Signing off after 53 years: WMCH icon retires from radio (July 6/7, 2013)


CHURCH HILL — With her Bible in-hand and microphone at eye-level, Bettye Russell signed onto her radio show for the final time last Friday morning at WMCH 1260 AM in Church Hill.
     Following a 53-year career in the industry she decided to retire as the station, founded by her father in May 1954, prepares for its 60th year.
     “I could’ve hung on for the 60th anniversary, but you know when it’s time,” she said.  “I got my assurance from the Lord, and I’m not a spring chicken anymore,” she added with a laugh.
     Bettye was 19 years old when her dad, the late Thales Wallace, started WMCH and it was a family-owned business until 1999 when it was sold.
     “After a period, there was a place for me to come back so I did and I’ve been here ever since,” she said.
     Hawkins County’s oldest radio station, WMCH first entered the airwaves as an easy listening station located on the second floor of the Hill Style Shop in Downtown Church Hill.  A lighted sign advertised “1000 Watts WMCH 1260.”
     “I started broadcasting early on, before we went full-time Christian,” Bettye said.  “It was a morning show where I played easy listening music.  Then, when we went full-time Christian and the station moved into a new space above Church Hill Flower Shop and I started ‘Rhoton and Smith Hymn Time.’  I did that show until I sold the station,” she said. 
     When Bettye returned to WMCH in 2006, she started the “Bettye Russell Show” at 9:30 and “I’ve been doing that ever since,” she said.
     In all, Russell has been part of WMCH for 53 years, and while she said she’s ready to leave, the departure is bittersweet.
     “I have met so many wonderful people,” she reflected, “preachers, listeners, just so many dedicated people.  I’ve always said people that are ‘MCH listeners are dedicated people.  They like what we do and they’re dedicated to that.”
     Russell said she believes the stations current owner, Media Link, ran by Kenny Kitchings and manager Ron Gordon, share the listeners’ love of Christian radio.
      “I’m glad they see things the way that I do, and the way my dad did, to keep it a Christian station,” she said.  “It’s in local people’s hands.  They know what this area needs, and what people want to listen to in Christian broadcasting.  They see things in the same concept that we did, which is very important for me.”
     One of the things Bettye said she has enjoyed most about the radio experience is simply being an outlet for listeners, as well as a part of Christian radio.  However, she also said she is proud to see the continuation of her father’s legacy.
     “I have been a radio person even in my younger years, but one of the biggest things I wanted to do was see that the dream my dad had was passed on.  He passed away when he was only 53 years old and I’m just thankful the Lord’s let me live long enough to see that happen,” she said.  “It’s just been a blessing.  And how many people have been blessed?  We’ve heard about a lot of them, but a lot of them we haven’t heard about.  And now we stream 24-7 online, so we’re reaching people around the world.  Little did my dad know that was going to happen.”
     When it comes to new technology like streaming WMCH’s broadcast and computerized programming, Bettye said she has adapted from the days of headphones and soundboards.
     “I was used to the old-fashioned way, but since I’ve been back my grandkids can’t believe Mamaw’s computer-savvy,” she said smiling.
     Reflecting on those earlier times in her career, Bettye said there are a lot of people who stand out in her memories.  In fact, too many to name all those who have influenced her own life, but there were a couple she recalled fondly.
     “One was a man named Oakley Taylor and he called me every morning when I was on the air with ‘Hymn Time,’” she said.  “If Oakley didn’t call me, I called him.  His health wasn’t great and I would make sure he was okay, but he’s not the only one.  I’ve had several, but Oakley was one character who really stands out because of how he communicated with me.  He was just a blessing.”
     She said each of the preachers who have passed through the station also stand out in her mind.
     “And, then of course, there was Leroy,” she said remembering late WMCH deejay Leroy Alley.
     “He started out working for my dad, but he was not a born again Christian at the time,” Bettye said.  “But when he got saved he done a 360-degree turn around and became such a witness for the listeners.”
     Alley passed away in the 1980s following a diagnosis of terminal cancer, but Russell said his legacy continued long after his passing.
     “After Leroy’s diagnosis, the hospital would send other patients up here to talk with him for inspiration because he had such a positive attitude about life,” she added.  “I still have people all the time who talk to me about Leroy and the Christian witness he was to them.”
     In addition to Alley, WMCH aired long-time deejay and former Grand Ole Opry performer Jimmy Smith, also known as “The Ridgerunner.” Smith spent a number of years at WMCH after leaving the Grand Ole Opry, Russell said.  In its hey-day, the station also hosted notables such as  “Tennessee Ernie” Ford, who has Church Hill roots, Tex Ritter, Frank Clement, Albert Gore, Sr., and the Rev. Oliver B. Greene.
     Through good times and tougher times, WMCH has survived each test, Bettye said on a hopeful note.
     “Of course we’ve had adverse things that happened to the station, but the Lord brought us through,” she said.  “The Lord was always been there, and you don’t last 59-60 years in a small town radio station without (the way I look at it) God’s intervention....  It’s not been easy, but it’s been a blessing while I owned it, and even now that I don’t.  And I’m still here.”
     Bettye said she doesn’t know when, or if, she will be back on air, but she’s certain that her show has made its final farewell.
     “I’ve had some people ask me, ‘Oh, you’re going to come back and do your show aren’t you,’” she smiled, “And I said, ‘No, when I’m gone I’m gone,’ unless they do need me here for something.”
     Preparing to take a final bow last Friday, she said nodding toward desk, “I don’t know what’s going to happen in there this morning.  I did my last “Encourager” program, [a show started by the late Nancy Lawson] yesterday, but I have some things lined up.  I guess you could say I do have mixed emotions about leaving, but I have peace of mind about it now, knowing it’s time....  Sometimes you just know.”
     Her final broadcast stayed true to format, offering listeners whom Bettye said were close to home and as far away as Unicoi, and even into the mountains of North Carolina, a selection of her favorite music and sermons she had broadcasted through the years. 
     “I wanted it to be like I was right there with ya,” she said closing the show.  "And I wouldn’t trade a minute of it,” she concluded, “the good and the bad.”

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