Tom Wood being interviewed on Feb. 24, 2019.
This is a sad day for Little Rock radio. Tom Wood, a radio legend in this market, was told today by iHeartMedia that his job was one of 70 being eliminated in the latest round of cuts by the bankrupt corporate radio company. His was one of the most familiar and beloved voices in Arkansas. Tom’s dismissal is just the latest example of how far the struggling industry has fallen, not only decimating heritage radio stations, but getting rid of icons like Tom.
He helped create the popular, longtime rock station Magic 105 in 1980, but with the deregulation of radio in the 1990s, Clear Channel bought the frequency and made changes leading to its downfall. Tom stayed with the company and even became the namesake for another station in the cluster called Tom-FM. But that station, following the corporate programming strategy of “we play it all,” was eventually changed to Big 94.9. Then the frequency changed formats again.
I interviewed him in February about his long career, which you can hear on the link. I hope his voice once again returns to the airwaves in Arkansas. READ MORE.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 35-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
