Cal Walker -- on hanging up his earphones:

Well, folks, it's over! I finally quit the radio business after watching it change from a fun, creative, and popular industry to be in, to an automated, and humilating place to hang my hat.

My last gig at WXRC / 95.7 FM was the worst. My creative programs had become evenings consisting of cutting voice tracks from an emailed list, and then sending the tracks to an FTP site over the Web. I was told by the station owner programming genius that there was no place in radio anymore for creative programming, and that I had better get used to it!

For years I had been pulling top three ratings in the Charlotte, NC market with my musicology oriented programming. There were people that grew up listening to me. I had always been proud of my AOR programming. I began album oriented radio in 1968, and had tons of knowledge. Add this to my "Top 40" experience, starting in 1963, and I had 42 years behind the microphone. Suddenly I wasn't a factor, although I still had a huge cult following!

I tried to cope with the demeaning task of track cutting until I just burned out, and had it out with the station owner.

I have vowed to never again enter a radio station.

I now have severe heart faliure, and have taken disability/early retirement. Thanks to Clear Channel, Infinity, and all you other idiots big and small who have ruined the radio business. You are starting to reap what you have sewn with plumeting revenue, etc. Oh, by the way, the WXRC signal is now scraping the bottom of the ratings with a fully automated Classic Rock format.

I would love to hear from all of you who have suffered a fate like mine!

That's all, folks! Cal Walker / March 27, 2005.

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