Radio voice in wreck
By Kenneth Fine
Published in News on August 10, 2009 1:46 PM
A longtime Wayne County radio personality is in critical condition this morning after a single-car crash that occurred near Rosewood over the weekend.
Chester Thomspon, known for his "Ole' Time Radio Jamboree," is being treated at Pitt Memorial Hospital for injuries sustained during the wreck.
Details about the accident were not available as of presstime. A Highway Patrol report on the accident was unavailable. But news of the incident is already generating response from those who know Thompson.
Longtime WGBR employee Bob Hill called Thompson an "icon."
"He's been a legend in radio. He has a tremendous following," Hill said this morning. "So I'm certainly sorry to hear about it. ... We're real optimistic that he will be able to overcome this."
Curtis Media Group General Manager Bill Johnston was thinking of Thompson this morning, too.
"Chester is legendary in North Carolina broadcasting. He's probably been heard by tens or hundreds of thousands of people over the years," he said. "Between the sound of his voice and the music he plays ... he just has great passion and commitment to his listeners. He is not replaceable. He is one of a kind."