Bill Dollar (DJ)
Encyclopedia
William Everett Dollar was a radio host for 16 years on country music
station WSOC-FM
in Charlotte, North Carolina
, a weather reporter on WSOC-TV
, and the host of the syndicated program NASCAR
Country, carried by over 300 stations at the time of his death. Bill Dollar was the number one DJ in Charlotte for seven years, according to Arbitron
.
to Dick, a farmer, and Pauline, an English teacher. When he was a boy he would play with crystal radio sets and homemade transmitters. As a teenager he would hang around a local radio station, and eventually he was given the chance to play records on the air for 90 cents an hour. He also operated the control board for University of Tennessee
football broadcasts.
and Birmingham, Alabama
. He was music director at WGST
in Atlanta, Georgia
when that station changed to news radio
.
In 1979, Dollar applied to the Federal Communications Commission
for a frequency allocated to Boone, North Carolina
. While waiting for his application to be approved, he moved to Shelbyville, Tennessee
and served as morning host and sales manager, but decided he would be better off working for someone else rather than being his own boss. WSOC-FM in Charlotte, North Carolina was advertising for a morning DJ in Broadcasting and Cable Magazine. Dollar applied, but the job went to another applicant.
By 1982, Dollar had surpassed Robert Murphy as the most popular DJ in town, and he held this position for the next seven years. He did this without making fun of The PTL Club
, a favorite target of radio DJs in the area, even when the show's scandal became national news.
In October 1989 after three nominations, Dollar received the Broadcast Personality of the Year award (medium markets) from the Country Music Association
.
In Fall 1989, Dollar returned to the no. 1 position after John Boy and Billy
replaced him in the summer, a ratings period during which the market's top station lost to WPEG
.
In August 1994, Dollar had been WSOC's morning host for 14 years, the longest of anyone in Charlotte. But Dollar's ratings with 25-54 listeners were way down, and he returned from vacation, on his 44th birthday, to find he had been moved to middays, replaced in the morning by Paul Schadt and Cindy O'Day. Program director Paul Johnson said the change would attract more younger listeners with "a more contemporary face" and "energy, entertainment and fun." The station tried to claim Dollar asked for the change, but he would not confirm that.
Dollar appeared as an announcer in two movies, Stroker Ace
in 1983, and Bandit Goes Country in 1994.
after he swerved into the pickup's path. Fans left flowers at the station and posted messages on the station's web site. Johnson said, "Bill worked here a long time. The value of the companionship he established with our audience was deep enough so that we wanted to pay respect to what he meant to WSOC and its listeners." General Tom Sadler, executive director of Speedway Children's Charities, called Dollar "one of the great talents in radio and NASCAR." One of the most requested songs was "Rose Colored Glasses" by John Conlee
, Dollar's favorite.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station WSOC-FM
WSOC-FM
WSOC-FM 103.7 is a country radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina. The station is owned by New York City-based CBS Radio. Its primary competitor in the country format is 96.9 The Kat...
in Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
, a weather reporter on WSOC-TV
WSOC-TV
WSOC-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station in Charlotte, North Carolina. It is owned by Cox Enterprises. The station's studio is located at North Tryon and 23rd Streets, just north of Uptown Charlotte, and is shared with sister station WAXN-TV . The transmitter is located just outside...
, and the host of the syndicated program NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
Country, carried by over 300 stations at the time of his death. Bill Dollar was the number one DJ in Charlotte for seven years, according to Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
.
Early life
Dollar was born in Humboldt, TennesseeHumboldt, Tennessee
Humboldt is a city in Gibson and Madison counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 8,452 at the 2010 census, a decline of 1,015 in 2000. It is the principal city of and is included in the Humboldt, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the Jackson,...
to Dick, a farmer, and Pauline, an English teacher. When he was a boy he would play with crystal radio sets and homemade transmitters. As a teenager he would hang around a local radio station, and eventually he was given the chance to play records on the air for 90 cents an hour. He also operated the control board for University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
football broadcasts.
