Friday Fun: WBCL's 50th Birthday

 

                A few weeks ago, I was working from home when my phone rang. The number looked familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. I answered, and it was WBCL! No wonder that number looked familiar. 😊

                The caller was one of the newer employees, so I didn’t know her, but she said WBCL was turning 50 in 2026, and they were planning a reunion lunch and a chance for former DJs to be on the air for an hour…was I interested in being part of it?

                YES, PLEASE!!

                This past Monday, January 12^th, was the station’s actual 50^th anniversary. Fifty years of being on the air and impacting hearts and lives! It isn’t lost to me the complete gift of being part of that incredible legacy.

                So I rearranged my work hours to be gone for the second half of Monday. I made the drive down familiar roads to the station and parked in the lot that has held my car many days before.

                It was more fun than I even could have anticipated to stroll into the station and hug the friends I haven’t seen in years.

                The current staff had planned the most beautiful day for us. While we waited for everyone to arrive, we meandered through the station to look at memorabilia from the last fifty years. So fun to see old cassettes, newsletters, and giveaways.

                If you are a longtime WBCL listener, you remember Jeff Carlson. If you aren’t, Jeff was on the air back in the day and was so talented. He did all kinds of voices and had the best laugh. I grew up listening to Jeff – on What’s Cookin’ and Ask Edna. When I was a senior in high school, Jeff died in a car accident, and I still remember exactly where I was when I heard the news. What a tremendous loss! They had a whole tribute table to Jeff, and I loved that.

                When everyone arrived, we had a group picture taken, and it was a lot of (cold!) fun. Photo credit for this one goes to Amy Sprunger Photography.

                We came back inside, lined the long hall, and read a prayer of rededication to the station. That was such a sweet moment.

                They provided lunch for us, and it was quite delicious. I was delighted to learn that the former Mid-Morning studio, which then became the office I shared with Lynne, is now a conference room. I ate my lunch in the very corner that was my desk space when I left back in 2015!

                I’m unsure about this photo, but it made me laugh!

                The best part? Seeing all my old friends. I got pictures with almost all of them. A couple left for the day before I had a chance to get a picture, and I was sad about that.

Ken

Lynne

Ron

Cindy

Amy

Marsha

PeggySue

Tiffany 

Phil

Jim

Char

Scott

Diane

Jeri

Kara

                We talked, we laughed, we caught up as though ten years had NOT passed since we all worked together. It was absolutely lovely.

                After everything wrapped up, I stayed and spent an hour on the air with the afternoon team – Glenn and McKalia. I have heard them on air, but I had never met them in person. They were so much fun and made it completely easy to hop back into radioland. Other than our podcast and a couple of random church promos when we lived in Kokomo, I haven’t done this in a decade, but it felt like home all over again.

                PeggySue Wells was on the air right after me, so she came to sit through my hour and even took pictures for me. What a gift! (I stayed and did the same for her too.)

                I came home with a treasure trove of stories for Ryan and a heart full of joy for the complete gift of day spent with people who helped shape me into the person I am today!