Remembering Frank Stevens

Frank was one of my closest friends.  His friendship and knowledge base are the main reasons Bulldog 93.3 exists today.

I met Frank in 2008 when I was in college vacationing with my girlfriend over spring break at my grandparents Crystal River condo.  When she and I arrived at the condo on the evening of Sunday, March 16, we played board games and listened to the radio, where Frank was hosting Solid Gold Sunday Night, his 7pm-midnight oldies-themed Sunday Night show on WFJV 103.3.  The following morning I tuned in and listened to Jon Kay in the morning, and the myriad of local content on the station.  One peculiar aspect of WFJV is that despite being a music radio station the broadcast was in mono.  This gave me the excuse I needed to call up and ask questions.

After a few unanswered calls, Frank answered.  I introduced myself and told him about my radio interests, then I asked if I could stop by and see the station, which he welcomed.  I arrived and Frank showed me the operation.  From there we became lifelong friends.  My subsequent trips to Crystal River were to visit with Frank, and most times I would never even stop by the condo.

At the time, I was a broadcasting hobbyiest with a ton of passion for radio broadcasting but limited technical and legal knowledge.  Over the years Frank taught me a ton of information and he answered my questions during hours-long phone calls that often lasted after midnight.  He had unlimited patience and he was a completely self-taught genius in the field of FM broadcast engineering.

When the FCC allowed a second round of low power FM applicants to apply for broadcast licenses in 2013, Frank informed me of this and subsequently helped me complete the necessary technical paperwork.  The license was granted and the station signed on in Athens, Georgia in February 2014.  Frank's technical expertise helped guide me all the way until a couple of days before he died, when I was asking him for advice on repairing an old Technics graphic equalizer from the 80's.

Frank could fix nearly anything electronic.  Often if there was something he needed but it was too expensive, he would simply build it from scrap parts - anything from  telephone broadcast interfaces to an FM audio processor to broadcast remote pickups.  And he would always repair his transmitter equipment when it was hit by lightning - damn near every summer.

Frank and I frequently discussed radio propagation, and he lamented the adverse effects of HD Radio on adjacent local radio stations.  He even wrote an article that was published in trade journal Radio World in January 2018.  Throughout the years Frank made sure that WFJV was a hobby, not a job.  He loved engineering but disliked selling advertising, and he was content with the modest income from the few advertisements he carried supplemented by various broadcast engineering work at nearby stations including WTBH in Chiefland, Florida.

In mid-2017 when Frank was forced by his local radio competitor to change the longtime frequency of WFJV from 103.3 to 107.5, he maintained excellent professionalism and truly made the best out of the situation.  His positivity during adversity was noteworthy.

I will be eternally grateful for the place Frank had in my life.

-Paul Francis, Athens, Georgia

September 9, 2014 photo of Frank with my dog, Millie, on a couch at his home during one of my vacations to his house.

September 23, 2016 photo of Frank at the WFJV console.

March 30, 2017 photo of Frank and me on the roof of the Fred Building in Athens, GA, the transmitter site of WPLP.  Frank played a significant role in the founding of this radio station.

May 6, 2017 Photo of Frank playing with Millie in his front yard.  Frank and Millie quickly became friends.

May 7, 2017 photo of Frank searching for distant FM radio stations using his Kenwood receiver in his living room.

June 16, 2018 photo of Frank with Dan at the new WZEU transmitter installation.  I believe they are discussing Dan's HD Sangean radio pictured on top of the server rack.