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Stan Grams
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After visiting a radio station in Benton Harbor, Michigan, 12 year old Stan Grams was hooked on getting into the radio business. One day he got up the nerve to stop by WPLA in Plant City and talked General Manager George Friend into giving him a half-hour music show on Saturday afternoon that he named “Stan’s Musicland.”
The young broadcaster stayed with WPLA until after high school then joined the Air Force. After duties for Uncle Sam were over, he took a job at Lakeland's WONN in 1959, writing and producing commercials, and doing various air shifts. His next move was nights at WSIR in Winter Haven and, later, Program Director at WBIL in Leesburg.
A major break for Stan’s career came in 1961 when he landed a job at WLCY in St. Petersburg as Music Director and on-air personality. At first, he pulled overnights as Johnny Dark. When PD Roy Nilson moved him to middays, he became Johnny Dart. Although he enjoyed tremendous ratings (once receiving a 62-share), he moved over to WLCY-TV when Rahall Communications turned on Channel 10 in 1965.
Other career moves were to Columbus, GA (WRBL-FM, WCLS and WDAK AM/FM), then back to Florida as PD for Sarasota’s WSAF/WQSR and WSPB-AM/FM. In Gatlinburg, TN, he was station manager for Dolly Parton’s WVTN-FM and owner of Grams Communications, operator of Tourist Information TV Ch. 8 on Harte-Hanks Cable TV.
In 1981, Stan left broadcasting and today (2006) owns and runs the Little Angel Christian Bookstore in Zephyrhills, FL.
Station History
1952 - 1957 WPLA (On Air Personality)
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