous Checkers speech
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Served as sales manager of WIS, Columbia from 1956 to 1959 before moving
to Charleston to become station manager of WCSC and WXTC. He later invested
in WEZL, became station manager and stayed there until his retirement in
1981
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Two-term member of the Radio Code Board of the National Association of
Broadcasters, representing the Southeast
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Presented "Whitaker's Wax Works" on nearly 400 stations in the United States
and on Armed Forces Radio worldwide. The five-minute vignettes focused
on music from the 1920's and 1930's
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Married to his wife, Sally, for 50 years
1970-71 Wayne Brooks Sawyer
"My best contributions to SCBA did not take place during my presidency.
In 1965, under John Davenport's term, I
was allowed to start the SCBA Workshop. In 1966, 1 introduced a
substitute motion to our dues structure that passed and opened the way
to hiring a full-time executive manager. The most memorable event in my
term was probably Las Vegas Night."
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General manager for the Dispatch Broadcasting Company, a chain of four
small market stations in South and North Carolina from the early 1960's
to 1970
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Became part owner of WGTN in Georgetown with partner Dick Laughridge until
1975
-
Went on to become manager of WDEN, Macon, Georgia. Later served as administrative
coordinator of Multimedia's WMAZ-AM/FM/TV and then as general manager of
WPEZ, also in Macon
-
Left radio to become a publisher and produced a wedding guide in Atlanta,
Macon, Savannah, Columbus and Greenville. Also produced church pictorial
directories for many Georgia cities
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Has since worked with his son in a Macon mortgage brokerage business
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Under his presidency, SCBA developed plans for an annual Station of the
Year Award. Sawyer also appointed Frank Harden to chair a project examining
the feasibility of establishing a non-commercial spot announcement program.
(This eventually became SCBA's highly successful NCSA program.)
1971-72 *Charles Sanders
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Was in management with WSPA-TV in Spartanburg
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Under his presidency, SCBA implemented its NCSA program
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During Sanders' term as SCBA president the Association hosted a meeting
of representatives from broadcasting associations in North Carolina, Georgia
and Florida at the Southeastern Broadcasters Association conference at
Port Royal Inn, Hilton head
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Turning its attention to the problems of FM broadcasters, SCBA operated
an active FM Stations Committee which coordinated a workshop for FM broadcasters
1972-73 Richard T. Laughridge
"The SCBA Hall of Fame was established during my term as president
of the Association."
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Began his career as a student on the production staff with WNOK-TV (now
WLTX) in Columbia in 1953. Starting in 1978, he served as vice president
and general manager of that station until his retirement in early 1998
-
Served as president of Sunny Broadcasters, Inc. and Seacoast Laughridge
Broadcasting Co., LLC, both of Myrtle Beach
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Inducted into the SCBA Hall of Fame in 1994
-
Past president of the Columbia Advertising Club and past chairman of the
East Richland Public Service District. Also served as vice chairman of
the Board of Trustees of Richland Memorial Hospital and on the Board of
Directors for the Columbia Chamber of Commerce
-
Member of the Rotary Club and the Palmetto Richland Memorial Board of Trustees
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Married to Phyllis Fowke and has four children and eight grandchildren
1973-74 Tad Fogel
"I was installed as president during one of Columbia's worst winter
snowstorms. That convention in February '73 was SCBA's 25th Anniversary
Celebration! The regular gathering of SCBA post presidents began during
my term as a way of keeping the Association's 'exhausted roosters' involved!
We scheduled conventions in 'unconventional' cities like Clemson and Rock
Hill"
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Began his 40-year broadcasting career as a teenage disc jockey in Georgetown
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Early in his career, served as a news anchor in Miami, Florida before returning
to Georgetown
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Owned and operated several radio stations from the late 1960's through
the early 1990's and also developed extensive sales experience in both
radio and television
-
Served as president of Rotary Club and local Chambers of Commerce. Worked
with Chambers in Georgetown, Myrtle Beach and Brevard, North Carolina
-
Was a Board member of the S.C. State Development Board as well as the S.C.
