Allan Miller has worked in broadcasting for 40 years. The Pennsylvania native landed his radio job at Darlington's station WDAR, where he programmed South Carolina's first all-country music FM station. He has been a DJ, concert emcee, NASCAR promoter and inspiration for the film "Redneck Miller." The S.C. Broadcasters Association has named him to be inducted into its Hall of Fame. The 58-year-old talked with The Herald about his years in radio.
What do you consider to be your most cherished on-air memory?
When (Hurricane) Hugo came through, we were the conduit to the community. ... We used a generator to keep the station on the air for about 13 days when there was no electricity. A lot of people called in. We were able to tell people where gas was available. ... It was a virtual party line for days. I think it got people through some tough times, being able to talk to a friendly voice.
What was your biggest blooper?
The station was signed off at 1 in the morning. I was out with a friend, and some ladies wanted to see the station. You know how young guys want to show off. ... We went into the control room. ... We pulled the mic up and thought it would only be heard over the control room. I took my guitar and started singing in the mic. The lady who owned the building called later to say "Allan, I sure am enjoying your music." Turns out someone had forgotten to turn off the transmitter. Heck, I was broadcasting 60 miles to people.
What does the future of traditional radio look like to you?
It's going to continue to change, to evolve. "Listener-ship" last year was up in 2007 over 2006. I would suspect with the news talk of the presidential race this year, it's probably up. I think the key to every radio station is to be local. That's something satellite can't do and stations far away on the Internet can't do. The next thing on the way is HD (high definition) radio. It's like FM was in the 1970s; it'll take a while to catch on. The big thing that hurt radio in my mind is iPods. We lost young people who wanted to listen to their iPods more than radio.
If you had no music whatsoever and could own only three albums, what would those be?
Johnny Cash's Live at Folsom Prison, Willie Nelson's Red Headed Stranger and ... one of the Beatles' albums.
@Nyx.CommentBody@