Ben Cox – Carl Wayne, morning show host for local radio station KOXE, is beginning the 40th year of his radio career. When you hear something is 40 years old, you immediately begin doing the math in your head to figure out just how long ago that was.
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Would you consider a car from that era collectible? Would you want to buy a house still decorated in the style from that time period? What was the music like then?
The Devil, and Charlie Daniels, had gone down to Georgia the year Carl began his broadcasting career. Donna Summer was Hot Stuff, and Michael Jackson told us Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough. People were getting their first taste of McDonald’s Happy Meals, the Sony Walkman made its debut, and Iranian students stormed the gates of the US embassy beginning a hostage situation that ultimately lasted 444 days.
Carl can remember his first job in radio, working part-time on Sunday mornings for a small daytime only station in Stamford.
“The first Sunday I went in, one of the other part–timers met me and he said ‘Here’s your mic, here’s your turntables, and here‘s your tape recorder. I’ll see ya later.’ He left it with me and I had no idea… So I got on and did my thing and within two weeks one of the guys had quit so they hired me full time.”
His career ran up and down Hwy 377, accord to Wayne, and included KEAN in Abilene, as well as 22 years off and on at KVRP in Haskell.
Wayne says some of the best things he experienced in his time on the air revolve around sports and players. Meeting Nolan Ryan in the Rangers locker room, meeting John Elway while on the road for a Farming convention, and meeting Ernie Banks “bigger than life, Mr. Baseball!”
The transition from playing actual records to the use of digital technology makes Wayne reminisce about the turn tables from his youth. “Everything is computer operated, automated pretty much…We used to be called DJ, (because it stood for) disc jockeys.”
The people he has worked with are also a large part of what Wayne enjoys about his career, and he speaks very highly of Dallas Huston who he shares Lions football broadcasting duties with.
“This will be his 56th year calling Lions football. You talk about longevity!” Wayne said. “I’ve learned so much…I though I knew a lot about radio when I came here, just working and being with Dallas, I’ve learned so much more.”
When asked if it feels like almost 40 years, Wayne says “I was talking about this the other day to Barry (Rose) who has been doing radio for over 40 years, and even though I can remember a lot of things that I’ve done, it still seems like a blur….17 and now 56, it’s been quite a run.”
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