Bill Baker, 1950
William Howard (Bill) Baker, who was affiliated with the Cumberland Gap Broadcasting Company for more than a decade in the middle of the twentieth century, was born at Speedwell in Claiborne County, Tennessee, on Wednesday, June 17, 1931, at a time when radio broadcasting was in its infancy. His parents were Bill and Alma LeMarr Baker.
The youngster was the middle son among three boys growing up on a family farm in the years of the Great Depression. He discovered the excitement of radio in the late 1930s when his father brought home a battery-operated radio for the family to enjoy. Soon he was listening to the Lone Ranger and other cowboy shows, to the Grand Ole Opry, and to programs that originated in Knoxville, Cincinnati, and other faraway cities.
His sixth grade teacher, Hazel Mae Yoakum, introduced him to the thought of performing on radio at Flat Hollow Elementary School in 1941-42. She brought the outside world inside the walls of the little one-room school, often engaging the students in oral reports, plays, public speaking, and dramatizations including simulated radio broadcasts. A decade or more later, Miss Yoakum would appear as a guest vocalist on a Sunday religious program on Radio Station WMIK in Middlesboro, Kentucky. The announcer on duty in the station’s control room was her former sixth grade student!
Bill left Flat Hollow Elementary School in 1943 and graduated from the eighth grade at Powell Valley Elementary School in 1944. He attended LaFollette High School in Campbell County, graduating in 1948, where he received encouragement in his interest in communications from several teachers, particularly English teacher Edith Sowder Smith and basketball coach John R. W. Brown.
He was a speaker at both elementary and high school graduation ceremonies, a signal perhaps of things to come. It was Mr. Brown who persuaded him to be one of the student speakers at his high school graduation. Mrs. Smith and others had encouraged him to try out for plays, to engage in public speaking, and to develop his writing skills.
The three teachers mentioned here were all young graduates of Lincoln Memorial University and in the first year of their teaching careers when they became acquainted with Bill. Their enthusiasm and dedication as teachers and mentors had a great impact on the young man who believed a good education was the way to prepare for a better life. Each recognized his determination and saw the potential for the future.
Bill worked afternoons and Saturday mornings as a high school student but managed to maintain good grades and become a member of the Beta Club, in addition to being active in speech and drama and serving as official scorer for the basketball team.
Bill transferred to LMU after a year at Carson Newman College in Jefferson City. There he was one of a dozen students involved in producing a radio program titled "College Caravan" that was broadcast on WCRK in Morristown, Tennessee. In his first year at LMU, he would have the opportunity to explain his interests in radio to a gentleman who would have a profound influence on his college years, on his interests in speaking, writing, and broadcasting, and indeed on a second career fifteen years later in higher education.
A fellow student came to a classroom in Duke Hall in the winter of 1950 to tell Bill that Radio Station WMIK had an opening for a staff announcer. That tip led Bill to seek an appointment with LMU President Robert L. Kincaid to ask for information and possible guidance should there be a staff vacancy. And, as is sometimes said in broadcasting, "The rest is history."
Dr. Kincaid was not only President of LMU, he was President of Citizens News Company that owned the Middlesboro Daily News and was a major stockholder in the Cumberland Gap Broadcasting Company that operated WMIK. A call from him to Webster Taylor, the station’s general manager, resulted not only in an interview but a job offer and an opportunity for a college student still in his teens to work in a profession that he had dreamed about for much of his young life.
During the first few weeks of his employment beginning in March 1950, Bill worked the night shift and on the weekends. At that time, WMIK was operating both day and evening with a power of 250w and at 1490 on the AM radio dial and was affiliated with the Mutual Broadcasting System. Within a short time, WMIK moved its frequency to 560kc and increased its power to 500w following the purchase of WCPM, the only other radio station in town.
