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| Tue, Dec. 01 - - Mobile - RSS | |
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No regrets, says radio vet
After career spanning almost 56 years, WFVA morning host John Parker says the job never felt like work
Date published: 1/13/2004 By ROB HEDELT TALK TO John Parker about his 56-year career in radio and TV and it's hard to keep track of all the stars he rubbed shoulders with through the years. Parker, who did the final broadcast of his popular Big Band-themed morning show on Fredericksburg's WFVA on Dec. 31, said he got to know many of those folks simply by being in the right place at the right time. But spend just a little time with Parker, as a loyal audience of Fredericksburg listeners have done since he came to WFVA in April 1981, and it's easy to see why big names like Frank Sinatra, Harry James, Bobby Lane, Sonny Liston, Lou Rawls, Betty Grable and Robert Goulet felt comfortable with this affable host. Perhaps that's partly because Parker, who lives in Spotsylvania, realized early on that being yourself is the key to success in his business. That's the approach he used hosting a radio show in Fredericksburg, doing live TV in Bakersfield, Calif., or cutting a commercial with Sammy Davis Jr. for a casino opening in Las Vegas. "After a while, you learn to forget that you're on the radio or on television," said Parker, who'll turn 77 this month. "You just end up being you." Learning to laugh at yourself, especially when the mistakes come--"and they will, especially in live television"--is also a key. "I did a live kids' show in Bakersfield," said Parker, grinning at the memory. "One of our sponsors was Dr Pepper, so we'd give them all a Dr Pepper. My own daughter was on one day when she was 4." Halfway through the show, he felt her tugging his shirt from behind, and turned around to hear her say, into the microphone, "Daddy, I spilled my Coke!" Without a second's hesitation, he interjected, "No, honey, you spilled your Dr Pepper!" Like many in the broadcast business, Parker worked at a succession of stations, from Iowa to Michigan to Missouri to California and Nevada. "The early days of television were really a lot of fun, because it was all live," he said.
Date published: 1/13/2004
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