The Beaufort Gazette from Beaufort, South Carolina • 25

The Beaufort Gazette riday August 21 1961 7 Local radio provides variety ANE NORMAN te staff writer wakes you up in the morning? sure your wife husband or mother may give you a loving that furls your eyelids like unsprung window shades Butets you from the bedroom to the shower or moves your from that first tranquil cup of coffee to the hectic day most workers the person most responsible for starting lay right is someone never someone even seen i early morning disc jockey sounds the wake up call on less clock radios in homes across the nation In Beaufort wakening may be accompanied by the pulsating beat of nusic the gyrating rhythm of rock or a touch of toe tapping ry three radio stations with live programming in Beaufort AM WQLO and WVGB AM traverse the musical rum for Lowcountry listeners le sound of the radio station is its said Jody re Harvey program director for WVGB GB which took over the operations of WSIB is catering its nality to the needs of the black community through inent air play of funk and soul artists and public affairsamming musical identity of WBEU on the other hand is firmly nched in the Nashville sound (gram and musical director Mark Robertson is a country convert who like most inspired proselytes feels com i to spread the word hated country music when I came said Robertson who has worked for WBEU for four years only knew Tammy Wynette and Johnny Cash I used to work country and go home and listen to rock Now I work country and go home and listen to country records "People get turned on to it very easily if they just listen to Country music Robertson said is not the collection of twanging nasal sounds that might have dominated Southern airwaves 20 years ago The music has modem arrangements and pretty melodies Robertson said "I find it more he said has gotten so hard I find it hard to listen to Country is very relaxing Variedformat As a counterpoint WQLO which is owned by the same parent company and housed in the same building with WBEU plays a pop and rock format aimed at broad listener appeal The selections on WQLO range from cross over country such as Kenny music to beach music to New Wave like to feel like the 1981 listener wants more than one said KC Jones WQLO program director same person that maybe at a night club for instance might get into disco the next morning might listen to something like Kenny Rogers Eric Clapton Stevie The WQLO staff caters its sound to changing desires during different segments of the day The morning show have any heavy metal hard rock and the late evening hours contain much crossover country Early in the day announcers place more emphasis on time and weather information what people want to know while preparing for work or school While the three stations have similar objectives to entertain and inform their listeners they reach out with widely dissimilar styles Housed under the same roof WQLO and WBEU staffs see each other as competitors because they target different audiences see our competition as another country Robertson said And because sound is distinctively different from and the management of both stations say seeking to serve the public in the best possible way not compete with the station down the street see our purpose as serving the said Bob Powell general manager of Beaufort Broadcasting Co which owns WBEU and WQLO is a less than adequate word to describe what we do is to make sure that people who listen to our radio station are entertained informed Both stations work to reflect the desires and needs of a par ticular constituency in the community Powell said Each station generally appeals to a different audience with a few cross over listeners who may be interested in both formats The audience at WVGB tends to be composed of a third group with a majority of young black listeners But station owner Alan Galloway and consultant Ken Burch emphasize commitment to serve the entire Beaufort community want a station where people can have an Burch said pursue political and social themes I 7 lays became a reporter because 25 year old Poston was caught up in that surrounded journalists when being a journalist was a sen say anything about the ur work days including 7 am i dimmed He still calls the get to do a lot of things that people watch things Poston said ticularly politics I think the political ood and the bad of people una that surrounds every play a role in nearly everything af isidents from county tax levies to the chamber of selection of an executive board like to cover stories Ms Dawson said not the kind of reporter he is He loves every type of political and environmental (topic) try to give the news with a warm approach "You expect somebody to sit there and listen for a whole hour without giving them some entertainment" While his news staff aims to Inform and enlighten its listeners it presume to provide all the news about every issue said WBEUWQLO general manager Bob Powell The broadcasters hope to stimulate listeners to read more in depth accounts Powell said He sees role as a vehicle for communication of the immediate facts depends on Poston said radio everything has to be told simply and concisely which means we end up withstories that are about 45 seconds in length news is eloquent in its II Mi HHMHMMHjg WW Ax? BobSetohfGiiitti Pilots of the airwaves Program director KC Jones (above) leads the staff of WQLO in a wide ranging pop rock format Jones believes the modern radio audience want a variety of sounds catered to the lifestyle of the Lowcountry As Jones targets the entertainment interests of the community local newscasters aim for the infrtnatlonal interests Donzella Hendrix center photo) emphasizes cc menty and public affairs programming on WVGB and Bill Poston and luth Dawson (far left photo) work toward comprehensive news coverage for WBEU and WQLO II 7.