Jesse Helms died today. He was the very conservative former senator from North Carolina.
Back in 1972 I was working as a disk jockey at WBT, the 50,000 watt AM station in Charlotte, NC. This was a wonderful, old line station. Under one roof we had an AM, FM, TV and separate video and audio production companies. There were few stations like it then--certainly none like that now.
One day an open call came from Jeffersonics, the audio production house. A political spot was being cut and they needed a voice. Everyone was encouraged to read.
I don't have now and certainly didn't have then "pipes," but I went nonetheless and read. As I remember, the spot paid $800, or a month's pay for me. That was quite the incentive.
I didn't get the job. It went to Jack Petry, our midday man with a voice so deep he once told me he couldn't be heard over a vacuum cleaner!
The three words Jack read: "Nixon needs Helms." In retrospect, I'm glad I didn't get it.
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