Below is a list of WUVT alumni, or former wooviteers, who have written in to tell us about themselves...what they did at WUVT, things they remember, etc. If you're a WUVT alum and would like to be represented here, e-mail our webmaster.

1940's

The 50's The 60's The 70's The 80's The 90's The 2000's

Thomas M. Blaisdell

In the beginning, as I recall (you must remember that all I say here is nearly a half a century old and memories fade), Joe Ayres was Manager and he had a large classical music collection. Ed Talmadge was the technical guru and spent many hours adding transmitters and receivers in various dorms to increase the audience. I remember Ed building an FM receiver and having it on the top floor of a dorm in order to receive a new FM station all the way from Roanoke. When it came in weakly we all cheered. I was (I think) Business Manager. I also had a program called LE JAZZ HOT.

I recall quite a struggle to get a seat on the Publications Board. They first insisted that we be self-sustaining and even when we managed that they only gave us a non-voting membership. Later it was made a voting membership...

We chose WUVT since WVPI was aleady taken and it stood for W U(niversity) V(irginia) T(ech). Little did we know at that time that Tech would become a University. At that time, we were a member of the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System (IBS). I worked (for free) for many years after I graduated with IBS and still get Christmas cards from one of its founders, Dave Borst.

The WUVT studios were located on the top floor of War Memorial Gym (No elevator and lots of steps). I think VPI had it for use by the Roanoke radio station and I recall the console belonging to WDBJ. The microphones were fancy back then. I recall two transcription tables (16 inch platters). We used to get free programs on transcription records from the Navy (?) of bands (big and marching). Those of us who ran the console thought they were great since they ran for 15 minutes and we didn't have to change a record! Tape decks (wire recorders) were a thing of the future.

I must not forget to mention the Carver Record Store. I think their names were Bill and Trudy. It was located on College Ave. across the street from Henderson Hospital. They would lend us records to play in exchange for a plug. Many are the hours I spent in there trying to get records for the station.

Last, but not least, I married Jane French, who was Dean French's daughter. He came to VPI when I was a Sophomore. I also worked at Burruss Hall as the lighting technician and with the Maroon Mask as a Stage Manager. The French's lived in a house next door to Burruss (where Pamplin is now located). I noticed this good-looking girl going in and out occasionally, and finally met her on the train to Washington D.C. I was going home and she to visit her Grandmother. To make a long story short, I figured the only way to graduate (the head of the EE dept. told me I should switch to Animal Husbandry) was to marry the Vice President's daughter. It worked, and we've been married 42 years.

George G. Harman

I was an announcer at WUVT during the fall and part of the winter quarter (as best I can remember) in 1948. It wasn't a big job. I announced (and played the records) on the classical music hour. Most of the records I played were from my own extensive collection-which was probably why I was asked to run the show. The studio was located in the top floor or attic of the entrance tower of the Gym (Memorial Hall). As I remember, the room was mostly bare stone and but with a boxed-in announcers control booth (record player, microphones, other equipment) in the center, surrounded by miscellaneous junk and some radio equipment, microphones, chairs for performers, extra or cast off athletic equipment, etc. There were always fresh Chesterfield cigarettes in the control booth for the announcers and others to smoke during the shows. I started smoking there, but fortunately never got really hooked and stopped several years later. At 72 I am in good shape and in fact have not retired.

John B. Quirk

As a freshman at Virginia Tech, I discovered that a "bootleg" station was broadcasting illegally from Dorm 8 West. The programs of that station were mostly musical - popular music of the time, and as such played to a receptive audience. Nevertheless, I could not condone the operation, nor participate in it since it was operating illegally, as I was the holder of an FCC license. The need for a campus radio station was evident, but a "bootleg" station was not the answer. During that year, 1946, A.G. (Gordon) Thorton, Jr. and I discussed a legal mode of transmission, which was used by "Hams" during WWII when amateurs were banned from the "air." This mode was, of course, carrier current.

During our summer vacation, Gordon and I built the necessary hardware to start broadcasting via carrier current. In the fall of 1947, we started broadcasting from our dorm rooms. I had built a console with remote inputs, one of which was connected to Gordon's room. He and I took turns broadcasting music from our own libraries. Some time during that year the "bootleg" station was closed down, leaving us as the only local entertainment. Unknown to us at the time was a move to get an official sanction for a carrier current station. We were asked to join the movement, which we enthusiastically did. Later the call letters WUVT were reserved by the FCC. The FCC could not assign the letters, since a license was not required, but they did reserve the call letters for us. Even though our "flea power" transmitter covered only three dorms in the Lower Quadrangle, we started transmitting, using for the first time, the call letters of WUVT. We continued broadcasting from my room, room 15 of Dorm 8 East, until the equipment was in place throughout the campus and in the control room in War Memorial Hall (the gym).

When WUVT had its grand opening (the official opening of the new facility), the personnel of the station was fairly well organized. The station management was generally under the auspices of the Journalism Department. The organization of the station was such that each individual had only one responsibility. No one held two jobs. In this way, the actual operation of a large station could be simulated. Also, the organization could accommodate a greater number of students desiring to be a part of it.

1950's

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Hal Copenhaver

I didn't remember this until I checked my old 1958 BUGLE but we had our tenth anniversary that year. We did the Radiothon so it started before 1958. Back in the 50s you didn't need talent, just the desire, otherwise my southwest VA thang would have never made it on the air... but then we didn't talk much. I did 11 to midnight and then shut her down for the night. Julie Christy was always good for the "troops" in those days. The big news event in '58 was the big uprising when B-burg wanted students to buy city tags. We leaned out the SAB windows and covered the event "live" from the studio which fortunately was upwind from the tear gas.

Burt Meyer

If you check your files, you will find articles from the campus newspaper and pictures of the early years [1948-1952]. I took over the station during the winter quarter [no semesters then] when the current station manager was about to flunk out of school. This was in 1951. I finished out the year, and during the summer of '51 the station burned out. It was in the tower of the War Memorial Gym. My roommate, Waring Claud who lives in Norfolk and was the Program Director, and I spent our senior year getting the station back on the air.

Amos Fisher

I used to work for the station WUVT in 1955 and 1956. Never was on the air, but spent a lot of time beneath the old console chasing loose wires and wires that didn't go anywhere. Also in the steam tunnels, as we were carrier current then, and the FCC would not permit a college station to radiate more than about 500 feet if I remember, so our campus feed was through the power cables. This meant bypassing all of the power transformers on campus to allow 600khz to go around them.

John W. Hudson

I was station engineer in 1955-57, and manager, 1957-58. We heard all of the 'bloody stories' about WUVT in an earlier year when one of the station engineers built a 500 watt transmitter and used a thin piano wire as an antenna so that it would not be seen. The station was heard, however, all the way down in Mississippi. Then the FCC heard about it; some quiet discussion ensued and the big transmitter was taken off the air. The station returned to its three separate 'carrier current' transmitters which connected into the electric power system in the upper quad, the lower quad, and at Hillcrest dormitory where the small contingent of female students resided at the time.

Jess Hancock

In 1953 I entered Tech as an EE freshman, and ham radio enthusiast. Being interested in radio, I stopped by WUVT to see what was going on. I was surprised that WUVT was off the air. Apparently it had been operating "wireless" and the FCC ordered them off the air or possibly confiscated the transmitter. Another freshman EE student, Jim Berry, and I volunteered to build 3 low power 640KHz AM transmitters, perhaps 10 watts each. They were placed at existing carrier current connection points previously established at the War Memorial Gyn, Hillcrest and, I think, Montieth Hall. The transmitters were based on a circuit from the ARRL Radio Handbook and used a 6AG7 crystal oscillator, 6V6 or 6L6 power amplifier and may have had a vacuum tube rectifier too, if memory is anywhere near correct. I don't remember about the audio section. The AM transmitters suffered from a hum on the signal, a typical problem with carrier current systems. In reading through the Alumni listings I have seen references to carrier current operation until about 1968 when the FM system was put in. I wonder if those transmitters lasted that long or when they may have been replaced. Fifteen years is a long time. Someone must have taken good care of them or replaced them - when? I think Jim and I maintained them for a couple years and then we were drawn to other activities. I remember the name John Hudson (55-58) who was Engineer and Manager. Anyone know what the current AM setup is? Maybe I'll get by when I come for our 50th reunion.

