I produced, and broadcast my first radio show at the age of 8. I was also the entire audience. My dad was in construction, and one day, brought home a small transmitter, which was used on the jobsite, for communication. Sort of an early predecessor to today's hand held walkie-talkies, only

this one would broadcast at the very low end of the A.M. dial. It would broadcast about 1/2 mile. So I had a broadcast footprint of one square mile. On a family vacation to my grandparents' home in Arkansas, I brought home an old crank-up "Victrola" (record player), and a handful of old 78-rpm vinyl records. Included in this stash were several from the Carter Family (I still have these). So, I had a record player, and a transmitter...wallah (or is that voila!). I would talk on "mike", giving weather, time, and announce the upcoming record, start the record, hop on my bike, peddle like a little son of a gun, stop the bike and turn on my little portable radio, which was strapped to the bike. As the record approached the end of the cut, I would race back home, just in time to back announce and do it all again. (no dead air, you know). Thinking back on this, I'm pretty sure I was doing this on some of my Saturdays. I'm pretty sure that the writing was on the wall for doing "Ragged But Right", on Saturday afternoons, here at KVMR.

My Dad played a pretty mean pedal-steel guitar. Actually he could play anything with strings, including piano. Dad was in a country band that would play at a local radio station (Pomona, CA) and some of my early memories are of the station, and of Dad and the band, "cutting a record". Cutting a record meant just that. The "master" was "cut" as the band played. I remember playing with the shreds of vinyl as they fell onto the floor.

What got me into KVMR was a broken heart. After a relationship fell apart, I couldn't listen to country music at all. All those songs would just tear me up. I kept the radio off, for a long time. I started listening again, and began knowing what song would go great with the last one. Then, I could string three and four songs together that I just knew would be the best songs to be played together. And, once again...wallah! About this time (1987) I heard KVMR announcing the "Broadcaster Class". I trained with David Gates, and was certified by Greg Gavin. Airtime was just as hard to get then, as it appears to be now. I did several "Guest DJ" shows on Monday nights, and did a lot of "Red-Eye Radio" (1-4 or 7 a.m.). When T.J. Meekins decided to discontinue her alternate Saturday show, noon to 2pm., it just seemed like the right place for me. The first "Ragged But Right" show aired March 27, 1993 and I have enjoyed every show. The remote broadcasts from the Fairgrounds are some of my best times. I really enjoy the walk-up interviews, and the spontaneity of doing the show there.

I was a member of the Program Committee for two years, and came away with a different understanding of the station in general, and programming in particular. I really feel that every active broadcaster should serve on the Program Committee.

I am very fortunate to have a wife (Mrs. Ragged but Right, Sweet Shannon) who understands and cooperates with my passion for music and doing the radio show. I spend much more money than I should on CDs, using the excuse of being so far from the station. However; the music budget has given over, a little, to diapers and little girls' clothes. If you are a listener to "Ragged But Right", you probably know all about our two-year-old twin girls. I speak of them a lot, on the air. That's what I love about KVMR, the ability to speak of private matters, on air, and have listeners respond positively, and say they feel like part of the family. The twins, Kate (after Kate Wolf) and Mary-Alice (after important people in mine and my wife's past) love to hear daddy on the radio, but are still figuring out how daddy can get into that box, where the music comes out.

Well, I'll be sayin' bye for now. I'll be seeing you on the radio...Thomas