WSB Radio History

In 1967, Ernie Adams joined the newly formed Cox Broadcasting Corporation at its Atlanta headquarters as chief engineer of Cox's nationwide broadcasting properties, including WSB Radio.  "He was a pioneer in broadcasting, and a key player in the growth of Cox Broadcasting," said Elmo Ellis, former GM of WSB Radio.  "He didn't just see that programming got on the air but designed equipment and studios, all the technical responsibilities that an ordinary person didn't think about."
PRIOR: In 1935, a young technician named Ernie Adams helped get James M. Cox's first radio station -- WHIO in Dayton, Ohio -- on the air,  He later became the station's chief engineer and a major player in the development of one of the largest broadcasting businesses in the country.
AFTER: He retired in 1976 as vice president in charge of engineering.
TODAY: Ernie Adams died July 1, 2003.  He was 89.  

The incredibly talented and handsome Jim Axel is best known for his contributions to Atlanta TV.  But his career had its roots with WSB Radio.  Jim wrote to us about his time at WSB: I began at WSB Radio .. as most of us did.. as a street reporter covering stories and doing interviews.. but 10 days after I started Elmo Ellis called me into his office and asked if I felt I could handle the assignment of Night News Editor. WOW. Night News Editor at the 50 Thousand Watt, Clear Channel Voice Of The South!! What an opportunity !!
I had no idea if I could handle that position or not.. but I believe I told Mr. Ellis I would give it my best.. and I tried to do that for the next 2-1/2 years.
Did I make mistakes?? SURE !   Did Mr. Ellis bring them to my attention?? SURE - IMMEDIATELY !! Did it help me improve as a newsman?? You better believe it !! Lessons that stayed with me for decades !!
Being Night News Editor began each day at 3pm with a recording session..(commercials and promo's) Had to be quick.. because you had to do a 2-3 minute newscast at 3:30.. then another at 4:30.. another at 5:30.. and the biggie.. the 6-6:15 news (brought to you by Budweiser, see picture to the left!).. then a quick 6:30 before heading out for a bite.. then back to play records from 8pm to 9pm..
leading up to Jerry Vandeventer and his heralded NIGHTBEAT. (Sad to hear that Jerry has left us) There were several other short news briefs before the 11PM Pinnacle of the day: FIVE STAR FINAL NEWS.. BROUGHT TO YOU BY FIRST FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN !! To show you the power of WSB 750AM at that time.. my Mother would listen to my 15 minute newscast every weeknight.. at her home in Minnesota!!
PRIOR:  My tenure at WSB Radio was from November of 1959.. until April of 1962...(2-1/2 years).. but WSB's influence on my career began early in 1957.. when Bob Peterson (WSB Radio Morning News) Interviewed me at his old school in Minneapolis, MN.  I was a U.S. Navy veteran.. and began broadcasting 6 months earlier (1956) at KANO Radio in Anoka, MN.  Two days after that interview I had been hired as a combo man (Announcer &Engineer) at a new 1000 watt station about to go on the air in Canton, Georgia.  (Broiler Capital of the World!!  but that's another story)   Bob's CO-manager at WCHK was Mike McDougald (WSB Radio Morning Show Host).  From March of 1957.. until October of 1959 when I left for WSB Radio in Atlanta.. I had learned so very much from these two about quality broadcasting.. the integrity of news... and a local radio stations service to a community. They were exceptional people to work for.. and with.

Marcus is a WSB institution.  He joined WSB in 1930 as a part time piano player, bedtime story teller and staff announcer.  In 1940 he finally decided to make WSB his life, where he went on to serve as production director, sports announcer, music director and other odd jobs.  He later made the move to WSB TV.  He moved up the ladder to become executive vice president for Cox Broadcasting.  He retired from Cox Broadcasting in December 1975.  Read the complete history of Marcus Bartlett and hear a clip from a broadcast in the 1930's at our special tribute page.  •Click here for that.

Bruce Bartley Walrath was a no-nonsense news anchor with a great voice and demanding standards for newscasts.  He joined WSB in 1965 and was best known for anchoring the 6PM Evening News show.  Bruce was admired by all who worked with him for his professionalism as a broadcaster.  He was also admired though for working each day despite a disability that might have sidelined other men. 
The Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote about Bruce's disablilty in 2003.  Mr. Walrath was stationed in Germany as an Army tank driver when he had a freak accident in 1957. Live electrical wires hit his tank, sending a blast of electricity through his legs and burning them like charcoal. Both legs were amputated. The 23-year-old was sent to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, where he was fitted with artificial legs and began a year of rehabilitation.   He never looked back. "Bruce rarely discussed the loss of his legs," said his wife, Barbara N. Hamilton of Lake Havasu City, Ariz. "He just went on with life."   Colleagues were amazed at the way he handled disability. "I frankly didn't even know he had artificial legs until I had worked with him for six months," said Don Baird. "It never held him back in any way."  Mr. Walrath danced, drove, water-skied, swam and took delight in fooling his doctors. "He always got a big kick out of going to new doctors for a check up," said his wife. "They would try to find a pulse in his feet and would look very bewildered when there was none."
There are many stories about Bruce Bartley, but one stands out. Howard Gunter recounted the story to the AJC in 2003.   During the 1966 Atlanta firemen's strike, the firemen's union had reached an angry impasse with the city. "Bruce succeeded in getting the firemen to agree to a conference with Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. That meeting brought about the end of the strike. Someone asked why the firefighters went along with Bruce's suggestion, and their response was: 'We trust him.' Bruce was that sort of fellow," Mr. Gunter said.

