“Seven Years Before The Mike” would be the title of an article that would best describe George Wood’s experience in radio; Seven years of radio service as announcer, publicity director, program director, continuity writer and singer. It was in 1923 that he first felt the pangs of “mike fright,” reading news bulletins and weather reports on the station owned by the newspaper with which he served as a reporter.
Since that time “Mike” and George have been very close friends. When he severed connections with the newspaper it was to go to California and enter the radio business.
He first joined the staff of KGFJ, Los Angeles, and was heard also on programs from KFWB, Warner Brothers, and KMTR, Hollywood. The experience he gleaned in the Sunshine State fitted him for a position with KOIL. Wood takes his radio seriously and has announced practically every big news event handled by his station. He has introduced many celebrities of the stage and screen as announcer for Fox and RKO St. Louis Theatres and was one of the first announcers to personally interview Jack Dempsey before the microphone.
For the past four years his voice has been familiar to listeners in the Middle West from St. Louis. George Wood came to St. Louis from KOIL at Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he served as publicity director and announcer for that broadcaster. After one year at KWK he came to WIL, where he has officiated as chief announcer and program director the past two years. George Wood has the knack of making his voice fit any program from the so-called hillbilly program to the classical symphony.
(Originally published in Radio and Records 12/19/1931).