1960's

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Phil Beckman

Ah yes... Fall quarter 1966. After a summer of working weekends at home town WBLT in Bedford, VA, it was off to VPI. What? They have a radio station, too? That's far more important than 'double E' math! At the initial meeting of WOOVIT Wannabees, I had an edge because I had worked in real radio! So I, along with Bob Helbush, Lee Thompsen, Jim Camicia, Bruce Wahl, Carlos Roberts, Stan Polotowski, 'Fat Daddy' Wayne, Frank Budd (and his Pittsburgh buddies with their own rock n' roll), Bob Inskeep, Bob Ridle, GM Wayne Cannon, Brenda J. Kibler, Melissa Blodgett, Doug Hall, Scott (the sot) Wainwright, Lex Felker and a dozen or so others I can't recall, all combined to make the big carrier current 640 one kick-ass radio station. With 'room-tone' reverb on our production, cleverly spliced stolen jingles and innumerable Sport Center ads (damn, I could go for a TDC and fries!), we sounded great! What fun! Sadly, I couldn't get as worked up about classes, so after two years... Well, as we used to say, VA Tech has turned out many a great graduate. I, on the other hand, was just turned out. I remember our profanity laced 'Gag Rags' we did on April firsts. Guess we thought that because we were closed circuit, we could get away with it. Which we did. WUVT really began to grow during that time. Plans were laid for FM (broadcasting from atop Lee dorm), actual PAMS jingles were purchased, and the studios moved to better quarters. Wouldn't trade any of that time for anything. Except I do wish I could've graduated from Tech and not elsewhere. On another historical note: The late Jim Synan, who started WBLT in 1950, was one of the 1948 bunch. He told me that the original informal call letters were WFIA for F*** it all!

Charlie "Chuck" Boswell

Here's a success story for you with it's start at WUVT AM in the 60's. I came to VPI in the Fall of 1963 to be an Aerospace Engineer (that had been my career goal since Sputnik went up in 1957). In high school in Roanoke I had acted in a number of plays, so when I saw a poster for auditions for the Fall Play at Tech I decided to go. I got a part in the play and so did a freshman female student. WELL, the morning after our first rehearsal the Freshmen Dorm Mother from Hillcrest went screaming into the Dean of Students Office protesting the fact that one of "her girls" had been out the night before at this 'rehearsal thing' past her 7:30 pm CURFEW!!! Of course, the freshman male students had no curfews but the Dean, in order to appease this madwoman from Hillcrest, issued an edict that "no Freshmen students" could be in the Plays. This put the young girl out of the play and back in her dorm by 7:30 on week nights, but it also put me out of the play. About 3 nights later (when I would have been at rehearsal) I was sitting in the front lounge in Campbell Hall with about a dozen other guys and we were telling lies about how much beer we could drink and how many girls we (well, you get the idea). One of the guys in the group was an upper class EE major who was the Chief Engineer of WUVT. He mentioned that fact and I said something like, "That's interesting". That was all I said and we all went back to telling our lies. About 3 weeks later mid-term grades came out and one of the jocks on the air went below the GPA required to be on the air. In a management meeting about replacing him, the EE from that night's lie-fest said, "I know a guy down in Campbell Hall who wants to be on the air." So, they called me and asked if I wanted to do it and I said 'I don't know, what is it?'. I went to the station, they taught me how to play records and I went on the air Tuesdays and Thursdays from Noon-1:00. After a couple of weeks they put me on Monday-Friday in that time slot, so I was on the air during lunch on November 22, 1963. I found the posting from Bob Hume very interesting because as I remember the events, the teletype machine started ringing off its base, I heard noise and voices down the hall in the teletype closet, then someone came running past the control room door (which was open) and into the production/news room yelling "PUT ME ON, PUT ME ON!!" I potted down the song that was playing and he read the bulletin about JFK being shot. I never remembered who that person was, but it must have been Bob. We read a few more bulletins and then eventually patched in WSLS Radio and aired their news coverage. I never will forget that about 30 seconds after the first bulletin was read, the phone rang. I answered it and it was one of the little old ladies just off campus who used to listen to 'their boys' on the air. She said to me, "It's not nice of you boys to make jokes like that". I had to tell her it wasn't a joke.

In the Winter of 1965, after I had done two cycles of co-op with NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, I realized that the last thing I wanted to be was an Engineer. I was still jocking at WUVT and liked it, so I drove up to D.C., went to the FCC and took the test for my 3rd Class license, resigned school, and proceeded to drive in ever larger circles from Blacksburg, stopping in every town that had a radio station and asking them for a job. Three days later I ended up in Martinsville and was hired at WHEE. I spent the next 40 years in radio and TV, went back to college at Roanoke College and got a degree in Theatre (1974) and ended up owning 3 FM stations in South Carolina. I sold the last two of them in the Summer of 2003, retired and returned home to Roanoke. And it all started at WUVT because VPI had such stupid rules (by today's standards) for its female students.

Patricia Amesurie

I was the first woman DJ way back in the 1964-67 time frame. When I started there were fewer than 200 females enrolled at Tech. At one time I had the early morning show and two nights a week, the late night show. I lived in Hillcrest the first year that I worked at WUVT. Those were the days when the antenna for the station was installed in the huge oak tree outside Squires. I started out as the record librarian and quickly got on the air. I got my FCC 3rd class with endorsements. I had worked in high school as a correspondent in 1962-64 for one of the Tidewater Virginia am stations (WGH) and had some on-air experience. We moved WUVT to an old school and the chief engineer had an old fire alarm surreptisciously connected to my alarm to get me to the station on time after I over slept one morning. At that time I was turning on the station in the mornings and turning it off those late night program days. In between I was taking classes and was very involved in the spelunking "Cave" club. Getting enough sleep was not always a priority!

In my post VPI years I produced two instructional television series through a federal Title IV-C grant and WBRA-TV, the PBS station in Roanoke. A career change took me to California, to Lockheed, where I worked as a systems engineer on such platforms as the SR-71. I also produced several videotape productions for Lockheed, including some in the 'black' arena.

Does anyone remember the story of the very first radar unit in Blacksburg? It was the pride and joy of the police and caused many a Hokie a great deal of grief! The engineers at WUVT 'freed it' from the department, dismantled it and had Tech students mail pieces of it from all over the country. As a student went home, he was asked to mail a package back to the Blacksburg Police department.

My husband and I started Concept Fusion, Inc., in 1997. We are an aerospace idea incubator and work in the space and aeronautics arenas. My husband and I are both retired members of the Advisory Committee for the Department of Aerospace and Ocean Engineering.

Bob Hume

I have many fond memories of WUVT while I was involved from 1963 to 1965 -- four notable things: (1) we were carrier current, so our signal went through the electric lines on campus -- no real FCC regs to worry about -- when we weren't on the air, we patched WLS in Chicago through the Board. (2) I was news director and was cutting Biology Lab when President Kennedy was shot -- I broke that story and stayed with it for several hours. WUVT, like almost all other stations had not experienced a tragedy like this, so between breaking developments, we went back to the rock and roll hits of the day. As a result of that, we (and almost every other station in the country) hung a LP record on a nail on the wall. This was somber music that the DJ could access quickly. Those records are still on some walls of local stations today. (3) Sally Ann Glascock (from Culpepper) and I did a 30 minute news show five nights a week. This was an in-depth news program in the fashion of Huntly-Brinkley. We called it the 10:00 PM report, even had an impressive music intro. (4) As news director, I covered the 1964 Democratic Convention in Atlantic City and called daily reports back to the station. Lots of fun being there.

