By Jeremy D. Wells
Carter County Times
When Jim Phillips passed, it left a void in the community, for his friends, family, colleagues, and all those who counted on him as a trusted source of news over the years. That impact has been honored by the city of Grayson, with the christening of their Jim Phillips Conference Room last year.
And now the place where Phillips worked, and touched so many throughout the community, is honoring him with a memorial studio display.
Mike Nelson, program director for WGOH/WUGO GO Radio, explained how the idea to honor Jim and his son Mike Phillips, came about.
“We had this small studio that was not being used for anything, and was too small for an office or storage,” Nelson said. It was a booth that would have been used in the past as a news studio, but didn’t really have a practical use in a modern radio setting. So, Nelson decided to do something with it.
“I had an idea to develop it into a ‘Tribute Studio’ after I saw another station do something similar and post it on their Facebook page,” he said. “The studio was once used as a news studio, and was where the AP (Associated Press) teletype machine was once located.”
He said it felt appropriate to use a news studio for Phillips, given his legacy.
“This machine would send breaking news headlines that would be ‘ripped off the wire’ and immediately read on air. News such as the death of Elvis Presley and John F. Kennedy would be delivered to the station and read by veteran newsman Jim Phillips, who joined the station in the early 1960s after being the editor of the local Grayson newspaper.”
Because of his long association with the station, they had plenty of memorabilia associated with his career.
“I decided to decorate the studio with pictures of Jim as well as some of his ‘tools’ he used. Note pads, pencils, recording equipment and even a pocket watch that he used to time out his reports,” Nelson continued. “I also added his news scanner and a ruler with many autographs from various Cincinnati Reds players who had visited the station over the years during their East Kentucky Caravan visits to the station. You will also find news articles on Jim’s dedication to news as well as stories edited by him in his newspaper days.”
He also took the opportunity to highlight Phillips legacy by featuring his son, who had his own career in the industry.
“I also filled the room with his son and former Go Radio program & music director Mike Phillips’ pictures,” he explained. “Mike was the voice of Bluegrass music heard each weekday on WGOH. We also took some of the equipment that had been retired to storage and set up a makeshift control room to show how radio used to be controlled. Round knob mixers, Kart Machines – which played an 8-track tape with commercials or promotional announcements, a record player, Jim’s old rotary telephone, and a tube from the retired Collins five kilowatt transmitter that still sits the back room of the building.”
While he was at it, he added some other local luminaries for good measure.
“We also included some original vinyl from local artists such as Tom T. Hall, Ricky Skaggs and Keith Whitley. Mr. Hall was a DJ for a few months and Skaggs & Whitley visited the station and sang in the studio as teenagers,” he noted.
But the main focus is on Phillips, and the connection he made with the community for the station. It’s a connection, Nelson said, that he hopes continues for years to come. And it’s an exhibit that is designed to fit their theme of “the Tradition.”
“I wanted the studio to be a throwback to the old days of radio,” he said. Adding, “We welcome our listeners to come to the station during normal business hours and see it for themselves as we honor the tradition of what the past has brought us to today.”
Contact the writer at editor@cartercountytimes.com
As Jim’s sister and Mike’s aunt I thank you for your thoughtfulness. They loved working with the great staff at the studio, and being able to inform and entertain their friends.
My many thanks.
Edna C.