State Chamber of Commerce
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Now a self-employed promotional products advertising distributor
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Has four daughters and now resides with his wife, Sharyn, and a step-daughter
in Brevard
1974-75 Wallace Wally Mullinax
"In my year as president of SCBA, the performance royalty issue came
up. The music license companies had done their homework. Nashville country
artists and Hollywood stars had lobbied hard, thrown parties and it looked
like the record performers would get a 5% cut of radio/TV gross revenues.
I just happened to be in Washington for the NAB State Presidents Conference.
NAB President Vince Lazarewski asked me to present the broadcasters case
to Senator Thurmond. I did so and Senator Thurmond directed his legislative
assistant to contact every senator with whom he had a working relationship.
I sat and listened in amazement as Senator Thurmond's staff killed that
bill. Seniority does count in Washington and good relations with our delegation
is essential."
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Held various positions at WESC-AM/FM in Greenville before retiring in 1991
as vice president of sales after 42 years of service
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Co-founded WMTY-AM in Greenwood in 1973 and added WMTY-FM in 1989.
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Inducted into the SCBA Hall of Fame in 1990
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Served as president of the SCBA Educational Foundation and has served in
various leadership positions on the SCBA Board for many years
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A Baptist layman, has delivered the invocation at SCBA functions for many
years
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Served as a member of the Greenville County Council, 1969-97; the Auditorium
Board, 1970-76; and, the S.C. Aeronautics Commission, 1986-89
1975-76 Douglas A. Smith
"During my term as president broadcasters faced a rather adversarial
FCC, with petitions to deny our renewals commonplace. For the first time,
we brought professional legal and state matters such as a lobbying counsel
threatening advertising tax) to SCBA members with an arrangement with former
Cosmos Broadcasting attorney Jim Dunbar. We also established one of the
very earliest operating budgets and financial planning Systems for tighter
controls by the executive manager rather than committee chairmen, I believe
this was one of the first years to have a woman, Betty Roper, on the Board."
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Retired from a 35-year career in broadcasting having served as senior vice
president and on the Board of Directors of Multimedia Broadcasting, as
general manager of WFBC-TV, Greenville as vice president of Pulitzer Broadcasting
Company and as general manager of WYFF-TV (formerly WFBC)
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Held leadership positions with the Greenville Advertising Club, the Television
Bureau of Advertising, the Advertising Federation of America and NBC Television
Network
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In 1974, worked with NAB and The Japan Society to advise early Japanese
commercial broadcasters. Also served as a USIA lecturer and consultant
to the Palestinian Broadcasting Company in Israel in 1995 and to the Republic
of Kyrgyzstan in 1996
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Served on the local Board of Directors of Southern Bank, First Union, Bankers
Trust and NationsBank
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Served as president and on the Board of numerous agencies and organizations
including the Greenville junior Chamber of Commerce, the Greenville Chamber
of Commerce, the South Carolina Arts Commission, the Greenville County
Museum, Greenville Little Theater and the Urban League
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Received the states highest civilian honor, the Order of the Palmetto,
in 1990 Has published several short stories, poems and essays and one book,
E is for Ethics, dealing with political scandals in the South Carolina
legislature. An excerpt from his novel, Finding Frogmore, won first place
for fiction in the 1997 S.C.Writers Workshop
1976-77 *A.P. Skinner
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Managed WOLS Radio in Florence
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Under his presidency, SCBA approved the establishment of a fiscal account
to support the proposed SCBA Foundation. Also, two resolutions were passed
at the Annual Business Meeting. One expressed the Association's objection,
to the erosion of the CATV rules and urged the FCC to reexamine its role
in this matter. The second resolution voiced the objection of SCBA to the
growing use of obscene language and suggestive lyrics in music for broadcasting
and included the establishment of an Association committee to review how
SCBA might possibly screen such musical selections for its membership
1976-77 Oby Lyles
"I remember the Association especially with Dr. Uray and the many
fine gentlemen across our state in the broadcasting media. I also remember
the founding of the broadcast archives at the McKissick building on
the university campus. I also enjoyed the 'MC' of our annual spring
luncheon in Washington."