Randy Jessee

I was a Wooviteer from September 1965 until March 1970 (seems to be something of a trend to the more-than-four-years thing, doesn't there?). In 1965-66, the studios were on the bottom floor of Squires, on the end toward the library. During spring quarter, Bob Inskeep and I split the wake-up shift. I had MWF and he had THS, 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. At least that's what the schedule said.

Woovit in 1965-66 still had an abbreviated programming schedule. We had the 6-8 early shift. WSLS was patched back in from eight until noon. Then we were on straight through until midnight, when WSLS returned from those who were up late. Equipment was also abbreviated. The control room still had the Gates Studioette that saw us through more years than I have knowledge of (the last time I saw it, after finishing school, it was in the basement production studio of WJJJ/WVVV). There were two Ampex 601s and a 602. On the other side of the coin, we had two great Collins cartridge machines and a Collins remote mixer that bore serial number 1.

The staff was great. David Hightower was our top newscaster. He had the Paul Harvey delivery technique perfected. Most of the time, he culled the same items Paul was using from the UPI wire machine. Remember UPI? The Coca-Cola spots on the newscasts paid for the service. And there was the troubleshooting guide, prepared by Chief Engineer Charlie Tyack, that concluded with "10. If all else fails, apply 10-D tool to machine." Rookies (myself included) thought the 10-D tool was some fancy engineers-only item; it was any large foot, strongly applied. And it usually worked.

Carlos Roberts

I could write a lot about this period! I started working at Woovit in the fall of '65, as an engineer, but by the spring I was doing a show, as well as continuing with the engineering. The station was located in the old Squires, in a little area on the side of the building. I had a late show, and the rest of Squires got locked up a 11pm, so if you needed to go to the bathroom you had to put on a very long record, leave and lock the station, and run over to the Library and back! We had a special stack on extra long "bathroom albums", and whenever you heard one of those on the air, you knew just what the DJ was doing! After graduation, my WUVT experience helped me get a job at the FCC, where I worked for 11 years, and from there I launched a career in wireless communications. I am now President of Spectrum Resources Towers, a Falls Church company that owns and operates radio and communications towers, but I credit a lot of my success to the great learning experiences I had at Woovit.

Scott Wainwright

I was a Wooviteer from '66 to '69. I started out reading the news on the 'Tiger Bob' Ridle show, then graduated to my own show, initially under the air name 'Scott the Sot' but quickly (after one quarter) changing to 'Greg E. Lovin', the name I used for the bulk of my time at WUVT (which was only AM then.) I usually had the 4-6 pm show daily, plus I did a Sunday night 'Rose's Show' from 9pm to midnight, sponsored by Rose's Dept. Store. I served as Music Director (loved that job--got to go to Globe Records and buy the 45s that didn't get sent free to the station by the record companies, got to make up the weekly 'Top 64' survey, etc.) then I became Program Director in my senior year ('68-'69.) As PD, I whipped those jocks into line, instituting a rigid almost Drake-like format for WUVT's 20 hours per day of Top 40 rock music. At that time, WUVT's only competition for rock music was WJJJ (AM) and WVVV-FM in Christiansburg, and WUVT sounded about 1000 percent more professional! My time at WUVT also saw service as Production Director, using that razor blade to make the splices involved in making all those spots and PSA's.

Wayne Nystrom

I was a DJ on WUVT from about '66 - '68 (we only had AM then which was broadcast through the electrical system on campus.....but, of course, you already know that). I had an afternoon show about 4/5PM, and I was known on the air as 'Fat Daddy Wayne'. During the Winter exam period of '67, I had the first program to stay on the air during exams (I was changing majors from EE to IE, so I had lots of free time). We ran for about 6-8 hours a day, commercial-free, with lots of requests. Also, I started making phone calls to places like Cecil's (the local beer hall), Pres. Nixon's office, Sen. Ted Kennedy's office, The Pink PussyCat Club in LA, the Russian embassy in DC, a hit radio station in Norfolk/Va Beach (where we ended up doing a simulcast for about 10 minutes), 'Cousin Brucey' from WABC in NY, etc. to ask them to say a few words of encouragement for the students taking exams. It was a big hit and I received calls from many listeners who gave me phone numbers of various celebrities to call. I also received great support from our PD, whose name was Jim Camisha (sp?), who authorized me to make these long-distance phone calls.

I'm currently a 'practicing entrepreneur' in Richmond with various business interests. Glad to see the woovit alumni information being gathered. I was one of the fortunate few who did not flunk out of Tech in the 60's due to spending every waking hour at the station.

Wayne Cannon

During 1968-1969, Carlos Roberts, our Chief Engineer, undertook the daunting task of laying all of the groundwork (or should I say "paperwork") for WUVT's first FM broadcast license. Succeeding me as General Manager, Carlos presided over the purchase and installation of the FM transmitter the following year (1969-1970). I think it was a 10-watt transmitter (I hope Carlos has forgiven me for not supporting his application for General Manager that year, but he earned it and was appointed in spite of me).

One story I will never forget. Chet Rhodes was our "country" announcer. At a Top-40 radio station, he was somewhat of an outcast. Nevertheless, Chet faithfully ran his show in the early a.m. hours every day for several years. One year, Chet had arranged for an up-and-coming country singer to give a concert at Virginia Tech. He wanted WUVT to sponsor the concert. It was difficult to convince these die-hard Top-40 rock-and-rollers to allow their station's name to be associated with a country concert, but Chet managed to convince the right people and pulled it off. If I remember the story correctly, the concert went ok, but it didn't quite make enough to pay the performer. The performer told Chet that if he couldn't draw enough people to make it profitable, he would call it even and would offer to present another concert the following year. The following year's concert was a success. The performer was Johnny Cash. At that time, I had never heard of Johnny Cash. This happened fairly early in my WUVT days (1965-1967, I guess), so I hope Chet will forgive my loose recounting of the events. Anyway, it made a lasting impression on me, because I had never experienced anything but selfishness and rudeness from the rock performers we interviewed regularly. From what I hear around the industry today, things haven't changed.

Lex Felker

Stumbled across your web site and recalled a great 4 years at WUVT; 1968-1972. The FM station started then; it was only 10 watts at the time. Of course, AM was still king in the late 60's. I worked several shifts on AM as well as part time at WJJJ/WVVV. When I first started at WJJJ, FM programming was a 12 hour tape that ran continuously except for news breaks which were simulcast with AM. We convinced Lewis Bagwell at triple J to purchase an early automation system, and programmed the FM 24 hours a day.

Now I'm a telecom business man. Have worked for govt, big companies (Time Warner) and small telcos. Currently consultant.

Michael H. Williams

1968 - 1977 (I hung around for a while). Engineering staff. I was around when FM first went on the air and assisted in construction of the studios. I was involved in the expansion of carrier current to Radford. I also filled out the engineering portion of the FCC application to increase power from 10 W.

In addition to WUVT, I worked at Channel 27 in Roanoke and helped build WQBX ( whatever the current call sign is of 710 KHz)and channel 15 in Roanoke before going to PBS (www.pbs.org) in Washington. I currently work at the PBS Satellite Uplink Center near Alexandria, Va. Married with a daughter.

1970's

The 40's The 50's The 60's The 80's The 90's The 2000's

Robert L. Keeton

WUVT announcer 1968-72. General Manager 1971-72. Current radio work: host/producer of 'Living Successfully', Sundays - 6 to 7 p.m. on WRVA AM-1140, Richmond's 50,000 watt news/talk station. WUVT was a great start into work that's given me excitement, purpose through conversations with people I'd never otherwise meet, and opportunities to see things others often cannot. Example, I'm now editing a show about Richmond's Byrd Theatre - circa 1928. Backstage houses the Wurlitzer Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra. (The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ.) There are 3 rooms of pipes, drums, bells, horns, switches, whistles and wiring. Amazing!!! Saw it all and talked to the folks still making the theater work. Did I mention Disneyland? Or Opry Land? Or...