Pat continued in the tradition of WSB hiring great women to be on the air long before it was in fashion.  As was usual in the 60's, Pat was a "staff announcer", which meant she did interviews, news , commercial recording and writing.  Pat is best remembered as the primary reporter selected to provide coverage of Martin Luther King Jr.'s funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church.  Pat says "I was the only white woman there in a crowd of male reporters. Those were pioneer days for women in news -there were alot of barriers to break back then and WSB gave me the opportunity to do that."

Jimmy is best remembered by his long time friend Elmos Ellis who wrote the following on January 22, 2005:  Jimmy joined WSB, fresh out of the U. of Ga., in the spring of  1940.  I came along a few weeks later.   So he was my first WSB friend.   He and Jo married while they were still in college.  So he was married when WSB hired him. He was a superb news reader and editor.  Very articulate. Careful to get all names and pronunciations correct.  Kept a very close watch on news reports, both domestic and foreign, and was extremely well informed. He anchored major WSB newscasts.  During World War II, he served in the Air Corps as a flight instructor at various air bases in Texas.  Taught many of the
nation's air aces how to fly. When WSB-TV went on the air, he was the first news caster on television in the South, and did the inaugural newscast on WSBTV,  Sept.28, 1948.  He continued to also do newcasting on WSB Radio until promoted to an executive-management sales position with the station. He coached many WSB newly-hired announcers and news reporters.  Supervised commercial production. He was also a talented actor and played roles on many WSB comedy and dramatic productions.  Great sports lover, he worked with a group of WSB staff members doing freelance coverage of sports broadcasts, including auto races.  He was a fine singer, and an active freelance commercial announcer.  I used him continually on freelance work that I produced for both radio and TV. He sang for years in his church choir at Peachtree Road United Methodist church.  He and Jo celebrated their 66th anniversary in 2004.  Two wonderful married and successful daughters.  JoAnne Cooper and Jean Hendrix. and several grandchildren. He was intelligent, had a great sense of humor, one of my oldest and dearest friends.  Elmo Ellis

Collie was a groundbreaking African-American broadcaster and made history at White Columns.  He writes: "I joined WSB In the fall of 1969 as an FM Silent jock under Guy Arledge and Bob Van Camp. I graduated from Morehouse in 1972, and after graduating and much debate, I believe WSB hired me as its first Black Announcer/Newsman in 1972."  In 1974, he went to work for former WSB News Director King Elliott at MARTA as editor of external publication; then to Fulton County media relations staff,  later to Atlanta Regional Commission as Communications Director, retiring in 1996 as VP-Gen.Mgr. for Cable America.

IThere are very few people who came to WSB straight out of college, but the enormously talented Harry Chapman was one.  He moved behind the microphone of WSB in the fall of 1967 right after graduating from the University of Georgia.  He worked the Clockwatcher shift after John Doolittle, the WSB Metro and the early afternoon shift as well as time at WSB-FM.

(2006 Update)  Atlanta's loss was Nashville's gain. Harry has been an icon of Nashville broadcasting - 35 years as a news anchor, program host and entertainment reporter -- all at Channel 5 in Nashville.  Here is the article about Harry's announcement that he was retiring from the anchor desk in 2006.
He is a TV personality who middle Tennesseans have grown up watching and admiring. After 35 years of captivating television moments, NewsChannel 5's Harry Chapman will retire this fall.

Known for his depth of knowledge and passion about the music industry, his extraordinary interviewing skills and 30-plus years of news and entertainment reporting experience, Harry Chapman has seen and done it all.

His career at NewsChannel 5 has been unique and varied, starting as an anchor for the weekend newscasts in November of 1971. He was eventually joined at the anchor desk by a rising young star named Oprah Winfrey. 
Years later he branched out into television sales at the station, working directly with advertisers for six years. For a brief period Harry joined Belmont University to become the Vice President of College Relations, but a new opportunity at NewsChannel 5 quickly brought him back to television to launch a program called Talk of the Town.

For more than 20 years Talk of the Town and Harry Chapman have gone hand-in-hand. Harry has been a constant driving force in the ongoing success of this local entertainment program. From interviews with the stars to fun-filled adventures in live TV, Harry has made this daytime hour engaging for local viewers of all ages.

In addition to Talk of the Town, Harry has stepped into roles in the news department with ease - launching the NewsChannel 5 weekend morning newscasts in 1993, then again in 2000 with NewsChannel 5 Midday which he still anchors today.

