Hall of Fame inductee Gary Richardson
The BBRM Director, board and staff congratulate Gary Richardson and family for his induction into the Alabama Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.
This Hall of Fame inductee dreamed of an on-air radio career as a very young man. But he had extraordinary skills in electronics and engineering. Could he do both? Yes – and then some. The Alabama Association of Broadcasters is delighted to include Gary Richardson as an inductee in its Hall of Fame.
Like so many successful broadcasters, Richardson’s aspirations started early. “I had a little portable cassette recorder and I’d been secretly recording myself for years imitating the DJs on the radio,” explains Richardson. “My family and friends would say, ‘Wow! You sound just like the guys on the radio.’”
Although Richardson liked the idea of being on air, he was mainly interested in electronics and engineering. “During my sophomore year in high school, we built an AM campus radio station, and my focus was on learning the electronics and experimenting in science,” says Richardson. “But a teacher heard me read a report and she told me I had a great voice for radio. I was using my ‘radio voice’ and didn’t know it.”
After high school and a stint with the Army Reserves, Richardson worked at WJLD and WZZK. Gary also earned several degrees, including an associate’s degrees in mass communication and electronic engineering technology from Jefferson State Community College, a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering technology from Excelsior College in Albany, New York and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Faulkner University in Montgomery. He also has a master’s in education from Alabama A&M University.
Beyond his degrees from colleges and universities, Gary learned from many of Alabama’s great broadcasters including the late Bob Carl Bailey, a black radio station owner and a member of the ABA’s Hall of Fame. “In the back of my mind I’d been thinking, ‘I’m going to own a radio station,’” says Richardson. “When I told this guy about it, he sat there and talked to me for three hours about what I needed to learn and how to go about acquiring one.” Richardson got back into engineering thanks to some faulty wiring. It seemed that every time the jocks pushed the microphone button, they’d get shocked!
“The owner said, ‘Hey, if you can make that light come on outside the studio without these guys having to wear gloves, you’re hired,’” laughs Richardson. “He made me the chief engineer and later the station manager.” That was just the beginning. Richardson formed Richardson Broadcasting Corporation and bought his first radio station in 1987. The company now owns and operates two radio stations, a low-power television station and two FM translators. For the past almost forty years, he has hosted a popular morning talk show. Plus, he developed the concept of “Cable FM”. “Via the cable, you splinter off your receiver antenna, connect the cable to your FM receiver and tune into a frequency – and boom, there it is,” says Richardson. “It allowed AM stations to broadcast on FM.”
“His awareness of what could be done with radio is astounding,” says Bob Friedman, founder of the Birmingham Black Radio Museum and longtime friend and broadcaster. In fact, it was Friedman who told Richardson about his induction into the Hall of Fame. “You know, he started crying,” says Friedman. “He’s done all these things with radio in this market as a broadcaster, an owner and an African American. Being the first at this and the first at that, taking risks and all of that. It’s time for him to be recognized.” Richardson’s life is full. He still hosts his highly popular morning talk show and he’s serving his fifth term as mayor of Midfield. With all of that, he’s still thinking about the future.
“I learned early on that if you don’t get bigger, you get out,” laughs Richardson. “I’m always looking forward and I don’t think I’m ever satisfied in this business.” Friedman sums it up perfectly. “He really loves radio. Like nobody’s business.”