Lenny Session

I began my tenure with WUVT my freshman year (1972). The best memories of college life were spent in the “old” studio on the third floor of Squires Student Center. I served as the morning wake up DJ from 1972 through 1975. My undergraduate program was in Industrial Arts Education. I spent 14 years as an Industrial Arts Teacher, and an additional 15 years as a Middle School Principal. During my 29 years in public education I returned to Tech to complete a Master’s Degree in Vocational Education - and all but defended a EdD program in Education Leadership. Believe it or not - following my retirement from public education I came back to Tech to currently work as a Communications Officer at the VA Tech Police Department.

Ps. During my time as morning DJ I also produced the background music for the debut routine of the “Techniques” in 1973.

Vivian (Brelsford) Baylor

Years at WUVT: 1970-1972. What I Did: Music Director 1971-72, AM DJ (second woman to do so after Melissa Rust), FM DJ (pioneered "progressive" late night weekend format). Now: not working in radio or media, though I've been on TV this year Music still plays an important part of my life and I am enjoying my 14-year-old daughter "discovering" the Doors, Led Zeppelin, etc. I'm a program manager for Lockheed Martin in Oak Ridge, TN, working on security-related technology development projects. Favorite WUVT memory -- when the engineers got bored one night and patched together the phone systems of rival local stations and made calls to each of them pretending to be the other (you had to be there).

Walter B. Pierce

1970-73 - Walter B. Pierce....aka "Walter B".....would fill in as necessary.... worked primarily in sales/advertising and was promotions director during 1973....worked a short stint at WTVR Radio in Richmond....have left the broadcasting field entirely and now owns a Richmond based heating/cooling/plumbing firm...

Mike Fesko

'72 - '76, Aerospace Engineer, did weekend shows for four years, one quarter served as AM PD. I recall doing a lot of airshifts and commercials, and loving it! I was in the Highty Tighties and am still in the Air Force, but really want to get back into voice work. I've worked part-time in radio as much as a military career would allow, and had my own (weekend) morning radio show in Dayton OH, Warner Robins GA, and Fort Walton Beach FL, as well as part-time work at WLPM/WFOG (Suffolk VA) and WJLY (Currituck/Moyock). Also worked for Davis DeeJays in Annapolis MD. I did some technical voiceover work for MITRE corporation and the Air Force, too.

David R. Jones, Jr.

I was News Director at WUVT from winter 1973 to winter 1974 with an occasional late night fill in on FM. Currently an architect in Roanoke, VA working on projects nationwide. By-the-way, I still have the PICTURES from the station picnic up at the lake!! Any bidders before we make them PUBLIC?

Ernie Kyger

Years at WUVT: 1973-1977 position-am/fm announcer. am program director. after graduation, worked at wqbx (7Q (710 in c-burg); 1978- welk-am charlottesville; 1978- wlee-am Richmond VA; 1978-1993 wwdc am-fm Washington dc (DC101) good times with Howard stern, greaseman, etc; 1993-present- WASH-FM Washington dc and Laing Homes-tysons corner VA.

Graham Wilson

Years at WUVT-1974-1978. Became News Director in 1975. Served as General manager 1976-1978. After graduation, I continued in the broadcasting field as weekend anchor/reporter for WDBJ-TV (Channel 7) in Roanoke. In 1980 worked as the morning news anchor at WVEC-TV (Channel 13) in Norfolk. Went on the WBTV in Charlotte, NC where I got to work with fellow Woovit Alum Bill Foy. Left BT in 1989 to work for State of North Carolina. In 1992 founded Capital Communications Public Relations in Cary, North Carolina. I'm married with one son, Hunter, who has found the spotlight as well as a budding actor!

David Day

Business Manager 1975-1977. Currently: National Sales Manger (North America) for FormScan, PLC. Providing Document Integrity Systems to the Financial, Government and Fortune 500 companies. The best part of the job is I get to drive on the left side of the road 'legally' when I go to our home office in England. Married, no two-legged kids, only one four-legged Akita puppy who thinks she is human.

Tom Fugate

I was at the Woove summer of 1975 to summer of 1978. I did mornings (I was Thomas-inna-Morning 2. Yes Mr. Twine passed his duck on to me.), afternoons and lots of other times. I worked in television news for several years and then went back to school and got a degree in computer science. I now work for a small company doing computer support, programming and lots of other stuff. I live in Southwest Virginia (near Gate City). I manage to get to VA TECH for at least a couple of football games each fall.

Rick Hinson

I was an AM disc jockey in the spring of 1975 and the fall/winter quarters of 1976. My degree work was in Engineering, but I had a close friend who majored in Communications and went on to work in that field. His name was Brett McMillian. He began working at the station before me since it was in his field. I found that I had some extra time in those first quarters and so I would on occasion hang around the station. Brett and a mutual friend was working as newscasters at that point, so I volunteered and became a newscaster. I watched the Brett and others spin records, subsequently this mutual friend made the comment that I took as a challenge, so I volunteered and began to spin records as well.

Paul Kenny

1976-1979. Hosted am radio show (Open Invitation),Play-by-play and color commentation men's baseball and women's basketball. Currently regional sales manager for Chilton Publishing. Married with three sons, Bryan, Brendan and Paul, residing in West Chester, PA.

Mark Calhoon

I did the early morning A.M. shift in 1977/78. I also did 'Classical Corner' on F.M. for about six-months. I was there when Dave McGruder, Karl Beinke (sorry about the spelling Karl), Claudia Chenault, and Sandra McClung were also at the station. I left when I was selected to play guitar for the New Virginians for two seasons. Currently, I am the Planning Administrator for the Newport News Police Department. I also play in a local band in Richmond called 'The Remnants.'

William C. Lukens II

1977 Communications Graduate. I worked at WUVT only a short time as a news reader (I quickly realized I had a voice suitable for newspapers). But I worked with a lot of you folks in the TV studio and in communications classes. Paul Shugrue, Gayle Noyes, Bill Foy, Graham Wilson, and a cast of dozens… Remember the news show we did weekly? (very weakly).

I ended up working for the FAA as an air traffic controller, retired from that in 2005 and now work for Lockheed Martin on their FAA Flight Service contract. I have three children, 27, 25, and 17, and so far, have not had any of them interested in VA Tech. I was hoping for a fourth generation. Oh well, maybe a grandchild in a few years….

Bill Foy

Class of '77 - WUVT FM - Former News Director at WRIC TV, ABC affiliate in Richmond.

Currently Director of Broadcast Operations for the Virginia Tech Media Relations Office.

John T. M. Lyles (JTML)

I started hanging around radio stations as a teen, at WCKM, a 500 watt daytimer that is now dark in South Carolina. I came to VA Tech in 1975, and found WUVT quickly at the Radiothon. I became jazz music director, did the Sat morning jazz show (and afternoon Earplay and Met Opera) from '76-'78. Was CE for WUVT during this period. I worked with Jon Banks, Dave Landers, Bill Brideson, Randy Hudson, Jeff Bevis, Bill Suffa, Bob Crockett, and numerous others converting FM to stereo, and eventually getting to higher power. Also some major renovation of the AM distribution via carrier current during this short period. In my after life, I designed transmitters for Broadcast Electronics, and helped acquire and install one of our babies at WUVT FM around 1984. I think it might still be running there. But its best to go to the following links to learn about WUVT engineering during the period, from my perspective. I put a lot of photos & schematics of the transmitters and antennas here.

Ga Tech's WREK built the first high power transmitter that WUVT later used to get from 10 to 770 Watts. This newly written story (2000) is found with some digging here.

I live in New Mexico, north of Santa Fe, beside a Pueblo near the Rio Grande. I work for University of California, at Los Alamos National Laboratory. I am RF engineer - 'technical advisor' - for a large particle accelerator that produces protons and neutrons for science programs. We use about half the electricity in this part of the state, and the radio frequency output totals nearly 50 Megawatts peak power. I design large RF amplifiers and control systems for them. So I guess I continue to do stuff that evolved from my broadcast background.

Leslie I. Plummer (a/k/a Lise Peyton)

I was at Tech '77-'81, worked at WUVT and in Squires (AVT) all that time. My gigs were getting operations logs into shape for successful renewal and on the air on FM. Some shows were "Morning in Malvern" (Wed 9-noon Celtic), "At the Risk of Seeming Tired" (Mon 10-Midnight, hard rock), and another block 3-6am Sat mornings.