Professional career
Later, Dollar worked at other radio stations, eventually moving up to larger cities such as Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
and Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
. He was music director at WGST
WGST (AM)
WGST AM 640 is a radio station licensed in the city of Atlanta, Georgia operating at a frequency of 640 kHz with 50,000 watts of power during the daytime, and 1,000 watts of power during nighttime hours...
in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
when that station changed to news radio
News Radio
News Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format....
.
In 1979, Dollar applied to the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
for a frequency allocated to Boone, North Carolina
Boone, North Carolina
Boone is a town located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina, United States. Boone's population was reported as 17,122, as of 2010...
. While waiting for his application to be approved, he moved to Shelbyville, Tennessee
Shelbyville, Tennessee
Shelbyville is a city in Bedford County, Tennessee, United States. It had a local population of 16,105 residents at the 2000 census. Shelbyville, the county seat of Bedford County, was laid out in 1810 and incorporated in 1819...
and served as morning host and sales manager, but decided he would be better off working for someone else rather than being his own boss. WSOC-FM in Charlotte, North Carolina was advertising for a morning DJ in Broadcasting and Cable Magazine. Dollar applied, but the job went to another applicant.
By 1982, Dollar had surpassed Robert Murphy as the most popular DJ in town, and he held this position for the next seven years. He did this without making fun of The PTL Club
The PTL Club
The PTL Club , later called The Jim and Tammy Show, and in its last days PTL Today and Heritage Today, was a Christian television program first hosted by evangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, which ran from 1974 to 1989...
, a favorite target of radio DJs in the area, even when the show's scandal became national news.
In October 1989 after three nominations, Dollar received the Broadcast Personality of the Year award (medium markets) from the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
.
In Fall 1989, Dollar returned to the no. 1 position after John Boy and Billy
John Boy and Billy
John Isley and Billy James, known as John Boy & Billy, named after "John-Boy Harris and brother Bross Harris", are American radio hosts based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their comedic morning program The John Boy & Billy Big Show broadcasts from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m...
replaced him in the summer, a ratings period during which the market's top station lost to WPEG
WPEG
WPEG is a Mainstream Urban-formatted radio station in the Charlotte, North Carolina area. It broadcasts at 97.9 FM, and is owned by CBS Radio.-History:...
.
In August 1994, Dollar had been WSOC's morning host for 14 years, the longest of anyone in Charlotte. But Dollar's ratings with 25-54 listeners were way down, and he returned from vacation, on his 44th birthday, to find he had been moved to middays, replaced in the morning by Paul Schadt and Cindy O'Day. Program director Paul Johnson said the change would attract more younger listeners with "a more contemporary face" and "energy, entertainment and fun." The station tried to claim Dollar asked for the change, but he would not confirm that.
Dollar appeared as an announcer in two movies, Stroker Ace
Stroker Ace
Stroker Ace is a 1983 action comedy film, filmed in North Carolina and Georgia, about a NASCAR driver, the eponymous Stroker Ace, played by Burt Reynolds....
in 1983, and Bandit Goes Country in 1994.
Death
On November 21, 1996, Dollar died as the result of a head-on collision with a pickup truck on N.C. Highway 279 south of GastoniaGastonia, North Carolina
Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina, United States. It is also the third largest suburb of the Charlotte Area, behind Concord and Rock Hill. The population was 71,226 as of Gastonia is the largest city and county seat of Gaston County, North Carolina,...
after he swerved into the pickup's path. Fans left flowers at the station and posted messages on the station's web site. Johnson said, "Bill worked here a long time. The value of the companionship he established with our audience was deep enough so that we wanted to pay respect to what he meant to WSOC and its listeners." General Tom Sadler, executive director of Speedway Children's Charities, called Dollar "one of the great talents in radio and NASCAR." One of the most requested songs was "Rose Colored Glasses" by John Conlee
John Conlee
John Conlee is an American country music singer. Between 1978 and 2004, Conlee charted a total of thirty-two singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts and recorded eleven studio albums...
, Dollar's favorite.