ELKINS, W.Va. — One of the most familiar voices on Randolph County radio will leave the air this week. Roger Taylor, a longtime personality on radio stations WDNE and WELK, will retire after a 46 year career.
“I’ve worked the morning shift for quite a while. I’ve worked night shift and everything in between. I’ve actually even sold some advertising. I’ve done production and news. Back when I started you had to be a jack-of-all-trades because there was no satellite and nothing to go to except you,” Taylor said in an interview reflecting on his nearly five decades behind the microphone.
He was on the air and was the first to report some of the most historic events in history to his listeners. He recalled the first big one was the shooting of John Lennon.
“That came across the wire and I had to compose myself before I went on the air and announced it. Then I played his song “Imagine” right after that. Not to long after that President Reagan was shot and I’ve never heard that many bells on a teletype machine up to that point or after,” he said.
Taylor was also on the air when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded and when terrorists hijacked four planes on 9/11. He watched the towers fall on the small screen of a tiny TV in the studio.
He came to work at WDNE at age 19 as a part timer. At the time he was a student at Fairmont State University studying radio and television broadcasting. A friend from Elkins suggested he talk to the folks at WDNE who were always looking for part-time help. He visited the station manager and within days was on the air. The year was 1978 and he never left.
“This is where I wanted to be. I’ve had people say, ‘Why don’t you move to Morgantown or Washington D.C. you can get a good job there.’ I don’t want to live in a big city. I wanted to live in a small town and this is where I’m going to die.” he explained.
His choice of words was interesting since it almost happened in 2004. Like most things in his life, Taylor was at the radio station, alone, at the time. Taylor suffered an aortic dissection. He explained it’s not exactly a heart attack, it’s actually worse. His aorta literally split in half and it’s almost always fatal. Roger was in the radio station alone on a Saturday morning when it happened. He was about to go on the air with the Trading Post and figured he probably wouldn’t be able to finish. So, 911 was not his first call.
“I called the son of the general manger at that time who was a part timer. I told him, ‘I think I’m having a heart attack you need to come in and take over.’ That was my first call. My second call was to the emergency squad,” Taylor laughed. “You can’t have dead air!”
Listen to “Retiring DJ Roger Taylor on his years in radio” on Spreaker.
His humor and dedication to the job have endeared him to a legion of listeners in Elkins and the surrounding areas. Co-worker Joe Danger has worked with Taylor for close to 30 years.
“You look at Roger and you just see radio all over him. He’s that kind of a guy. You put a microphone in his hand and he came alive,” said Danger recalling when the two would be involved with introducing acts for concerts and other public events on stage in Elkins.
Judy Ritchie, General Manager of Clayton Homes in Elkins, has known Roger since the two were in 1st grade together. Through her business she often worked with Roger on marketing, but also doing charity fundraising. Ritchie recalled one story in which she and Taylor were on a live talk show with an oncologist to raise money for cancer research. She vividly recalled the show proved Taylor’s ability to pivot on the fly.
“We had a caller who said when he was a kid he put a frog down his pants and took it into his house. He asked if that might be what caused him to have prostate cancer,” explained Ritchie. “Three heads backed away from the microphones not knowing what to say. Somehow, Roger composed himself and went, ‘Well, we’ll have to have the doctor look this up and see and then we went on to the next caller. His composure was wonderful,”
Ritchie is not only a long time friend, but a longtime listener as well. She said next week will be different when that familiar voice is no longer there during her drive home.
“I can’t imagine the ‘Drive at 5’ without Roger. It’s just not going to be the same. The only time Roger hasn’t been on the air was when he was sick. It’s just strange to hear somebody else in that slot. I think he’s really going to be missed,” she said.
Danger agreed and said it will be unsettling to have a radio station without Roger Taylor.
“You know people literally grew up listening to Roger Taylor. They were kids when he was on the air, now all of a sudden BOOM. It’s like losing a family member,” said Danger.
Taylor may not be able to completely separate himself from the microphone. Don’t be surprised if he returns from time to time in a fill in or part time role, but his grinding routine day-to-day at the station is done and he’s satisfied.
“I never wanted to go anywhere else. I never wanted to live anywhere else. I love Elkins and the small town life. You just walk up the street and have people call your name. Sometimes you’re not sure if you know the person or if they simply know you from the radio, but I have a lot of friends that way,” he said.
Greg White contributed to this story.