I was there when we went to 3k watts in '79 and helped them raise the actual tower on top of Lee. Lotsa fun in the wind!

When Squires went under renovation, I sent out an APB for all alumni engineers and we met that fateful day with Squires execs to "help them" see the right way to do it. I'll never forget one of the Squires folks asking if "the FCC would mind if we shut down for a year!" The alumni engineers (Bill Suffa, Karl Benhke, John TM Lyles, Jon Banks, Steve Floyd, etc.), Linda DeVito, and I all nearly fell out of our chairs, but we were able to convince them to keep the station up during retrofit.

The current staff heads found a storefront off campus but had no one to move them. Since I was writing/editing/publishing the alumni newsletter at that time, the GM and I were able to corral many alums for a great moving weekend, many parties, and a New River clean up. Great times, indeed.

I've always loved WUVT. Many life friends came from there so I had to think of whatever I could to help and music came to mind.

Martin Britt

I worked at WUVT FM briefly from 1972-74. I mainly did some classical music before the Metropolitan Opera on Saturday Afternoons. I got some culture listening to Milton Cross while studying. I also did some production for a sporadic "Jesus Music " program called the "Arisen Son". I now reside in Indiana and operate a Amateur Radio Station, N9TBV, with a lot more power than Woovit FM had at that time. Class of 1975.

Steve Floyd

Engineer and DJ from 1977 thru 1980. I grew up listening to WGTB-FM in Washington DC in the early 70’s and just fell in love with non-commercial progressive college radio. I arrived at the Woove in the summer of 1977. My first show was on Friday afternoon from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm and I stayed in that time slot for the following 3 years doing "The Ozone Hours" in addition to other shows and times with jazz and progressive rock themes. The show was always about the music and the artists, highlighting progressive jazz, electronic music, and good 'ole space rock. I was also on the engineering staff maintaining the studios and especially the transmitter. Also did live remote broadcasts from clubs around town such as 117 S. Main. For several years I taught radio broadcasting classes sponsored by VA Tech that brought in new talent and helped new DJ’s pass their required FCC license test. My fondest memories are the projects to increase the stations transmit power from 770 Watts to 3,000 Watts which required us to install a new broadcast antenna and rebuild an old RCA transmitter. The day we switched the high power transmitter ON at 3,000 Watts in the spring of 1980 was such a rush! I fondly remember turning on for the first time the old RCA BTF-5 transmitter, which we had spent thousands of hours lovingly rebuilding, and having a blinding flash inside the power supply result in taking half of Lee Hall dark for a while! We were determined to get up and running at our new transmit power of 3,000 watts and eventually we got that RCA museum piece humming. For me, with my engineering knowledge of the station, it was always like flying a space ship when doing a show with all the meters bouncing and great tunes flowing! I really prided myself in maintaining excellent broadcast audio quality through the station audio chain, and with the excellent (at that time) Optimod 8000A audio processor, we really sounded like an audiophile quality station. The WUVT staff in the late 1970’s was a like family; we partied together and worked hard together bringing great non-commercial radio to the area.

I graduated Electrical Engineering in the summer of 1980 and then went on to Johns Hopkins University to earn an MSEE degree in communications systems and radio engineering. Found myself designing radar and communications systems at E-Systems in Falls Church, VA for the next 16 years! In 1996 I joined Advanced Power Technologies in downtown DC, just outside Georgetown (excellent!) designing research facilities. This work keeps me commuting up to Alaska frequently as the Chief RF Engineer for the HAARP Research Station. This is a massive high power shortwave radio transmitting facility used for ionosphere research. Now I've got 180 big transmitters to look after, and I always think back to the early days of transmitter engineering at the Woove.

I live in Fairfax Station, VA with my wife Mary Jo and family. My time at the Woove was one of the best times of my life, and the station is never far from my thoughts as it gave me many passions including a great career in radio engineering.

Bob Ketcham

The Broadcasting Yearbook (1976 edition) says the station went on the air on October 23, 1969. By 1975, we were already already playing a healthy dosage of alternative music (for the time)... and at a higher power than 10 watts.

I graduated in June 1975 after serving as Program Director in '75-'75 and Music Director in '73-'74. My wife, Jan, was Music Director in '72-'73. The station was on the air during my entire time at VT.. '71 to '75. The higher power applications and new transmitter (770 watts) went in '74='75. There were problems after the new transmitter's first year of operations that knocked the staion off the air during or shortly after the summer of '75. The restart date with a replacement transmitter may have been the fall of '75.

The story of the boost from 10 watts in '74-'75 is an interesting story of VT politics. As always, the station was student-run and received next to no funding from the University, just space at Squires. I believe we had acquired a used transmitter, but we didn't know how we would come up with the money for the telemetry required to go beyond 10 watts. We decided to apply to the FCC anyway. Meanwhile, the Roanoke educational station (WVWR at the time) applied to go 100KW. Oops, their frequency (90.1) was too close to WUVT's. And since we had a prior application pending, WUVT could no longer be treated as a 10 watt station and be told to move.

The University decided to make a power play to try to take over the Roanoke station. One problem...we didn't have the money to buy the monitoring equipment to boost the power. So, to keep our application legit, the University paid the price of the new transmitter and the required monitoring equipment. The Roanoke station changed frequencies (to 89.1) rather than cave to VT's takeover attempt. I believe VT managed to take over the station some years later.

Editor's Note: VT did take over the station. It is now WVTF licensed to the Virginia Tech Foundation. They have been kind to WUVT over the years, donating equipment and helping with engineering questions.

Mark Stein (AKA Markenstein!)

At WUVT 1974-1979. News Director 1975; General Manager 1978-79; lots of "whatever" the rest of the time. Took my EE degree and moved to the west coast after graduation to work in Silicon Valley (including Ford Aerospace and Sun Microsystems). It was supposed to be "3-5 years" in California, but has turned out to be more-or-less permanent. Retired to southern Oregon in 2007, and still enjoy listening to the Woovit stream online. Enjoy keeping up with many areas of technology, and visiting Blacksburg on occasion to see how things are changing.

Mark visited the WUVT station in Squires Student Center during the Summer of 24'!

1980's

The 40's The 50's The 60's The 70's The 90's The 2000's

Carol Dedman

I started my service at the Woove under the guiding forces of FM PD Jim Corbley, chief announcer Scott Birdwell and chief engineer Bill Suffa. I can't remember for the life of me remember who was g.m. or business manager, or who any of the AM staffers were at the time. I got my first show that September, every Saturday night from 10p-2a. the show included running the "Uptown Remote" live broadcasts of various bands appearing at 117 South Main. while most folks avoided the shift because they wanted to spin tunes... I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. to this day (and my current job reflects this philosophy) I am a firm believer in the compelling edge that's provided by live, spontaneous radio. back in those days, there really WAS an edge: no 8 second digital delay!

1979-80: during my time running "Uptown Remote" from the studio, and later, as remote director, from on site at 117 and Spanky's, the bands were legendary (okay, in my mind they were!) robbin thomnpson band (was that bruce hornsby on the keys?), Jim thackery and the nighthawks, the Charlottesville all stars, truckers delight, good humor band, the north star band, bill blue band, steady rollin' bob margolin, blue sparks from hell, and many more I'm too sober to remember right now. the local action was equally as happenin': buffalo mountain band, Catawba, crosswinds, the keen, nasty habits aka the twist, the stains aka not Shakespeare, also, a fusion band I want to remember as beached zebra, but I'm not sure... we're talking a decade and a half ago!

Burt Blackburn was the program director, who also hosted a stream of consciousness talk show Sunday nights, "call any vegetable". the man was so much ahead of his time, call any vegetable is not that different from much of the talk we program where I work today (more about that later). 1980-81: I went on to serve as program director, with Cathy (birdwell) smythe, "country wireless", as chief announcer, and Linda (devito) kuchenbuch, "winds of change", as general manager. to this day there is no one that I've encountered in my career who gave me as much encouragement and support as these two women.

