Last week WCHL celebrated the 35th Anniversary of Ron Stutts’ start at the station. Surely you noticed, with all the on-the-air promos and all the guests and surprises in the studio last Friday morning.
Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt declared it Ron Stutts week in Chapel Hill. Former mayor of Chapel Hill Howard Lee and his wife Lillian came in to express their appreciation. Chapel Hill police chief Chris Blue and fire chief Dan Jones came in and presented Ron with a First Responders T-shirt, since ‘CHL seems to usually be first to inform the community of dangers and natural disasters, such as the devastating December 2002 ice storm that hit the area just a few weeks after the station “came back” to Chapel Hill from Durham. Former Carrboro mayor and current state senator Ellie Kinnaird came in to thank Ron for his service.
Ron with Ellie Kinnaird and Freddie Kiger (Photo Credit: Richard Taylor)
There were dozens more, including phone calls and appearances from some of Ron’s on-the-air compatriots from years past. Of course, Ron’s regular cronies Dr. Wayne Pond and Freddie Kiger were there with humor and insight as well. WCHL station manager Christy Dixon and owner Barry Leffler orchestrated all the celebrations. Numerous promos ran on-air all week.
As we ponder Mister Stutts’ contributions, we are blessed to have Ron and his comedic cast of characters to wake us up weekdays, compared to the formulaic morning zoo madness heard on most radio stations nationwide. Sure, Ron gives us the news, so aptly prepared by Aaron Keck and the award-winning ‘CHL news department. But Ron informs us and entertains us as well.
He’s a master at the control board and produces the show himself. That would take three jobs in New York or L.A.
Ron knows how to laugh at himself. When he makes a rare mistake, Ron includes us, his listeners, as he owns the joke and rolls on. Most listeners don’t realize all the preparation and behind-the-scenes work Ron performs each day to make the next day’s show sing. He schedules Commentators like me to give our best 90 seconds. He finds our daily Hometown Heroes, produces their stories and even brings in Pets of the Week. He emcees dozens of local events and charities each year and records numerous station spots and promos. Sure, Ron is the voice of WCHL, but he’s also the voice of the local community as well.
So, thanks for your longevity, Ron Stutts. You’re just as much a Hometown Hero as anyone Gerald Ramoin ever put in the spotlight. You’re the glue that holds us together, and we really appreciate it.
See you on the radio.
Ron Stutts’ 35th Anniversary July 27, 2012 (Photo Credit: Richard Taylor)
Related Stories
‹
![]()
Follow-up Questions: Towing, Teachers, & Opportunity CostWord that Chapel Hill is going to continue the legal fight and appeal a judge’s ruling against a planned cell phone ban (including hands-free use) and a towing ordinance prompts a few questions: First of all, I keep hearing and reading that downtown businesses must use towing companies and aggressive towing tactics in order to […]
![]()
Thompson's ExitThe saga of teacher Anne Thompson is coming to an end. She will be leaving Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools in a few weeks, several months shy of her planned retirement. If you’ve followed her saga, you know Thompson is not ending her career where she spent much of it, having been involuntarily transferred from […]
![]()
Teacher Transfers: Not Going AwayI have been writing this column for well over a year. I’ve written on topics as mundane as grocery shopping and as critical as the state education budget. I’ve written about highly emotional topics such as Amendment One. Following the posting of some of these, I’ve heard from a few of you. But after my […]
![]()
Downtown Parking DilemmaRecently I was able to get together with a dear friend to catch up on each other’s busy summers. We were able to work out a day when we were both free for lunch and after some back and forth about our options we agreed we’d like to go to one of two downtown restaurants […]
![]()
Open Letter To TeachersAn open letter to all teachers in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro city school system: As you may have read or heard, Bert Wartski and I are appealing our involuntary transfers from Chapel Hill High School. As colleagues, we want to assure each of you that in all honesty, neither of us has been given any documented […]
![]()
Fighting This TransferDear Editor, My name is Bert Wartski. As I await the Superior Court Hearing (August 17th at 2 pm at the Old Hillsborough Court House), I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has written letters, given speeches, provided testimonials, talked about, Facebook-ed, and spent their time and energy to stop my […]
![]()
Teaching Beyond the ClassroomThis column will add to a main problem with what is frequently written online: I’m about to write my opinion of something about which I have almost no firsthand knowledge. Kind of makes you want to click something else, doesn’t it? I’m writing about the apparently pending transfer of Chapel Hill High School English teacher […]

East Rosemary Parking Deck Faces Increased Costs, Demolition Set for JulyAt the Town of Chapel Hill’s latest town council meeting, developers gave an updated timeline for the East Rosemary parking deck and detailed why the development will cost the town more than $10 million in unforeseen construction costs.
![]()
Championship Win Affects Franklin Street BusinessesTake a walk down Franklin Street any day and you’ll see people. But taking a walk down post-championship is a different story. “The National Championship win… even every time the Heels progress, there’s an impact on downtown and it grows,” said Meg McGurk, Executive Director of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership. “And with the National […]
![]()
Ron Stutts RetrospectiveLast week WCHL celebrated the 35th Anniversary of Ron Stutts’ start at the station. Surely you noticed, with all the on-the-air promos and all the guests and surprises in the studio last Friday morning. Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt declared it Ron Stutts week in Chapel Hill. Former mayor of Chapel Hill Howard Lee and his […]
›
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines