While I was a student at Co-Lin I became friends with Sharon Hyatt at 1340 WJMB in Brookhaven. I was working weekends at WKPO in Prentiss at the time. Sharon was preparing for their station to do a St Jude radiothon to help that foundation raise money. Sharon called me and ask if I would be interested in helping her do the live broadcast of the two day event.
I thought about it for a while and then agreed to help her out with it.
Sharon mailed me the packet of information from St Jude Children Research Hospital that contained the program agenda for the broadcast.
I carefully read over the packet as I prepared to participate in the event. Then the morning came, I made the trip down highway 84 from Prentiss to Brookhaven.
When I arrived at the WJMB studio, I noticed a wooden ladder against the back side of the studio and two chairs strategically attached to the roof.
I parked my car , went inside WJMB to find Sharon. I ask Sharon, ” What’s going on up on the roof? “. Sharon grinned and said ” We are! That’s where we will be doing the live broadcast from. ”
So up on the roof we went! WJMB was located at the intersection of Hwy 51 and Brookway Blvd , one of the busiest in Brookhaven. We were able to wave at all the cars going around town.
We stayed on the roof until $5000 was raised for St Jude’s Children Research Hospital in Memphis. Now in 1979 ,$5K was quite a chunk of change so we were up there for a good while. But we did get 10 minute bathroom breaks every two hours.
WJMB has long since faded away like many of the AM stations and I haven’t seen or spoken to Sharon in years. But I’ll never forget that Tuesday morning, broadcasting from the roof with only a wooden chair and a microphone.
It was a new experience in radio broadcasting for me . A great day filled with fun and making wonderful memories.
Don can be reached at ddwalker88@comcast.net