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As the vice president of radio and in accordance with the Association bylaws,
Lyles took over the SCBA presidency after the resignation of A.P. Skinner
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Broadcast career at WHSC Radio in Hartsville spanned 35 years
-
During his presidency, SCBA undertook a fund-raising campaign, in con-
junction with the USC College of journalism, to establish a broadcast archives
room in the McKissick Museum on the USC campus
-
WHSC won several awards during his tenure including an award for best serving
the needs of its community, especially in the field of education in the
public schools
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Retired from full-time service in 1989. Now lives in retirement while enjoying
listening daily to the fine media of radio
1977-78 Thomas J. Rogers
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President of Grand Strand Broadcasting which owned WKZQ-AM/FM in Myrtle
Beach from 1965 to1997
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During his 33 years in Myrtle Beach, he became involved in many business
and civic organizations including becoming president of the Grand Strand
Press Association in 1974, president of the Greater Myrtle Beach Chamber
of Commerce from 1974 to 1976 and president of the Myrtle Beach Rotary
Club in 1978. He was also involved in the Myrtle Beach Area junior Golf
Association and Strand Media Group
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Named Grand Strand Citizen of the year, 1975-76
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Founding director of Anchor Bank beginning in 1974 until the present
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During his presidency, SCBA began legislative action to allow for the advertising
of opthamalic goods and investigated legislation for advertising by attorneys
1978-79 Joe Foster
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Served as general manager fro WBTW-TV in Florence.
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Under Foster's presidency, Honorary Life Membership Awards were presented
to Moody McElveen and Frank Blair. Also, broadcast advertising for eyeglasses
was legalized in South Carolina through an active promotional campaign
by the state's broadcasters
1979-80 Betty T. Roper
"I served as the first woman president of SCBA in 1979-1980. 168
members enjoyed SCBA's first out-of-the-country convention in Cancun, Mexico,
the site of the 1979 Summer Convention. I am proud to have appointed the
first minority member of the SCBA Board, Elliott Franks, who now has a
very important position with state government. Particularly notable was
my involvement in the SCBA/NAB effort to defeat the proposed spectrum fee
during my year."
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President of Clarendon Broadcasting, Inc.
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In 1992, became the first woman inducted into the SCBA Hall of Fame
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Presented the Order of the Palmetto in 1992 by Governor Carroll Campbell
Has served as chairman of the Clarendon County Council since 1980 and
is the first woman ever elected to that office. Was also the first woman
chairperson of the Clarendon County Development Board from 1983-1984 and
of the S.C. Dairy Commission, 1981-1985
Began her company with a small AM station then expanded into three
FM radio stations and then upgraded her primary station to a regional powerhouse.
Co-founded and operated Clarendon Cablevision from 1981-1985
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Served as president of the S.C. Association of Counties
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Presented with the President's Cup twice for outstanding service in local
and state government
1980-81 Ben Davis
"SCBA took a stand against the spectrum fee the year before and the
year of my presidency. I remember going to
Washington along with Betty Roper and others to appear before a
Senate hearing to express our views. Although our thoughts weren't necessarily
received warmly by all the committee members, we were treated with respect
and listened to."
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Currently vice president for business and development at Connie Maxwell
Children's Home in Greenwood where Ben the satisfaction that comes from
making Davis a difference in a child's life is the only career reward that
could keep him from returning to broadcasting. Started there in 1993
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Began his radio career as a high school student in 1960 working for WMRB
and WQOK in Greenville until entering Furman University in 1962
-
Hired as an announcer at WFIS in Fountain Inn and was employed there until
1968 when he went to work as a sales representative at WFBC in Greenville
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Moved to Fountain Inn in 1970 as part owner of WFIS. He and a partner also
purchased WCKM in Winnsboro and operated the two stations during the 1970's.
They added newspaper publishing when they purchased the local weekly the
Tribune-Times, in 1977. Davis became the sole owner in 1979. The company
was divested when Multimedia (now Gannett) bought the newspaper in 1987
and WFIS was sold in 1988
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Served as mayor of Fountain Inn from 1975 to 1979 and again from 1987 to
1995. He was also a trustee of Greenville Technical College and has served
on numerous area boards and commissions.
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