Who's Who at WPLA

Jim Richardson

Jim came to Plant City in the late 1950’s and, for most of the time he was at WPLA, pulled two air shifts each weekday, both quite different from the other in terms of the music played. In the mid-morning, his J.R. Show played upbeat middle of the road songs by Sinatra, Ray Conniff, and Doris Day.  Right after the mid-day local news and through the early afternoon, Jim hosted Albums of Song, a mix of laid back easy listening favorites by artists like Percy Faith, Patti Page and Johnny Mathis. In the early 1960’s, Mitch Miller and his Sing-Along Gang were popular and Jim hosted the Sing-Along Show each weekday afternoon for a half hour.

Jim left WPLA in the mid 1960’s. Unfortunately his life ended tragically. As the story goes, he was working in a convenience store out in the Midwest when he was shot and killed during a store holdup.

(Photo courtesy Plant City Photo Archives)

Station History