THIS STORY IS PRESENTED IN PART BY DRAKE DENTISTRY
On today’s episode of WIZS’ Town Talk, originally aired September 15, John Charles Rose, owner and operator of WIZS and primary Town Talk host, was on the receiving end of questions posed by new guest host Brandon Boyd.
Many in the community may recognize Boyd from Boyd Chevrolet Buick GMC.
Celebrating its 65th anniversary this year, Boyd asked Rose how the vision for WIZS, which has been on the air continuously since May 1, 1955, has changed over the decades. Rose replied he believes the station’s vision has remained mostly unchanged.
Purchased by Rose Farm & Rentals on June 1, 1989, under president John D. Rose, III, Rose said his father’s vision for the station has always been to support and promote the local community.
“My dad’s vision for the radio station at that time, and for most of his tenure before passing away in 2007, was ‘of Henderson, by Henderson and for Henderson,’ with a webpage, social media and a little better throw on FM towards Oxford added,” said Rose.
Since first flipping the switch to enter the airwaves in 1955, WIZS has broadcast on 1450AM. At exactly noon on August 17, 2018, WIZS flipped the switch again to add 100.1 FM as a live simulcast.
With FM added, Rose said another of his father’s visions for the station was realized. “Getting FM was a several years-long process,” explained Rose. “It was something my father always wanted to do, but there was never quite the right time, quite the right apparatus, quite the right opportunity or quite the right amount of money to make it happen.”
When the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) opened a filing window for smaller stations to join the FM airwaves, Rose said the timing was right for the station to apply for a licensed FM translator, a “full-fledged FM station.”
With its ability to reach a younger audience more familiar with the FM format, the simulcast helps ensure a viable future for WIZS as a provider of local news, sports, music, talk and entertainment.
“We want to be a community radio station,” Rose said. “We want to engage young people in what’s going on in the community.”
When Boyd, who stated “every day, people in this area trust you for the news,” asked Rose to describe what the community’s respect means to him, Rose replied he doesn’t think he has earned it just yet.
“I don’t think I can earn that,” he elaborated. “I think that I can only strive to earn it. People like the late John D. Rose, III, my dad, and also Bob Harrison that worked at WHNC in our community, have set the bar extremely high in what local community radio is able to do from the standpoint of offering local news.”
In further discussing WIZS’ history, Boyd and Rose fondly remembered the “unique individuals” that have made WIZS both entertaining and informative over the years.
“There is a cast of characters that goes down in history – some in infamy – but there were some great, great people,” said Rose. “A radio station is not better than its people, and all radio stations and organizations are bigger than one person.”
In summing up his first guest host appearance, Boyd said, “Not only was it an honor to host an interview with John Charles on Town Talk; it was a true privilege. The Rose family and WIZS are assets to the Henderson and the Tri-County area and have been a part of all of our lives for many years now.”
“As for people that are new to this area,” Boyd continued, “I believe it is a story that needs to be shared and deserves to be told as to how this radio station has not just survived but has grown to become Henderson’s voice. John Rose was truly an ambassador for this area and his son John Charles is proudly leading the effort today. How fortunate we are to have WIZS 1450AM and now 100.1 FM: Henderson’s Trusted Community Voice.”
To hear the interview in its entirety, go to WIZS.com and click on Town Talk.