Joel Katz

I did a Blues Show called " the Midweek Blues" back in 79 and 80. I was also Marketing Director. I am on a mailing list, but I get everything about a month or so late. Would love to find a reason to come back to B-burg.

Eugene Evon

I started a WUVT in '82 alongside Mike Kender doing a late-night off-the-wall rock show, and the next year alongside and subbing for Russell Torrisi, who played rock from the station on Saturday nights when there weren't any live band remotes coming in from 117 South Main. I hosted what would eventually be genre-fied as a "classic rock" show, off and on from the Summer of '84 through Spring of '86. I was a Co-op student, so I missed some quarters due to paid work. In the Gnu-Music 80's, the Woov grooved mostly in alternative form. My show, "PSYCHEDELICACIES," was one of very few on the schedule that unearthed the fearless improvisational music of the psychedelic era. My thing was to play stuff you never heard on the regular radio. As "classic rock" emerged full-force nationwide, my playlists necessarily evolved to the rarer, more eclectic, and just plain weird. I also featured "theme" shows, with an angle on making them 3-hour tours of music with some kinda connection, however abstract. Of course, my weirdest moments came before I had a permanent show, and I subbed for the overnight shifts when you thought no one was listening. One night around 4 am, a girl calls me up, asked if I was the guy on the radio playing some spacey weirdness. "Um . . . yeah? Wow, you're listening? Cool!" "I am, but not because I want to," she answered. "There's this guy passed out in his car outside my apartment, and he's got your show on REALLY REALLY LOUD and I can't sleep and I'm too scared to go tell him to turn it down. Can you tell him for me?" Great compliment. But, in full service to the fans, I cued up the Doors live version of "Celebration of the Lizard," disengaged the turntable gears, brought up my mic and said, "Hey, it's a beautiful night to lie back in your car, turn up the radio, and watch the stars and listen to the Woove. But, if you're sleeping in a blue car in Terrace View with the station on real loud, I have a message for you:" I scratched the Jim Morrison scream "WAKE UP!" back and forth several times. Ahh, the power of radio. These days (2002) I'm in Silicon Valley, a currently-job-seeking veteran of the software startup wars, far away from radio. But I keep my fingers in the entertainment biz doing artwork (I designed a WUVT t-shirt in '85) and multimedia lightshows for jambands and the like (www.EvonGrafix.com). My wife Naomi and I also help manage some Bay Area musicians and licensing of the artwork for the estate of John Kahn (Jerry Garcia's long-term compadre, bass player and musical director in all variations of the Jerry Garcia Band since 1970). We've been married a year...and she was a college radio DJ in her day, too, at U of Oregon. Small world.

Mike Kender

I was a DJ for two quarters around 1982 on WUVT-FM. I did a 1960's show from Midnight to 3AM one night a week. My partner for one quarter was Eugene Evon. Eugene is now married and living out in Silicon Valley. He was last sighted working for a software company during the day and doing concert lightshows at night and on weekends. He also does freelance graphic arts work on the side. My partner for the other quarter was a guy named Jim whose last name escapes me after 20 years. I am currently living in New Jersey and am working as a bond analyst for Salomon Smith Barney in Manhattan. My wife Lisa and I have one daughter, whose musical tastes currently are dominated by Elmo and his Sesame Street posse.

Steve Riggan

I'm Steve Riggan, a WUVT alumnus stradling the "Disco 70's" and the "GAM GAM 80's". I was at WUVT from 1979-1982 and did a bunch of things - News (early on), a Jazz program or two, Publicity Director somewhere around 1980, and Business Manager from 1981-1982 under the infamous (or famous) General Manager of Linda DeVito. I also dabbled in the Engineering room and did a couple of remote music broadcasts from what was then 117 S. Main St. (bar and general WUVT hang-out). During my time there, WUVT started broadcasting Va. Tech Baseball on 90.7 FM, I think it was in 1981.

I am currently employed in the auto industry in the Detroit area. My current job is project-leading computer business application software development and installation.

Bob Niles

I was at the station from around 80-84 and programmed most kinds of music from the Archives to John Zorn, real fun. Now I'm a research scientist at Colorado State Univ., but I'm looking for a job in the information economy.

Paula Coleman

(81-85) AM & FM DJ; assistant AM PD; and AM PD in `85. Had the pleasure of dealing with the near mutinity of the staff when the choice was made to turn the AM station into 'rhythm radio.' First FM slot was a hardcore show; then did 'new music' & finished out with dance/funk. Currently living in Las Vegas, & working at a National Public radio affiliate as local host of NPR's 'Morning Edition.'

S. J. Bonasera

'81 to '84: new music, some weird stuff, 20th century classical producer: Geneva Convention, Artistic Dick, Mod Dirge in San Francisco now, a short walk from the Golden Gate Park and the Pacific.

Dave Cowan

1981-1985: I was the world's worst chief engineer...I think it was 1982-1983...but I wrote well and at least got us a grant for a brand-new B.E. transmitter that John Lyles came out from Illinois to help install. I also did a couple years of Hokie baseball play-by-play. Did 5 years of radio in Blacksburg, Charlottesville and Roanoke then moved here (Bozeman MT) in 1991 to start up a new rock station. Now am splitting my time between our ranch (emus, llamas, horses and many dogs & cats) and work. In the summer I do weekends and vacation fill on our 3 stations (rock -- AC -- news/talk) and in the fall and winter I do play-by-play for high school sports and minor league hockey. Married to Jackie Loeser since 1995.

Chris Rehm

Hi--Chris Rehm here, aka Johnny Fire. Did a number of shows in 1982-1983, and again in 1989-1991. Lots of new music, oldies etc. Mookie and I did a performance art show in 1990 or so that was pretty cool. I went on to work for a couple of years as a tour manager/sound engineer for various people and led a couple of bands, Digital Witchcraft ( a B-burg act) and Rhythm of Souls (Wash DC band) now in Arkansas finishing my computer engineering degree, I will be moving to Hudson mass in June to start a job with Intel as a silicon design engineer.

Kathleen Eaton-Robb

General Manager, 1986-87. My most memorable moment at WUVT: We were planning the impending Squires renovation and WUVT relocation. At a meeting of the media board, the chair of the media board (an administrator whose name escapes me) stated, 'I don't think the FCC would mind if WUVT shut down for a year and a half while Squires is being renovated.' My pal Greg Greer, editor of the CT and late night WUVT d.j. shouted 'Blasphemy!', as I was too shocked to say anything. Needless to say, we convinced the administrator that yes, the FCC would have a problem with us shutting down for such an extended period of time. Good thing we were able to change her mind, considering that the Squires renovation took four years and not a year and a half! I know many people who thought the temporary home on Main Street was ugly and dingy, but it was a beautiful sight to me!

Pete Larkin

I worked for WUVT from 1983 through 1985. In 1982-1983 I was a Sports Reporter. In 1983-84 I was Assistant Sports Director and did color commentary and play-by-play for Virginia Tech baseball broadcasts. In 1985, I was Sports Director and again did play-by-play for baseball in addition to covering football and basketball and handling sportscasts. I also did stringer work for a variety of radio stations and networks along the east coast.

I got married in September 1990 to the former Susan Graham ( a JMU graduate). We live in Southwest Roanoke County and we're expecting our first child in four short weeks! A cat, Chessie, has been our lone companion for the past five years!

Buddy Wright

I was the sports director during the 1983-84 school year and did the baseball broadcasts in 1984. I'm currently in Danville, Va., where I'm a sports writer for the Danville Register & Bee.

Rodney Davis

I did a Friday evening Hip-Hop and House music show which introduced Tech and the New River Valley to these new and emerging music forms. I started on AM in early 1985 and quickly graduated to FM. My FM show which aired from 85' to 87' played uncensored hard core rap and house. Check the station file from that era for the numerous complaint letters from the concerned parents in the New River Valley. I appreciate the management from that time for their support and encouragement. I now own a music, talent and event promotions company in DC.

