Who's Who at WPLA

Randy Robinson

Although he was born in Birmingham, AL, Randy grew up in Pensacola. In high school, he began working with the sheriff’s office as a part-time dispatcher, an experience that led to a law enforcement career with the Florida Highway Patrol, beginning in 1948.

In 1955, after seven years in the Miami and Panama City areas, he was transferred to the Lakeland district where he began a weekly half-hour radio program of popular music and safe-driving tips Wednesday nights at 9:30 over Lakeland’s NBC affiliate WLAK. The following year, he added a Saturday afternoon hour-long country music show at 4:00 on WPLA in Plant City.

Randy was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1960 and to lieutenant in 1964. The first promotion resulted in his transfer to Brevard County, a move that ended the two radio shows. His replacement, Spud Clements (Spud the Fuzz, as he was called by station deejays), provided recorded safety tips, but was not inclined to do any radio show.

Trooper Robinson finished out his twenty years with the FHP in 1968 and then retired with his wife, Betty, to Lakeland. The couple lived there until 1994 and then moved to Lake City, the town where they were married way back in 1948. Today (2005), they still live there.

Station History