GREENSBORO, N.C. — In less than a week, WFMY News 2 turns 75. Over the course of this week, we're catching up with some of the people who you might remember bringing you the news, or in this case -- sports! Today, we go back to the 70s and 80s and caught up with Mebane native, WFMY sports reporter Johnny Phelps.
Phelps won a scholarship to the North Carolina High School Radio Television Institute from WFMY. When he was a senior in college looking to join television stations, the folks at Channel two remembered him.
The sports department at the time was a two person operation. Woody Durham was the sports director and Grady Allred was a full time sports photographer. Phelps said not every station was fortunate enough to have that kind of team and said the growth he experienced from their guidance was exceptional.
In that time, sports on local television was very big. The time allotted to sports newscasts was very generous. They shot on film, there was no videotape, no satellite feeds. Crews were restricted in terms of shooting the film based when they needed to get the film back to the television station from an event to get it processed so it could get on the air either before six o'clock or 11 o'clock. Phelps said, "I was fortunate enough to, to learn so much. It was a dream job. What I learned carried me through my broadcasting career which carried me all the way to CNN Sports Illustrated in Atlanta."
Of his time at WFMY News 2, Phelps said, "I am grateful that I had the opportunity to grow in that time and learn what it was like then to see how it has changed from then to now."
When Phelps left WFMY News 2, he became a partner in a radio sports network and later joined CNN Sports Illustrated in Atlanta. He's now retired and living in Savannah, Georgia with his wife, Barb.
We'll be celebrating 75 a little more this week. We're catching up with some familiar faces and celebrating other businesses turning 75. Don't miss it!
Of course, this weekend we want you to celebrate 75 years with us! Sunday, August 18th, we'll be at Triad Park from 2:00pm - 4:00pm for a party! There will be food trucks, a performance from Eric and the Chill Tones, and, of course, members of the WFMY News 2 team! We hope to see you there.