Countless professional colleagues and the community at large have recognized Harry's accomplishments over his illustrious career. Highlights include the CMA Media Achievement Award in 2001 in recognition of his outstanding entertainment industry reporting. Also, the University of Georgia, his alma mater, honored him with the John Holliman, Jr. Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Harry has had a lifetime of achievements. "I've had such wonderful opportunities to meet and work with icons of the news and entertainment world", said Chapman, "dinner with Lucille Ball; an interview with George Burns; a party at Larry Hagman's (J.R. from Dallas) ranch; and a news story introduced by Walker Cronkite saying 'more from Harry Chapman'."

In Nashville, Harry has been as popular with the actual country stars as the stars themselves are with their fans. From Tex Ritter to Garth Brooks, there is hardly anyone in the music business whom Harry has not interviewed. They all know him by name.

Harry's love for music will follow him into retirement. "I've worked in television for so many years," Chapman said, "I'm looking forward to spending more time in other areas that I love. Music is definitely one of those areas."

"Harry has earned the respect of both the music community and the television community with lots of heart and dedication," said Debbie Turner, NewsChannel 5 Network president and general manager. "It's impossible to sum up in a few words the many important contributions he's made to the success of NewsChannel 5 over the decades. Harry is one of those great people who has personalized NewsChannel 5 for our viewers in so many ways.

We're happy that even after his retirement, Harry will continue his Nashville songwriters program "Words and Music" on NewsChannel 5+." (Reprinted courtesy of Channel 5 Nashville, TN)

Al spent a short time at WSB, but is well remembered by his WSB family for his numerous achievements after he left.  Al recalls his unique career this way:  "I left WSB to return to my hometown, Gainesville, GA, where I worked as an announcer and news director from 1964 until 1967. Received a CBS Fellowship to Columbia University for the academic year 1967-68, after which I went to work in TV News at WBTV in Charlotte, N.C., then worked in local television news in San Francisco and Chicago before joining ABC News as a correspondent in 1978. 

John was an announcer on WSB in 1960 who went on to have a stellar career with many of the country's most famous "rock 'n roll" stations. 

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Elmo Ellis is a legendary dominant figure of the modern broadcasting era at WSB.  An entire page of this web site is now devoted to his career. • Check out the link here for The Story of Elmo Ellis.

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Eric Johnson tapped into his corporate contacts to bolster charity boards and bank accounts. In the course of his sales job for WSB radio, Mr. Johnson met business leaders whom he asked to serve on boards of directors or to make contributions to charities he supported. He used his own marketing experience to stabilize the organizations and to increase membership, said his wife, Edith Ivey Johnson of Roswell.
While Mr. Johnson was a board member, he developed leadership for organizations that serve actors, study biblical archaeology and teach the handicapped.  His diverse interests and travels provided endless material for the raconteur. He drew on his show business background to enliven his stories.
"He loved to tell stories, and he loved to tell stories on Aubrey Morris," said Mr. Morris, of Alpharetta, longtime news director at WSB radio. "He had a story on everybody."  The memorial service for Mr. Johnson, 78, of Roswell, who died of a heart attack Tuesday at North Fulton Hospital, is at 11 a.m. today at Roswell Presbyterian Church. Almon Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
In the early 1950s, the Carrollton native had a career in New York City acting and working in television. When he and his wife, who briefly was Princess Summerfall Winterspring on "The Howdy Doody Show," wanted to adopt children, he returned to Georgia. "Back then they thought anybody in show business or the military was unstable, and it was difficult to adopt. We were both in show business," said his wife, who goes by her professional name, Miss Ivey. "The only states that would talk to us were Alabama and Georgia. Of course, you couldn't make a living in broadcasting in Alabama."
So Georgia it was. They adopted two sons, Mark Joseph Johnson of Melbourne, Fla., and Nicholas Johnson, who died of cancer last year, she said.  Mr. Johnson started out in sales in Atlanta television, then joined WSB radio in 1965.  "He lived and breathed broadcasting," Mr. Morris said. "He was absolutely infatuated with show business and the broadcast media."  Mr. Johnson would sell an ad, then use his show business background in the production of the on-air commercial, he said. "You know how used-car dealers love to act in their ads. Eric counseled them and coached them in their recordings."
After he retired in 1991, Mr. Johnson took a stab at acting again, but realized he was happier on the production side, his wife said.  His interest in biblical archaeology took him on trips to Israel, Egypt, China and Russia, where he observed digs. "Eric would come back and regale us with stories," his wife said. "He became somewhat of a biblical scholar."  "He could look at a relic longer than most people," said his friend John Furman of Marietta. "He would talk about how fascinating it was for him to see."
Mr. Johnson's time on the golf course led him to organize a group tour of Scotland's golf courses in 1987. The group played every major course in the country, including the Old Course at the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, the cradle of golf, Miss Ivey said.  Mr. Johnson came home with even more stories.  Other survivors include a sister, Gloria Jennings of Augusta, and six grandchildren.

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