1950-1959 WSB EVENTS
1950’s - WSB Barn Dance went off the air.
1950’s – The Kitchen Klub was one of the most popular shows on WSB. Panelist, including George Crumbley, Bett Johnson, and Lee Morris, rated records, drank coffee, and chatted with guests.
1950’s – Another popular program which paid listeners to identify tunes was “It Pays To Listen”. Bob Van Camp played the tunes on the organ.
1951– Elmo Ellis becomes program director and revitalizes the station. He pronounced WSB America’s Radio Active Station, and penned a list of 100 pointers for radio managers across the country. The list was published by BMI and Ellis began to gain notoriety for his innovative ideas.
1951- WSB wins a Peabody for The Pastor’s Study.
1953 – WSB wins a Peabody for the Broadcasting Magazine article by Elmo Ellis, “Removing The Rust From Radio”.
1955 – Nightbeat, an interview program began. The host was Jerry Vandeventer. Reporters on the show included Jim Wesley and Charlie Welsh. The program attracted celebrities and a national audience.
December 28, 1955 – Jerry Vandeventer does the final broadcast from the studios in the Biltmore Hotel.
December 29, 1955 - WSB signed on from its new studios at White Columns on Peachtree. The first broadcast was done by Mike McDougald.
April 8, 1956 - White Colums on Peachtree is officially dedicated.
1959 – WSB establishes the first news broadcasting conference. High school students and their teachers were invited to White Columns to see firsthand the day to day operation of a radio station. WSB gave awards to students who wrote the most impressive account of their visit. Some, interested in radio careers, received scholarships to the University of Georgia.
© The Georgia Radio Hall of Fame, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) non profit organization.