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Cedric Harris
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Cedric got interested in radio at a very young age. He remembers, at about the age of three, his dad making audio tapes of local radio stations. When he was five, he got his first tape recorder and began recording airchecks of local stations just like his dad. At about nine, he bought his first pirate radio kit, knowing little that this single event would get him his first real gig several years later. That same year, he got a CB radio, and shortly thereafter, an amateur radio license. Needless to say, his entire childhood revolved around radio and not much else.
His first real gig came in 2006 while attending St. Petersburg College when, at the age of 21, he found a post on a local message board seeking applicants for a part-time board gig at 860 WGUL. Up to that point, he had had only some minor volunteer experience, but decided to apply anyway. Riding his motorcycle to the interview, he was completely unprepared. Instead of a suit and tie, he showed up in blue jeans and a leather jacket. The next thing he knew, he was seated in front of Michael Serio, whom he knew as talk show host Bob Lassiter's original producer. To his surprise, Serio said he knew who he was too, and had been watching the industry message boards, figuring that one of those snarky posters might be a good candidate to fill a part time board-op position. When asked if he had any broadcast experience, he shared his pirate radio story which seemed to impress.
The next four years were spent working for Salem Communications. Over time, the St. Petersburg native transitioned from a weekend board-op to being in charge of production and imaging, and finally afternoon host on 570 WTBN. He left Salem in 2010 and backed his way into a board-op gig one day at Clearwater’s 1340 WTAN when asked by a friend if he would fill in for him. Lola Wagenvoord (the big boss’s wife) walked in and asked "Who the hell are you?" and hired him immediately. While at WTAN, he did numerous jobs, from working on the tower to running the board and hosting his own Friday night radio show.
After four years at the Clearwater station, Cedric left for HSN, the Home Shopping Network. Today (2017), three years later, he is still with HSN and says he’s happy doing basically the same things there that he did in radio - screening phone calls for on-air, and following a program log.
Station History
2006 - 2014 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (Various)
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