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Rick Crandall
Although he got to work with actual studio equipment for the first time in a closed circuit AFRTS facility while in the Air Force, the first full time civilian gig for Rick was after he was discharged and joined KUDI in Great Falls, Montana in 1964.
After a year there, he placed a classified ad in a broadcasting trade magazine and was hired by Swinging Radio England’s founder, Don Pierson, to be the pirate radio station’s first presenter (deejay). Soon, he was joined by other Boss Jocks Ron O’Quinn and Jerry Smithwick.
While Rick may have been the first hired, he was also the first to leave. After returning to the States, he landed a job doing evening news and a weekend air shift (as Rick Randall) at Tampa Bay’s WLCY AM-1380. After his stint there, he pulled mid-days at WFLA from 1969 to 1972 and later worked at New Port Richey’s WGUL AM & FM, Clearwater’s WTAN, 96 Fever WOKF, and Magic 96 WMGG (as Rick Bruce). In the 80’s, he worked for Bud Paxson’s Newsradio 1470 WWQT and was its news director when the station became WFNN. He also got his first taste of country music as a jock for sister station WVTY-FM (Your Country 106).
In addition to Gainesville, St Augustine and Panama City, he has worked for stations in other parts of the country, too – Toledo, Denver, Spokane (KGA), Thomasville, Georgia and Allentown, Pennsylvania. His last on-air gig was in 1992 doing news for Tampa Bay’s 570 WHNZ. After that, he worked for Paxson Communications (renamed ION Media Networks in 2006) in network operations at its PaxTV (renamed the ”i” network) satellite uplink and, in 2005, established his own streaming music website featuring local, Tampa Bay artists exclusively.
Rick retired in 2008 and has engaged in extensive travel ever since.
Station History
1967 - 1992 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (On Air Personality)
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