Smiling Jack Woods WOC TV 6, WOC 1420 Radio, Davenport, Iowa

I graduated from high school in 1952 in Gary, Indiana, I joined the Marines and served until 1956. I used the GI Bill College Tuition program to attend Columbia College. (Not affiliated with Columbia Radio School or Columbia University) My plan was to obtain a degree in Communications, then get into broadcasting. I worked full time as an iron worker, for American Bridge Company while attending college. At the end of my first year, I was working on the Chicago Skyway project and was severely injured on the job. I was hospitalized for five months, then very hobbled due to a severely smashed left femur. I missed three quarters of school, then returned for one quarter, but I couldn’t work. I was assured by a radio professor that I was good enough to get a radio job and not worry about a degree. I put an ad in ‘Broadcasting’ magazine and received a telegram the first day. It was from WOC PD Ray Guth. I sent a picture and more info and he called me to come in for an interview. I was blown away and very nervous, but took a train from Gary to Davenport. I walked up to that three story house/studio and met Ray. He took me into a production studio (news booth) and had me read some commercial copy, then told me I was hired as a news reporter. He sent me up to meet Bob Green, who auditioned me as well, and when he found out I couldn’t type he told me he couldn’t hire me. I was crushed and went home on the next train.

I called Ray the next day to thank him for the interview and he said, “Hey, I told you I was hiring you and if the news department doesn’t want you, I’ll hire you as a TV/Radio announcer….. I started 9/15/58 for $300 per month….wow… My shift was Sign on at 5:30 am until 6am when Ed Zack came in. I’d hang around with Ed for a few minutes and you know it doesn’t take long to become a good friend of his. At 6:30, I went to TV booth and read 10 second ID’s every half hour. At 9:00 I went back into radio to “ride the board” for the network programs. At noon, beautiful/wonderful/delightful/funny/talented George Sontag came into the studio and I ran the board and read the commercials for his midday live piano, vocals and records show. That was my day. By the way, Bob Allard taught me the board and trained me in “The WOC Style of Broadcasting”.

I don’t remember the name of the afternoon drive guy, but he’d been hired away from a station in Moline. He was very smooth. After about 6 or 7 weeks, I believe Ed’s Mom had to have an operation and he asked for a few days off. They put the afternoon drive guy in for Ed while also working his own shift. Ed came back and I believe it was just a short time later, as I recall, his Mother died. Once again he took a few days off. The story I was told was that Ray had not liked the afternoon guy’s morning efforts and mentioned it to our crusty and great radio engineer. Maybe his name was Bud Fuller. He told Ray, “Ya got a morning man all ready. Have you ever listened to the 5:30 to 6 guy?” (Small aside: In ‘59 Nikita Krushev came to the US. His welcome address was broadcast on NBC radio news. Fuller taped it to play backwards. He was convinced Russian was English backwards.)

Ray asked me to fill in for Ed and when Ed came back, they moved me to afternoon drive. That dreadful loss suffered by Ed, turned out to be a huge break for me. By the end of the year, we’d changed formats from Wee Bonnie Baker to Paul Anka and were going up against a very good top 40 KSTT. Their PD, Ken Draper, turned out to be one of the best major market competitors in the Top 40 format. In ’59 Ed and I were really clicking and promoting the station with the local teens with live Teen Hops at the Col and then a live Bandstand type show on Channel 6. After 6 months, had earned a one week vacation. I was going home to see my folks. Ray Guth called me into his office and said, “Please don’t use your vacation to look for a better job.” (The farthest thing from my mind) “When you get back you’ll have a $50 per month raise.”

WOW…$350 every month to hang out at WOC and do tv commercials for Beedings Trailer Sales and Cheerful Charlie’s Peoples Furniture: store. WOW…

WOC station artist and performer Ken Wagner's incredible artwork shown here in a picture of his good friend WOC's Sportscaster Ed Zack and Jack Woods who together spun records on a 1959 show which was similar to a local American Bandstand. This picture has not been seen in 50 years. Special thanks to Jack Wood's buddy WOC's Ed Zack.

I came back from vacation and everything was grand. Ed and I were sailing along. At the end of summer, I had earned another vacation and, again, Ray called me in and asked me not to look for work. I had not intended to and swore that was true. He told me another raise was waiting for me, I was reaching the $400 level.

I went back to Gary for a few days, and then came back in mid week to my favorite city in the world. I got a call on Thursday morning asking if I might be able to come in and meet with Ray that afternoon. I said, “Of course.”

By that time around a year went by and it was time to move onward and upward. Ray Guth was a real gentleman and said to use him as a great reference.

In September 1959 I joined KFMA. In August 1960 I was hired at WROK, in Rockford. In June 1961 I joined KLIF in Dallas, 1966 WKYC in Cleveland, 1968 NBC, New York. I wound up working Boston, D.C, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Diego and owning my own chain of Coastal California stations. I retired from broadcasting in 2002 and now play golf and operate a boutique winery in Pauma Valley, California. To tell you the truth, I have never forgotten my time at WOC.

By the way, my first recorded commercial was a two voicer with Pat Sundine, an exceptional person, who I loved. In all of my travels around radio land I still believe Ed Zack to be one of the nicest and most talented guys I ever worked with.

Jack Woods is most modest about his career after WOC. Jack became a nationally known radio personality and was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. Now he is known as the first commercial winemaker in Pauma Valley. His wine already is being sold at Major Markets in Escondido and Fallbrook and the Lazy H Restaurant in Pauma Valley.

Before Woods retired to Pauma Valley in 1998, he owned and operated radio stations in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Monterey. But being a disc jockey was Woods' all-time favorite role. "It was a lot of fun doing different characters," he said. "You never knew what was going to happen. By the end of the show, we'd have to massage our faces because we hurt from laughing so much. When you touch people with laughter, it makes you feel like you really did something."

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