With the United States involved in the Korean war, one of WMIK’s announcers (Bob Thompson) was recalled to active military duty and Bill accepted the offer of a full-time announcing position that would enable him to work afternoons and continue his college education at LMU. That arrangement continued until a few months after Bill graduated in 1953. He had been offered a graduate fellowship to the University of Kentucky in broadcast journalism, but because the Korean conflict was not totally resolved until the summer of 1953, further study was placed on the back burner and Bill entered military service in November of that year.
It was during this three-year period in the early 1950s that Bill hosted two programs that became very popular in the Tri-States: the Western Caravan, in mid-afternoon, featuring country music, and the 560 Club, in late afternoon, featuring the popular music of the day. He also devoted time to news writing, reporting, and special events.
Bill’s friendship with Dr. Kincaid grew during this period. As associate editor of the school paper and president of the senior class, Bill had regular contact with the college president. The Kincaid influence showed up on campus where Bill worked to develop skills as a leader, writer, and speaker, strengths that were similar to those of the gentleman who opened the doors to broadcasting for the teen-ager. Bill was also active in several of the stage productions by the Lincoln Players, where experience in acting and directing helped shape his career interests.
It was not just the influence of and the admiration for Robert L. Kincaid that helped to shape Bill’s career. At WMIK and at the Middlesboro Daily News, he was soon to become acquainted with other members of the Kincaid family: Helen Kincaid Henry, known as Pat, and her husband Maurice, who would publish the newspaper and manage the radio station during many of the years that Bill served WMIK. Pat, Dr. Kincaid’s only daughter, was then a news writer and society editor but would be named president of both firms within a few years. The encouragement, the challenges, and the opportunities provided by the Henrys were important elements in Bill’s success.
Their influence prompted him to return to WMIK in the summers of 1954 and 1955, when he had extended leave time from the US Army, to substitute for vacationing announcers. Such ventures kept him in touch with a large and loyal WMIK audience in the Tri-State area and also cemented his commitment to the radio station that gave him his first opportunity to live a dream from childhood—and to be paid for it, an important element in his desire to complete a college education at Lincoln Memorial University.
It was during one of the summer leave periods from the Army, when Bill was a guest in the Henry household, that Pat suggested he meet a young staff member at the Daily News. That suggestion led not only to a meeting, but also subsequently to a wedding at Middlesboro’s First Christian Church. The young lady was Barbara Ann Brittain, a graduate of Middlesboro High School and former student at Berea College, who changed her last name to Baker on June 8, 1958. She and Bill are the parents of two children, Kevin and Ann, both born in Middlesboro, and the grandparents (in 2001) of Alison Lynne and Lindsey Marie Baker and Nathan Elliott and Katharine Brittain Chapin.
Bill served two years as an enlisted man and was stationed with the Army at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. There, he acted in a Special Services production of the comedy, "At War With the Army," which was staged not only at Fort Jackson but also at other military bases in the region. During much of his military time, Bill was a member of a lecture group that described the Army’s basic training programs at the Fort. In that role, he met many of this country’s military and governmental leaders as well as foreign dignitaries who came to Fort Jackson for first hand knowledge of successful basic training programs in the military. His less glamorous assignments consisted mainly of office and administrative duties.
Not until he was nearing the end of the two-year assignment was he considered for the Armed Forces Radio Network, although he had tried for an announcer’s position during the time he was in service. He politely rejected the overture to return to civilian life and the Cumberland Gap Broadcasting Company.
It was in November 1955 that Bill was named Program and News Director of Radio Station WMIK. He resumed his work as an announcer on an early afternoon program broadcast from the station’s Pineville studios. He had responsibility for much of the day-to-day programming and management functions. He was also responsible for writing, editing, and reporting midday and early evening newscasts and for special events coverage. His interviews with leading citizens and visiting dignitaries underscored the station’s dedication to public service programming.
Often, Bill’s community service activities complemented his station duties. Whether he was performing with the Middlesboro Little Theatre or serving as its president, providing leadership for the Lions Club, serving on the board of the Chamber of Commerce or the Salvation Army, raising funds for the Boy Scouts, or directing the publicity campaign for the dedication of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, WMIK listeners benefited. Bill’s keen sense of newsworthy events and activities was strengthened by his knowledge and awareness of the broader community that WMIK served.
