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<\/a>The WIDB remote crew<\/p><\/div>\n
I had never done any radio announcing and immediately dismissed the notion of me being on the air as downright silly. But the dude did mention sports writing….Wasn’t I going to major in journalism? Wasn’t I the sports editor of my high school newspaper? What’s the worst that could happen?<\/p>\n
The following Tuesday, I trekked across campus (a journey that I would come to know very well) and took a seat while a tall lanky guy welcomed all of us to “the new and hopefully improved WIDB News staff.”<\/p>\n
News staff? I don’t want to write news, I’m going to be a radio sportswriter! I raised my hand and asked, “I’m sorry, but I thought this was for sports.” The news director (John Snell) patiently explained that the sports staff was meeting in an adjacent office. I excused myself and interrupted the sports director (Scott Simon) in the midst of welcoming everyone to the new WIDB Sports Staff.<\/p>\n
<\/a>John Martin, WIDB GM (right) and the rest of the 1978 staff heads.<\/p><\/div>\n
Eventually I met the guy from the Thompson Lake event, general manager John Martin who would later reward my volunteerism with a free ticket to the Bruce Springsteen concert in December. By then I been writing sports for several months, filled in on afternoon sportscasts and even (quite ineptly) provided color commentary for an SIU football game.<\/p>\n
<\/a>John models WIDB 10th Anniversary shirt<\/p><\/div>\n
Thus did WIDB become my home for the next three and a half years. My duties included sports director, DJ and program director.<\/p>\n
<\/a>How many of us had one of these with our name on it?<\/p><\/div>\n
Following graduation I landed a job doing the deepest darkest graveyardshift ever, 2am-6am, at WWCT Peoria, where I rose in the ranks to music director and mid-day DJ. I moved to Greensboro, NC and held the same title at WKRR-Rock 92 for eleven years, and eventually spent another eight and a half years in sales for Entercom Radio.<\/p>\n
I left radio in 2005 but I host a show called The Blues Hangover once month on WNAA, 90.1 FM, the radio voice of North Carolina A&T State University.<\/p>\n
John Amberg<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by John (“Jamberg”) Amberg It was either late August or early September, 1978. My roommate and I found ourselves hanging out at Thompson Lake on a steaming hot Saturday, first semester, freshman year. The event may have been sponsored by … Continue reading