Joey Buot

I'm Joey Buot (aka 'The Boo'). I was a DJ at WUVT from about 1985 to 1987. I started on AM (Ron Thigpen was AM PD then, and gave me a spot). I got to be active there and I guess as a reward, I got my first FM spot after only 3 months on AM (thanks Butch). And in the two years I was there, I had a late night show where I played classic rock (Sat 1 AM to 4 AM). I did some of the dance shows and actually most of my FM experience was new music (Wed 1PM to 4 PM). Toward the end of my reign, I did New Age/Jazz Wednesday nights. I served as an assistant News Director and assistant Music Director. We used to have staff meetings at the Cellar. My times at WUVT were some of the most memorable times I had at Tech.

I now live in Harrisonburg (just up the road) and work as an engineer at a large pharmaceutical plant here. When I first moved here, JMU was trying to start it's own radio station and I took a little part in the effort. But they made the mistake of booking Gwar to play on campus. It was a great show, but a couple of people got hurt and there was a lot of property damage in the building where the concert was held. Needless to say, they could not get anyone (from JMU) to help get them get a radio station started, so the idea died...until about 2 years ago. WXJM now jams in Harrisonburg, playing mostly (if not all) New Music. It's real cool, but not as cool as WUVT ever was.

Michelle Gienow

1986-1988: AM & FM dj, assistant promotions director, suffered through plenty o' radiothons, and had a mixed discs show playing whatever (for a while I was known as 'the girl who always plays lloyd cole', gawd, what can I say, it was the 80s) and then a Friday night art rock show where I'd get calls from frat guys to play Louie Louie.

I now pay my bills as a freelance photographer and writer living and working in Baltimore, Maryland.

Dave Snyder

1986-1988: I did a little of everything at WUVT in my years there...worked as a news reporter under Pat Robb, DJ on AM, helped Dave Everett crawl through steam tunnels...Mostly, though, I spent my time at (old) Tech Park watching the hammerin' Hokies and trying not to freeze while broadcasting from that lovely ramshackle booth we used. Most knew me as 'Al' because Dave Everett had laid claim to 'Dave.' Now I'm currently finishing a dissertation on the history of technology and national security policy at Texas A&M and seeking gainful employment in academia...yeah, right, not in this job market.

Lynda Allen

I graduated from Tech in '89 and "worked" at WUVT from '86 to '89. I had various AM and FM shows with those great overnight shifts and finally got an afternoon New Music Show. I was also the Office Manager for a while and started the infamous secretaries notebook (for those who remember it). I am currently not working but am a grad student at American University for Film and Video.

George Bready

Assistant engineer 86-87, chief engineer 87-88, general manager 88-89. As I once said in a program guide: WUVT is the most fun as a person can have with an electric appliance legally (at least in most states). My WUVT days were great ones, mostly spent in the old bank building at ground zero on Main Street. I helped Mike Blau with the move from Squires to Main Street, but he gets the real credit there, along with Jeff Bevis. Technically things went fairly well during my tenure, although the transmitter had its problems 'cuz it got some damned hot up in the Lee Hall penthouse. Biggest Tech excitement was when we had to determine that we weren't nuking the kids in Lee Hall. Bevis, some alum from D.C. and I went all over the top floors of Lee Hall measuring RF levels. There were some rumors of us irradiating some kids, but hey, we all turned out okay, right?

GM position was tons of fun, just tried to keep us legal. My philosophy was that if you couldn't find it elsewhere on the dial, it should have a home at the Woove, which included old (NOT classic) rock, alternative Christian (?), and even those damned baseball games, much to the chagrin of the dress-in-black disaffected youth crowd. Of course, I had lots of help from my great staff: Sandy and Kristin have already reported their memories (warped, no doubt, by multiple Dead shows!), Howard, Eva, Roger, Ron, Amy and all the rest of the Wooviteers.

Did some real radio after the Woove in Roanoke and Indiana, then an MS at Purdue and JD at Missouri. Missouri had great college radio (KCOU) where I did the retro show (look ma! I'm retro!) basically playing the same stuff I did at the Woove, alternative 60-70-80 stuff, and mocking MTV retro crap like Duran Duran and Tainted Love. I'm still married after all these years (the Woove was probably one of the greatest strains on my marriage!), and have a great daughter. I'm glad I never spent too much time in the Tech tunnels...I'm now a plaintiff's asbestos attorney in Dallas, TX, and I see what steam pipe insulation exposure does to people. Don't worry, I only wear ties to court!

Roger Fang

'86-'90: I did lots of shows starting with late night and ended up hosting what the station called 'Old Rock' which most people know as Classic Rock. I am currently living in Denver, CO, where there is lots of cool college music on the radio. I am a Senior Programmer at Commercial Testing & Engineering, Co.

Kristin Reed

Now Kristin Treado; Business Manager 1988-89; On-air staff 1987-1990; My big claim to fame would be...as bus.mgr, I purchased the first cd players for WUVT. In those days, we were still playing records, but the record companies were starting to send us cd's and we didn't have anything to play them on. For those of you who remember way back, we were downtown on Main Street in those days, because Squires had been shut down for 4 years of renovation!!!

Now I'm married and do visual merchandising for Urban Outfitters in Washington, DC.

Sandy McGuire-Matthews

Wow, it's been a long time since I thought about an orgy! I was office manager in 88-89(?) and business manager ('89-90). Either those years or '89-91. Can't remember. Also worked a few years at the world reknowned Rock 105. They still around? Now living in beautiful Burlington, Vermont and working way too much as a clothing designer at Cornell Trading. Also helping with my husband's business 'Boogady'--making oh-so-hip corduroy and hemp clothing.

Where's George Brady (general manager)? Carrie Colliton (station manager)? Ron Thigpen (music director)? Paula? Eva? Good to know Butch is still around--some things never change!

Joe Provo

1988-89: late night DJ (few sub-ins on FM, mostly in the hellish bowels of AM). I went on to WPI in Worcester, MA and three years of late-night community radio on WICN. I've been doing a lot of computers and networking since 1990.

Paul Vail

Alum on the air for two years 88-90 as far as the brain cells can recall, had a morning Jazz show, evening Jazz (weekends), and a Classic/whatever freeform Rock show while working the labs in Davidson Hall. Have migrated to Wilmington (can we say beach), NC as an independent consultant. Live on a sailboat and generally get bad sunburns during the weekends. Still manage to migrate back to the 'burg for some quality time hiking with the dog.

Jane Koehler

I was a DJ my freshman year '89-'90. I did a show on early eighties rock. The second semester I didn't sign up soon enough and got a lousy time spot (Mondays at 6am) and no one listened to me so I didn't DJ after that. I was traumatized by the early morning hours! I am now working as a Program Coordinator at the Center for Communication Programs in Baltimore, and getting a Master's degree at night from Johns Hopkins University.

Keith Thompson

I worked for WUVT from Jan '85 to Aug '86. I eventually did the Thursday night classic rock slot on the FM and I was also the program director for the AM and oversaw the format change from the dreaded "dance trax" to contemporary and progressive rock. I remember during the summer coming in for about an hour a day to take the AM off the FM simulcast to make sure the beer commercials got aired. I guess my main claim to fame was getting an anonymous mention in the "Dear Oz" advice column in the C.T. I was playing some early Queen when Oslo bounded into the studio and I thought he was going to beat me up. Instead he thanked me for playing it and the next day he interrupted his column to mention hearing early Queen on WUVT from before when Freddie came out of the closet. I just wish he'd mentioned my name. I was also known for creating a local hit with a band from West Virginia called Stark Raven who did a really cool remake of "Whiter Shade Of Pale" with a female lead singer, violin and cello replacing the organ and opening and closing the tune with "Pachabel's Canon in C#" (the classical piece featured in those G.E. Soft White light bulb commercials with the Mom and daughter). I left WUVT my Junior year when Pat Robb helped me get a job with WFNR in Christiansburg, at the time a country station. After graduation in '88 I worked for a couple of small AM stations in Virginia before taking on afternoon drive at the old WSLC-AM in Roanoke. I'm now the music director and assistant program director at WXCY-FM, a country station in Havre de Grace, MD where we serve the Wilmington, DE and Baltimore, MD markets. I currently voice track overnights and do vacation fill-in and a weekend shift. I did nights for 8 and a half years before taking on APD duties. I've also been songwriting and recording home demos in hopes of getting a rock band started. I live in Middletown, DE with my wife Vicki and our three cats.

