By Andrea Bruner
For four decades, Gary Bridgman has brought listeners the latest in news, weather and sports. This month, he’s the one making the headlines, as he signs off on his final broadcast.
Bridgman said he hadn’t originally planned to go into radio. When he was young, he thought he would be a pharmacist. He had an uncle who owned a few drugstores, so Bridgman thought he would land in one of them and ultimately take over when the uncle retired.
While attending Arkansas State, he majored in business but said he was looking for something else he enjoyed. He ended up having to drop a class in one of his disciplines and had to pick up another class.
“I picked up a radio class and got to where I liked it pretty well and found out that I could be decent at it.”
At that point, he switched his major to radio-television and found his fit.
He was working for then Independence County Judge Jess B. Carpenter, but it wasn’t long before the local radio station came calling.
“Peppy (Preston Grace Jr., who started W.R.D. Entertainment, now known as White River Now) asked me if I would come down and do a board shift for him,” Bridgman explained. “He was just starting on his new station, KAAB, which was the second station in Batesville at the time; KBTA had been here a while.”
Featuring contemporary music and local news, KAAB started as a daytime station only, Bridgman recalled.
“I would come in and run the radio station from 6 in the morning until 10. I would do the talking and play the records,” he said. “He (Grace) said you just need to take over and run this thing, and I said I’ve already got a job. He said he would make it worth my while and he did.”
That was 1981 and it wasn’t long before WRD began adding more stations to include KWOZ, KZLE, KBTA (AM), KBTA-FM and KKIK.
“There were good people around so it was easy to find people to do the things we needed done,” Bridgman said, although that doesn’t mean it wasn’t all hands on deck when the times called for it.
“More than one Saturday, Peppy and I sat in the floor changing carts out because we only had two of these pieces of equipment that would hold 100 carts.” (Carts, or audio cartridges, contained commercials, political messages, station identifications or other audio).
“I’ll always remember sitting in the floor, shooting the bull and putting the carts in,” Bridgman said with a chuckle.
One of the people Bridgman worked with was Joe Biard, who was the owner and announcer of KBTA and KZLE before they were acquired by WRD.
Biard was also an assistant to the county judge and eventually served as mayor of Batesville for 12 years.
“Joe was a good man, and he did a good job with Judge Carpenter,” Bridgman said.
Bridgman said after a few years at the radio he was interviewing someone on the air who called him “Gary B” and while he did not think anything about it at the time – the moniker stuck. He’s been Gary B ever since.
And, it’s not uncommon for him to get recognized by people he’s never met, something he found strange early on in his career but soon became accustomed to it.
“I go right along with it,” he said, smiling.
He said being on the air for four decades, his life is pretty much an open book. There are no secrets when one has been in front of the public like he has. Listeners feel a bond with the man attached to the voice that comes through their speakers. For years, they’ve heard Gary B bring the latest news, whether it was current events, local government plans, business or healthcare expansion, or even a storm outbreak. He even carried a notepad and a recorder in his vehicle at all times because he never knew when or where a story would break.
In a way, he’s helped shape the community, just by covering the issues and bringing them to light.
“It wouldn’t be on the show if this wasn’t an important thing. And boy, we’ve got a hold of some issues,” he said. “I didn’t mind talking about it (controversial issues). People want you to ask the hard questions, if you’re willing.”
The biggest change over the years, he said, has been the speed at getting the job done.
“You could do it a lot faster; you have more ability to get it done at a quicker pace than in times past.”
With the advent of social media, he’s also seen changes in the way news is created and presented – some changes may for the better and some, perhaps not. He said people can get on social media and say pretty much anything, “but if you get them in front of a microphone, they don’t talk near as much or near as loud,” he said with a laugh.
When he started with WRD, much of the music was on LP, not just a 45. It would be convenient if he stepped away from the booth for a moment longer than he’d planned, the music could keep playing.
“So if we happened to get caught between a rock and a hard place, we may play two songs from the same album,” Bridgman said.
Bridgman said what he loves about radio are the many facets. “It’s not boring – you do so many different things, and you meet so many people. … Everybody that wants some publicity on something, they knock on the door.”
There were a few interviews where he knew a guest might resort to “colorful language,” and he said he would caution them that the broadcast was live and they needed to watch what they say, or the conversation would be a lot shorter than they might have planned it to be.
He’s even had people say they don’t want to do the interview if he’s not going to be the one asking questions. “They feel comfortable with me.”
Over the years, he has covered his share of disasters as well as relief efforts. There were countless stories he reported on – both good and bad – and there were times he could feel his own emotions welling up. “It’s hard. Sometimes you have to back off a little bit. It is not an easy thing to do sometimes, particularly when you can tell they’re hurting.”
The awards on his walls are a testament to the community’s response to Gary B. He received the Community Service Award from the United Way in 2002, the Tom Biggs Award for Excellence in Tourism from the Ozark Gateway Tourist Council in 2003, the Orange and Black Award for outstanding service to the Batesville School District signed by Superintendent Ted Hall and Athletic Director Dave King in 2007, a plaque of appreciation from the Independence County Fair in 1997 for his many years of promoting the fair and a citation of appreciation from Sheriff Dan Johnson for presenting excellent journalism skills.
He won a first-place award from the Arkansas Associated Press Broadcasters Association in 2003 for the Batesville Pioneers pre-game show. He also served as president of the Arkansas Broadcasters Association from 2004-05 and is a past president of the Batesville Jaycees. He also served on the Independence County Quorum Court from 2009-16.
Bridgman said he interviewed President Bill Clinton more than once, as well as dozens of singers and celebrities. Throughout his office, amid pictures of his family are framed photos of Willie Nelson and George Jones. Holding a place of honor on his door is even a picture signed by a young Taylor Swift.
“I always enjoyed talking to them (celebrities). I could usually tell pretty quickly if they’re going to do well, if they have what it takes to ‘stick,’” he said.
There are Gary-isms, like “This story has more twists than Oliver,” or when he wanted someone to do something well, he encouraged them with, “Make hundreds!”
The lone bowling pin atop a filing cabinet is a souvenir from a game he played in 2000, when he was bowling in a league tournament and scored a 299. He’d bowled 11 strikes in a row, and the last ball curved just enough that the last pin wobbled but would not tip over.
“I keep that up there because it always reminds me how damn hard it is to be perfect,” he said.
Bridgman, who has four daughters, eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, said he’s ready to take a break, however, make some travel plans, and visit some family and friends in different parts of the country.
A reception honoring Bridgman will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. today, Dec. 15, at the Batesville Community Center, on the second floor.
