
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, July 16, 1994                   TAG: 9407180134
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV5   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WRAD'S ROBERTS IS AREA'S DEAN OF RADIO

Veteran broadcaster JIM ROBERTS - who's back early mornings on Radford's WRAD (1460 AM) - easily can lay claim to the title "Dean of New River Valley Morning Announcers." He began at WRAD part time in 1960. (Station Manager Ray Hatley, who first hired Roberts, also is still with WRAD.)

At 57, Roberts also is the oldest morning DJ in the valley, since Lewis S. "Rooster" Kanode, formerly of WJJJ (1260 AM), retired from air work a few years back.

Although Roberts has a real job at Central Lumber Co. in Radford, he's been at WRAD "off and on a half-dozen times" over the years. "It gets in your blood," he said. His soothing, distinctive bass can be heard on WRAD daily from 5 until 8 a.m. "I was always an early riser," said Roberts, who gets up at 3 a.m. every day.

Roberts picks his own music from among the stereo AMer's classic country music CDs. "If I can make only one person happy, I've done my job," he said.

Join Brian O'Donnell for a weekly call-in show featuring drivers and officials of the New River Valley Speedway on Thursdays at 5:45 p.m. over WRAD and sister station CD Country WRIQ (101.7 FM). Listeners get a chance to win tickets to the race that Saturday.

Call the stations at 639-2461.

VIRGINIA TECH'S WUVT (90.7 FM) is back on the air at full power following a catastrophic transmitter tube failure late last month. The station went down June 30 and stayed off air until July 5, when it resumed broadcasting at low power. The problem finally got fixed July 6.

Sundays at 6 p.m., join hosts Maureen Scott, Patrick Barton and Hank Bishop for a half-hour of local, state and national news on "RADIOSCOPE".

Every Monday evening from 6 until 9, "Biodegradio" features bluegrass, folk and acoustic music.

Call "Woovit" at 231-9880. The student-run station hopes to stay on all summer without further incident.

by CNB