Ken Schubert

I was on air at WUVT from 1980-84 and really enjoyed spinning discs during what happened to be a great time in the music industry. My show was called "Oblique Strategies" and over three hours I'd get to play music from a wide variety of genres, something you couldn't do on any other radio station. Back then U2 was relatively unknown, and I remember seeing a very young and shy acoustic guitar player by the name of Michael Hedges play at "Kennedy's". I was also involved in the local live music scene , mixing for a fusion band named "Beached Zebra" and doing some 4 track recording with various musicians from Tech in the basement of our house on Broce Drive. Sounds crude today, but back then it was some high tech shit! All that mischief led me to my current career as chief engineer at Cue Recording in Falls Church,Va. where I'm once again fortunate to work with all different sorts of music. College radio is an awesome thing, enjoy the freedom it affords you- the world outside is not as open -minded! Cheers!

Ginny S. Gillikin

I hosted a "new music" show from 1988 to 1991. In addition to alternative music, I played blocks of dance tracks, speed metal, Gothic music, etc.--a lot of variety! I am currently an intern at Deep South Records in Raleigh, NC, where I write CD reviews and do graphic design. I also proofread for the Raleigh Downtowner, a monthly newspaper, and write for the City Insight magazine.

1990's

The 40's The 50's The 60's The 70's The 80's The 2000's

Tom Glaab

I was chief geek in 90-91 until I got a job that paid better than... well, just don't count on that WUVT honorarium.... Started doing AM Heavy Metal show in 87 or so with Dave Johnson. Moved up to FM overnight with dj, and when he graduated I got a primetime show. Late-night is much easier on the schedule, so I gave up the prime slot and subbed anything but dance and did the engineering thing.

My accomplishment (if you can call it that) as enginerd was to map the neglected AM system and get it broadcasting on campus so the PR department could sell advertising on it.

Now I'm working for the Department of the Navy in Charleston, SC doing communications things.

Matt Findley

I worked at the station between 1989 and 1993. I really enjoyed the record library and playin' crusty blues. ...Just about finished school here at Clemson and am lookin' to move on to greener pastures.

Kevin Burch

Metal, Metal, & more Metal 89-94; Hosted metal shows was also P.R. Director, Metal Music Director, Co-Music Director. Currently in Nova area working as videographer for C-SPAN television.

Jeff Radcliffe

(Off and On) Fall 1991 - Spring 1995 DJ'ed nearly every format - and was a sports reporter/baseball play-by-play guy. And, I think I was taken off the air for an entire semester once!

Now - known as Ross Chandler at WXLK - K92 in Roanoke, I am the weekend air personality, sports director, and even was the morning show co-host/news anchor after Sally Sevaried left for Richmond. -- No big deal - I STILL have no talent! I work full time in television as the Production Manager at FOX 21/27. Do a little news stuff too.

My advice to young Wooviteers: You don't need to be good to work in radio...you just need to have a huge personality, and be able to talk and dance just like the Spice Girls!!"

Kevin Leclaire

Business Mgr: Fall '92 to Spring '93 Best DJ experience: Subbing once for DJ Divine 'More requests in 1 nite than 4 months of Sun 3-6am' Currently: Traveling the world at GE corporate expense, but the hours are hell...Still a poet at heart.

Kerry E. Clendenon

I was remotes director from 1992-3, and business manager in the summer of 93. I am currently pursuing my PhD in AgEcon here at Tech. I am married, and have two beagles, Hokie and Tucker.

Elliot Gibbs

I was a DJ from the fall of 1992 until the spring of 1994. I had a jazz show and a new music show during those brief years. I remember being offered the 12:00 AM to 3:00 AM show on Monday's which I considered a great honor. Unfortunately; Environmental Law on Tuesday mornings forced me to pass on the time slot to someone else.

In the Spring of 1996 I applied to AmeriCorps*VISTA. I was accepted into a program that was sponsored by The EPA dealing with issues of Environmental Justice in Chester, PA which is a Borough of Philadelphia. Chester and Philadelphia opened my eyes to issues of our environment which I never thought possible.

After my term with AmeriCorps*VISTA I moved to Richmond, VA to start work with an environmental non-for-profit. I am currently a Field Manager. I like the issues we are working to change.

After my experiences with an Environmental Non-Profit in Richmond, VA, I went back to school at Radford University. The goal was for me to become a science teacher. At the time RU had a program that best suited my needs and AmeriCorps helped going back to school that much easier. I spent two years at RU taking education classes plus a few graduate level science classes in addition to student teaching.

In the Fall of 2000 I started my new career as a science teacher. For the next two years I taught in a SMALL town outside of Winston-Salem, NC. My only excuse for ending up there versus teaching in VA was the SOLs. I did not want to have to worry about The SOLs in my early teaching years. Needless to say, the small town in NC (Mocksville) did not quite float my boat. The school was supportive enough but I did not fit in with the Local-Yokels. To make matters worse, I rented a room in a house whose landlord was a UVA graduate.

During my second year in NC, I kept in close contact with a buddy of mine (future teacher) from RU. He found a job with The Powhatan County Public Schools. He informed me that Powhatan was looking for a science teacher. I interviewed and was offered the job. Initially, I spent three years and The Junior High School teaching Physical Science. At the end of my third year, the county offered me a position at The High School. This is my second year at The High School where I am now teaching Earth & Space Science.

As a final note, I am now happily married. We are about to celebrate our six month wedding anniversary. She is the best thing that ever happened to me.

Upma Singh

I was at WUVT from 1993-1997. while at WUVT I did 20th century classical, jazz, new, night art& international music shows. I created the Indian hour, which has now flourished considerably. I was at one time or another part of the production staff, the promotions staff, and the music staff. I was FM PD for the year of 95-96. I'm in grad school now. I hope to make lots and lots of money so I can buy cool stuff and travel to exotic lands. I'm also hoping to break into the film industry one of these days.

DeMond Owens

Fall '93 - Spring '97; Hip Hop Music Director; Remotes Director; Hip Hop DJ; Remotes DJ; Working for Virginia Cooperative Extension as Area Information Technologist.

DJ Ndlovu

I am a WUVT and Virginia Tech alum. I was urban music director in 1993 ? 1994 and held down the Friday 9pm ? midnight show during that same period.

By day I am a principal with a Northern Virginia based Consulting Company. In my other life I manage and run my own production company pH Music and am a member of the groups O.U.O and Zimbabwe Legit

John W. Euill, III

I was a DJ during the Summer of '94. My spot was 3am - 6am on Sundays. The format was Jazz. My show was called The Jazz Express. I'm currently working at Verizon Business as a Unix Engineer.

Susie Harris

I DJed in 95: Acid Jazz & Trip-Hop!! I've been in San Francisco for 7 years and have owned my own interior design firm for almost 4 years! Check it: www.susandianaharris.com

2000's

The 40's The 50's The 60's The 70's The 80's The 90's

Greg Zumbrook

WUVT, oh the fun times! I had a downtempo electronic/trip-hop show. My favorite semester was Spring 2001 when I had the Sunday night, 9-midnight timeslot and was information systems manager. It was fun checking out the webcast server to see how many listeners there were during my show and where in the world they were listening from (had some in Canada, Australia, the west coast…actually got a call from the west coast once.)

Now living back in Northern Virginia working as a network engineer, I miss WUVT greatly. We have no radio station up here quite like that one. I'm taking grad school classes at George Mason and have heard their campus radio station… it's pretty much a commercial station clone with indie/underground stuff thrown in very sparingly. I'm fairly certain they don't have the freedom to play what they want like WUVT Djs do. They are pretty much commercial station DJs in training over there.