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Judy Watters is a rare breed. No one ever has a bad thing to say about her, nor does she have an unkind word for anyone else. Rare, indeed. Equally as rare is how she has for so many years shared her love for the arts through the airwaves of Alabama\u2019s Tennessee Valley region. Her creative spirit combined with her professional dedication make Judy Watters more than deserving of receiving a 2017 ABA Broadcaster Award.<\/p>\n
Watters didn\u2019t plan on a broadcasting career; she has a degree in music education, but at a point when teaching wasn\u2019t an option, she took a bold step that changed her life forever.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI had seen some music education television programs on the national level and I thought perhaps this is something that they would consider here in Huntsville,\u201d explains Watters. \u201cI thought there might be an opening at our local public television station, so I went down and talked to the person in charge.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing was available for her there, but she was encouraged to talk to George Dickerson, a man who was spearheading efforts to bring a brand new public radio station to Huntsville.
\nDickerson explained that couldn\u2019t hire her because she didn\u2019t have the required license and as she walked out the door, he probably thought he would never see her again. He was wrong.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI got the books at the library and spent about seven weeks studying for this test \u2026 technical ohms and watts and things like that,\u201d she waves off dismissively. \u201cWe had to go all the way to Atlanta to take the tests and much to our surprise, I passed all three! So, I came back and presented my certificates to George. I was hired at WLRH, our local public radio station, which had not even gone on the air yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just as Watters\u2019 broadcasting career was about to begin, it quickly came to a screeching halt when the station ran out of money. Five years later, WLRH, now owned by the Alabama Public Television Commission, rehired Watters and she\u2019s been there ever since. Currently she hosts \u201cMorning Blend\u201d, a classical music program, and she produces \u201cSundial Writers Corner\u201d, another morning program that features regional writers.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI know she\u2019s extremely proud of \u2018Sundial\u2019, something she started with her husband, Harry, with whom she hosted a radio show,\u201d says the station\u2019s general manager, Brett Tannehill. \u201cIt has fostered the culture of storytelling in the Tennessee Valley for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn her forty years as a broadcaster, her depth of knowledge and ability to provide historical context allows the public to better connect past to present in the world of music,\u201d he continues. \u201cShe has provided a voice to segments of our non-profit community that otherwise would have little or no representation. This includes local symphonies, orchestras, classical music events and our community\u2019s dozens of performing arts groups. She also consistently displays a high degree of creativity and has the ability to engage an audience in a way few others can. People love Judy.\u201d<\/p>\n
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It hardly seems possible that Watters, preparing for the next day\u2019s show with a variety of CDs, a boom box, a pen and a legal pad scattered across her kitchen table, is at an age that finds many fifteen or more years into retirement.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know, I was not a young person when I went into this \u2026 I was almost forty,\u201d she laughs. Knowing that she\u2019s been in the business for forty years \u2026 well, you do the math, but don\u2019t suggest age has anything to do with enjoying life.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI think it\u2019s a negative view to start off with \u2018I\u2019m too old to do this or that\u2019\u201d, Watters says. \u201cI\u2019m very aware that I\u2019m still learning. Never say \u2018I\u2019m too old!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Concerning the ABA award, Watters was surprised to learn she was to be recognized. \u201cI was just flabbergasted, and then I wondered \u2026 am I getting this because I\u2019m the world\u2019s oldest living DJ?\u201d Watters chuckles. \u201cI really feel just so grateful for this opportunity. Aren\u2019t I lucky? I feel so lucky about this whole thing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Judy Watters is a rare breed. No one ever has a bad thing to say about her, nor does she have an unkind word for anyone else. Rare, indeed. Equally as rare is how she has for so many years shared her love for the arts through the airwaves of Alabama\u2019s Tennessee Valley region. Her … Continue reading Judy Watters – ABA Hall of Fame Class of 2017<\/span>