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WPAQ celebrates its 70th

88.5 WFDD - Public Radio For The Piedmont | By Paul Brown
Published January 27, 2018 at 8:06 AM EST
Green Valley Boys
Paul Brown collection, courtesy Benton Flippen
The Green Valley Boys gather in WPAQ's Studio A for a live broadcast in the early days of the station. (L-R) William Vogler, Benton Flippen, Glenn McPeak, Harold Coin, and Elbert Williams.

Radio Station WPAQ in Mount Airy, NC celebrates its 70 years of broadcasting on Saturday, February 3, 6PM, at the Earle Theater in downtown Mount Airy.  Since 1948, this unusual commercial station has offered traditional Appalachian music including old-time, bluegrass, classic country and gospel. On our Program #110, we feature music from the station's archives; insights from ATBR host Paul Brown, who started his professional broadcasting career at WPAQ; and interview segments from Jordan Nance's documentary film Broadcast: A Man And His Dream. Check out this story by Eddie Huffman in the Winston-Salem Journal.  And be sure to take in this Across the Blue Ridge episode, part of our Blue Ridge Music Trails series produced with support from the North Carolina Arts Council, Blue Ridge Music Trails, and the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area.  
Paul Brown
Former 88.5 WFDD News Director Paul Brown founded Across the Blue Ridge at WFDD in the late 1980s. It was an instant hit, and was broadcast on WFDD for more than a decade until Paul left to become an executive editor, producer, reporter, and world newscaster at NPR in Washington, DC. Now Paul is back in his beloved Blue Ridge region, his journalism and storytelling skills honed better than ever. He's ready to present more music, share discussion with more interesting characters, and be your friend and guide in discovery. Paul is actively involved in today's acoustic music scene, crisscrossing the region and the country as a teacher, performer, and interviewer.
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