Greenville radio host Lee Alexander met rock stars KISS, Rod Stewart while working 53 years

Lee Alexander has been a radio personality for 53 years and watched music go from vinyl records to software on the internet. He has enjoyed his work so much that it seemed like time went by quickly.

During his career, he worked for several Upstate radio stations and hosted morning and midday shows. He played music of every genre, including rock 'n' roll, country, rhythm and blues, pop and love songs.

His last day on his radio show on Earth FM (95.5 and 103.3) was on Sept. 29. Another broadcasting company purchased the station and will produce out of Nashville, Tenn.

"All good things must come to an end ... that's true, that's true," Alexander said on his last show. "We never expect it when the end comes because we have been having so much fun. This has been an absolute joy for me."

Alexander said he has had an interest in radio since he was in high school. He was only 14 when he learned from a fellow senior in his school, who had a radio show. Alexander offered to help him and worked as a radio personality.

"I said this is what I wanted to do," Alexander said. "I didn't have any other interests. My father had died and was in the cotton business, but I didn't want to follow in his footsteps. I worked at five stations, which isn't bad since radio has the reputation of people moving from one market to another."

Alexander loved to play new albums, discovering different genres and who was making their way up the top of the charts. Alexander also loved talking to callers and giving them advice, telling callers they won concert tickets or simply fulfilling a song request.

Alexander met rock stars from KISS to pop group, The Partridge Family

Alexander, unlike others in the media industry, did not wish to move around for the sake of his job. He desired stability and watching Greenville grow into a busy and prosperous city.

He accomplished that goal, working at four stations in Greenville until his retirement. From 1967 until 2023, Alexander was a radio host at a station in Florence, at WQOK, WFBC, Magic 98.8 and Earth FM. He even got to meet famous musicians that performed in Greenville.

"I met Rod Stewart, John Waite and KISS," Alexander said. "It was back in the '70s at the old Greenville Memorial Auditorium. I was with WQOK at the time, and we were advertising the concert. I got to go backstage to meet them. I didn't know what to expect, because some artists don't want to talk to you, but all of them (KISS) were so nice."

However, KISS wasn't the only celebrity he met while working. He said his favorite interaction was with The Partridge Family which included bandmembers David Cassidy, Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce and Shirley Jones.

"One thrill was The Partridge Family and they had come to town. It was a packed house, full of teenage girls," Alexander said. "I was asked to introduce The Partridge Family, and I was trying to think of a way to introduce them, but I couldn't have said anything because everyone was screaming. The lights went down and you couldn't hear yourself think. So I got a long, big poster and rolled it up, and got on stage. I asked (the audience), 'Do you know who these people are?' and dropped the poster. Then they came on stage!"

Radio stations went from playing vinyl to software from internet

Alexander witnessed generations of new technology, watching how quickly stations started with vinyl records to music from the internet.

"In 1970, we were playing records," Alexander said. "In 1976, we began playing one-track carts (cassette tapes) and it had one song on each cart. We had a big case on the wall in the control room where we kept the carts, in alphabetical order by artist. Everything was on carts, even the commercials."

In 1982, radio stations then switched to reel-to-reel tapes. Alexander said technology did not change as frequently as it does now, and learning new equipment was a challenge.

"These kinds of tapes (reel-to-reel) would get twisted easily, and we'd have to just cut the song out," Alexander said. "We had a lot of technicians that would come in and give us training. The hardest transition was going from CDs to computers. I didn't grow up with the technology they have today, so it was hard to learn about computers. With CDs, I could manually do things."

Radio formats aren't as local as they used to be

Alexander feels that radio is not as personable as it once was. He formed a deep connection with callers, playing songs to celebrate anniversaries, enjoying a Friday night with friends or studying with their favorite song.

One of his favorite segments was "Lunch with Lee." It was a lunchtime segment that played music based on the day's theme. Some themes included love songs, ice cream flavors, songs that contain names and more. He loved connecting with his listeners, telling them about what was happening in downtown Greenville.

A few months ago, Earth FM was bought by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. All Earth FM employees were laid off, and Alexander had to retire at 79 years old.

"I loved to have exciting listeners call in because it really made the show, and made you feel good too," Alexander said. "There's nothing local about these new channels. It's evolved and, unfortunately, it's the way radio is moving. There's nothing personable about it."

Joanna Johnson covers community news for the Herald-Journal. Reach her via email at jjohnson@shj.com.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Earth FM personality Lee Alexander met musicians KISS, Partridge Family