Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Scott Mims | Community Columnist

If you tune your radio to 95.5 FM or 1000 AM in or near Chilton County between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays or Saturdays, you will hear gospel music. But more than that, you will hear history in the making.

The program titled “America’s Favorites” which airs at the above times is one of the longest-running radio programs of its kind. Local gospel songwriter Marion W. Easterling started hosting the show on Dec. 2, 1947, on WKLF. This even predates the station’s move to its current location on AL Highway 22 West which occurred in 1952, according to past articles.

My dad, Roger Mims, also known by his radio name Craig Rogers, had the privilege of introducing Easterling on the air from 1973 to 1987. After retiring from the automotive business, my dad returned to the airwaves in March of 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, to start playing oldies again.

Fast forward to 2024, and an unexpected opportunity presented itself. My Dad was offered the opportunity to host “America’s Favorites” and is now hosting the program six days per week. The show is typically live Monday through Friday and is pre-recorded on Saturdays. The show’s previous host, Jim Shannon, left him plenty of notes and resources to assist with the transition. In a recent Facebook post, my dad shared a few thoughts about the opportunity:

“I used to introduce Mr. Marion on the air and it was an honor to do it from 1973 to 1987,” he said. “He used to tell me, ‘Go eat your burger’ but in reality, I only ate a burger on occasion, usually just a snack. I’m looking forward to playing older southern gospel music. I will generally play what Mr. Marion would have played. No real modern gospel, just the gospel music we all grew to love back in the day.”

“America’s Favorites” certainly holds some childhood nostalgia for me, as I have fond memories of my grandparents playing the show every day while I stayed with them during the summer. My grandfather, William Heaps, was a gospel songwriter and they would play his songs regularly on the broadcast.

If you want to give the show a listen, tune in at the aforementioned times on WKLFradio.com or tune your radio to 95.5 FM or 1000 AM.