He and others on the staff made frequent appearances at community events throughout the Tri-State area. They broadcast live from the Kentucky Mountain Laurel Festival each spring; they visited farms in the three immediate counties with groups from the Middlesboro Chamber of Commerce; they worked together in promoting the station’s programming as well as their clients’ businesses; and they enabled WMIK to win numerous local, state, and national awards for innovative programming and creative advertising.
Bill was active in the Kentucky Broadcasters Association and often presented WMIK success stories at meetings of that group, appearing with others who represented both large and small stations and markets in the State. Broadcast Music, Inc. honored him for one of those presentations. United Press International carried several stories of the station’s success, enabling radio stations across the country to benefit from such sharing. The National Safety Council and Radio Advertising Bureau both recognized WMIK as one of the nation’s outstanding radio stations in the 1950s with plaques certifying the station’s level of excellence. These examples are illustrative of the dedication and commitment to community that enabled WMIK to be a dominant voice in the Tri-States in the decade of the 1950s and beyond.
Moving to Jacksonville, Florida, at the start of 1962, Bill joined the staff of NBC affiliates WJAX-AM&FM as an announcer where he hosted two music programs daily and reported the news in late afternoon. Soon, he moved into programming as Public Service Director, where he interacted with community and civic leaders and conducted daily interviews with them and with visiting dignitaries. Within a few months, he assumed the position of Traffic Manager, responsible for the station’s scheduling and advertising commitments. He was subsequently named General Manager of Jacksonville’s leading radio station, a position he held until the fall of 1966.
Bill’s leadership at WJAX, retaining the station’s premier position for advertisers and listeners, was matched by his continuing commitment to service. During the period, 1962-66, Bill represented the alumni on the Board of Trustees at Lincoln Memorial University. His renewed interested in higher education led him to Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, Tennessee, to pursue graduate studies and a new career.
His master’s degree in counseling and psychology was awarded in 1968, and four years later he received the doctorate in educational administration from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
Among his assignments at Tennessee Tech over a twenty-year period: advisor to WTTU-FM, the university’s student-operated station and the student newspaper and yearbook. He was a member of the graduate faculty for twelve years, and served as Dean of University Development, the first chief development officer in the history of the institution. He also worked as special assistant to the president, writing and speaking on behalf of the university.
Bill returned to Florida in 1986 to join the staff at Seminole Community College in Sanford; he remained there until 1997. He served as Seminole’s first advancement officer with primary responsibilities for fund raising and public relations. He later served as executive officer of the College’s Foundation and as legislative liaison for state government funding and programs. He helped build a million-dollar scholarship fund for students and was recognized as Professional Fund Raiser of the Year in 1994 by the Central Florida Chapter of National Fund Raising Executives.
Since 1997, Bill has been Vice President for Institutional Advancement at Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina. His responsibilities include alumni relations, communications, and fund raising. Limestone was established in 1845 as the state’s first college for women. It is now coeducational, with students in classes across the state through an extensive evening program for adults. Although he spends a great deal of time in South Carolina, he has maintained legal residence in Winter Park, Florida, where he and Barbara have resided for almost twenty years.
Dave Lord and Bill Baker and two promotional ads from the Daily News
Bill and friend John Cawood, 1950's
Bill's gets an award
Bill at WMIK production console
When Bill got leave in the army, he would come home and work so others could go on vacation.
Below are two photos of Bill and recording artist, Johnny Long.
One of many merchants programs Bill was involved in while at WMIK
Bill put together a radio campaign for Howard Chevrorolet. The Radio Advertising Bureau put together a folder detailing his work and how radio could work for a similar business. This was quite an honor and accomplishment for Bill while at WMIK.
Here's a rare photograph of Johnny Roventini, the Phillip Morris Boy, and Bill at the studio.
Bill and Dave Lord's convertable
