BY KYLE LOVERN

Local radio stations are not what they used to be. As Bob Dylan wrote and sang “The Times Are A Changing,”

No matter where you grew up, you most likely listened to AM radio stations in your hometown. For most of us growing up in the Tug Valley it was WBTH.

I loved listening to the radio and even pretended to be a disc jockey and sports announcer at a young age. That was my dream and I was eventually privileged and blessed enough to work at WBTH and WXCC in Williamson. More on that later.

At night, I listened to stations like WOWO out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and many other clear channel stations you could pick up. I loved hearing my beloved Cincinnati Reds games and many times fell asleep as a youngster with the radio on.

Nowadays many larger companies have bought up the small town stations. You no longer have guys like local radio personalities Doug Jackson or Tennis Hatfield waking you up in the morning as you get ready for work or school. I am sure many of you had your favorite announcer you listened to while he spinned the top 40 tunes. They still used 45 records and albums back in the day.

Most of these small 1,000-watt AM stations are simulcast with other stations. What you hear on one station you will hear in another town 30 miles away or even farther.

Many local stations have gone to nationally syndicated programming, where you will hear a few deejays broadcasting over many other stations.

Now satellite radio has been put into your personal vehicles. For a nominal fee, you can pick up multiple stations with every kind of music genre, news programs or talk radio with just a few pushes of the digital buttons.

There is not just country music. But you have current “prime” or current hits country, country classics, outlaw country, bluegrass, classic rock, current rock and pop hits, heavy metal and classic vinyl. You have channels with just 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s music along with jukebox oldies that may have hits from the 50s throughout the years. You have jazz, easy listening, alternative, gospel and Christian music, sounds of the season (like Christmas songs) and much more. It is almost unbelievable the choices you have.

These satellite channels are commercial-free and are 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. It’s nice to hear your favorite music and those oldies most of us love.

But there is something about listening to that local radio station. The announcer could look out the window and tell you whether the sun was shining or whether it was raining or snowing. They can give you local news, weather, local community announcements and happenings. The late Bob Harvit, the owner of the local stations, was a top-notch radio man in the industry and respected statewide.

Then there was the local sports. How many of you listened to the Williamson Wolfpack games back in the day on WBTH and eventually WXCC – Coal Country? Down in Matewan, they had WHJC and eventually WVKM, which started out as V 107.

They were there broadcasting through emergencies like the many floods we have had in this valley. I can recall one time being the only one who could make it to the studio and being on air all night long simulcasting on the AM-FM stations bringing up-to-date flooding news and when the river was going to crest.

Now those stations are no longer in Williamson or Matewan. WXCC is broadcast, but it is out of Pikeville. They do a good job, but it is just not the same as having the studio on the second floor of the Mountaineer building on Second Avenue in your county seat.

Not only can you hear those many satellite radio streams in your car, but if you have cable TV, there are several channels with the same music genres with multiple music tastes. So if you can’t find any television show to watch, just turn to those 900-numbered channels and find music you enjoy.

As I said, I was blessed to work in local radio. I started out selling advertising and getting to do sports commentary with Mike “Rock-n-Roll” Allen and traveling to broadcast the Wolfpack games in the early 80s and also some Belfry Pirates games. I eventually was an “on air” disc jockey and started out from 6 p.m. to midnight so I could learn and eventually had the midday on-air shift.

I left the station and went to work in print media for a while, but went back to Harvit Broadcasting as the News and Sports Director. I did morning shifts with my good friend Doug Jackson. I worked with so many great people through my stints at WBTH-WXCC: Tennis Hatfield, the late Don Anderson, Bob Scott, Buzz Browning, Al Kennedy, Bill Phillips, Dave Damron, Rob Harris, Joe Kinzer and many others. I did another stint with David Miller, bringing fans the Wolfpack games.

I also worked some part-time broadcasting games at Matewan with my cousin and fellow disc jockey Darrell Mitchem. I did a couple of years of “games of the week,” many for the Matewan Tigers on WVKM, owned by radio veteran George Warren.

Now with the internet and computers, many games are broadcast on social media platforms. There are local games on Facebook, not only the audio, but you can watch the livestream. So things have changed much there, too.

There is nothing wrong with these new types of satellite programming. The same goes for the local high school sports broadcasts on the computer. I really enjoy those and it helps people watch the games who may not be able to get out to see them in person.

But there are some great memories about those older days of local radio. The times have indeed changed Mr. Dylan.

(Kyle Lovern is a longtime journalist in the Tug Valley. He is now a retired freelance writer and columnist for the Mountain Citizen.)