Veteran personalities inducted into Georgia Radio Hall of Fame

Voices that have been resonating with Middle Georgians for decades have joined the chorus of inductees at the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame.

At the Strand Theatre in Marietta on Saturday night, Bobby Pope, Ben Sandifer and the late Richard Lockerman were inducted into the state’s shrine of broadcasters.

“That was kind of a shock, to be honest with you,” Pope said Monday. “It was quite a thrill and an honor for me.”

Pope, who says radio was his first love, began broadcasting at age 13 while doing play-by-play for Little League baseball in Thomaston.

He hosted Georgia’s longest-running radio program, the “Saturday Football Scoreboard,” for 37 of its 39 years.

He signed off in 2014, 50 years after first getting behind the microphone at the former WMAZ radio in 1964.

Pope thought he was a long shot and missed the ceremony Saturday.

Sandifer traveled to Marietta, but he didn’t prepare an acceptance speech.

“It was totally unexpected and quite a surprise,” said Sandifer, taking a break Monday from morning host duties at Fox 94.7.

Sandifer’s career began in 1971 and includes stops in Macon, Augusta, Thomasville and Tallahassee, Florida.

The Georgia Association of Broadcasters has honored his work six times, and Sandifer’s “Solid Gold Sock Hop,” produced by his GMS Productions, is heard 22 times a week on the radio.

“I’m probably more excited about Bobby’s than mine,” Sandifer said. “He’s been the go-to sports guy in this market ever since (Telegraph columnist) Harley Bowers passed away.”

The hall also posthumously honored, as a legacy inductee, Richard Arlen “Phil Clark” Lockerman, who died in 2015 at age 79.

The Byromville native was the voice of the Westfield School sports program and most recently was working for WPGA. He also worked at Montezuma’s WMNZ, WRBN and WCOP in Warner Robins and WFPM in Fort Valley.

Sandifer, who served on the hall of fame’s board until two years ago, said the inductees are chosen from the hall’s membership, which is mostly connected to Atlanta-area radio.

“That makes it even more special since the membership is so Atlanta-heavy,” he said.

The new inductees at the 10th annual ceremony join Middle Georgia radio legends Helen Popejoy, Bill Powell, Del Ward, Don King, Ben Porter, Bill Elder, Hamp “King Bee” Swain, Charles “Big Saul” Greene, Ray “Satellite Papa” Brown, Gene “Uncle Ned” Stripling, Bob Saggese, Palmira “Honey Bee” Braswell, Tom Maxwell and Paul Reehling.

This story was originally published October 24, 2016 at 12:03 PM with the headline "Veteran personalities inducted into Georgia Radio Hall of Fame."