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Bob Weeks, my friend and Partner in this tower site, died March 11, 2010 |
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Written by Ron Crider
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Saturday, 13 March 2010 |
I am sad to report my long time friend Robert (Bob) Weeks died Thursday March 11, 2010 in Sarasota, Florida. Bob was a radio guy inside and out. Bob was first on the air at WDAE in Tampa in the 60’s. One day after pulling a two hour shift someone told him the station had been off the air the entire time. That is when Bob decided to move over to the other side of radio and joined the sales department. Bob was a natural born salesperson. No motivational speaker could have taught Bob the gift he had already been given. Bob was mild mannered, soft spoken and did a lot of listening, than wam! From nowhere he had you signing a contract. Check this picture out. Here Bob is on his last trip, see the pen in his pocket? That’s just in case he wants to make an on the spot trade deal.
 Bob was my hero, for many reasons but one was his ability to help make the most complicated deals work. Bob was a strong believer in trying to make sure everyone was treated fairly. That is not to say he didn’t drive a hard bargain, you bet he did. For many years I was on the vendor side and he was the client.
I have known Bob since the early 70’s when he was building his Florida radio empire. At that time I had just sold WMJR 100.7 (Now Y-100) but was building my one station group and at the same time selling radio station equipment to Bob’s company.
Bob was definitely one of the best salesmen I have ever known. As well as a terrific sales person Bob was excellent at barter, he even traded out his honeymoon on the QE2 in the penthouse. The thing about Bob and sales was that even when the client was saying “NO” Bob never stopped selling. No was not in Bob’s vocabulary. More than half the trade deals Bob made were made after the client said no many times.
Bob was also a man of action, after pestering Sylvia for 3 years to marry him she finally said yes! Now get this! 3 weeks later they were married, complete with a lavish traded out reception at the Hawaiian Village on Daytona Beach. Some speculated the rush was because Bob was afraid Sylvia was going to back out. It looks like it was a good move on Bob’s part since Bob and Sylvia just celebrated their 45 wedding anniversary in February 2010.
Here is a story I read recently about Bob on the internet, Bob’s business was known as Walter-Weeks Broadcasting Company. Bob’s partner was Jim Walter, a well known Florida home builder and founder of Jim Walter Homes, Inc. the story goes like this, shortly after Bob met Jim Walter in the mid sixties, apparently Walter made a deal with Bob, telling him he would financially back him on a radio station purchase once Bob found a station he liked. Soon after the two shook hands and sealed the deal, Bob headed to Daytona Beach- on foot! After a few hours of hitch-hiking, Bob was given a ride the rest of the way. Soon after he arrived in Daytona and was settled (he not doubt traded some place to live) he decided WMFJ was the radio station he wanted. Bob phoned Jim Walter and true to his word Jim Walter bought WMFJ-AM 1450 at 750 Root Street, Daytona and made Bob the President and General Manager of the newly formed Walter Weeks Broadcasting Company. “And now the Rest of the Story” reported by Sylvia who said, Bobby never hitch-hiked or walk anywhere in his life, this story is radio folklore. The Jim Walter part is true. However there is some truth here in that on the way to Daytona Bob’s Buick Skylark convertible did break down and there was some walking and perhaps someone did give him a lift, but “hitch-hiking”, no, never, not Bob Weeks. Hitch-hiking to Bob was hailing a taxi.
Soon after purchasing WMFJ-AM Bob and Jim Walter applied for an FM station at the same location on 101.9 as WMFJ-AM. The FCC granted their application and the FM was constructed on the self supporting tower at 110 feet at the Root Street studio with the AM. The FM station then had a power of 4,100 watts. Walter-Weeks eventually built and purchased radio stations in West Palm Beach, Tallahassee and Sarasota.
By the way in 1982 WMFJ-FM was sold to A. S. Abell Publishing owner of the Baltimore Sun. I connected with some old friends Doug Aurbach, Jim Seymour and Stu Frankel with Abell, who provided my company, Lodestar Tower the initial seed money to build the 1,749 tower and communications complex in Orange City. So, the little station that Bob started in Daytona became a big deal Orlando station, now owned by CBS. Here is anther bty, WMFJ stood for the World’s Most Famous Beach. The “J” didn’t stand for anything that I know of, they just needed another letter.
Here are some names of people you may remember that worked with Bob, Richard Clark-1967 VP/GM (Golfer), Roy Gallagher, Engineer 1968, Bob Hoffer, GM West Palm Beach. Doug Shull.
Another thing I always admired about Bob’s stations was that they always were first class. When I say first class I mean really first class, like fireplaces in most all the offices, yes, fireplaces here in Florida. Great conference rooms, and a well dressed staff. Here is where the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Bob was always meticulously well dressed. I don’t think he owned a pair of Jeans, his cars were spotless and his homes were conferrable but maintained like a palace.
Bob and I connected again in 1999. This time Bob and I were partners in a radio station WIBQ AN 1220 and a Cellular tower company, 1087 Beneva Tower Inc. in Sarasota, Florida. Once again Bob rose to occasion to help me glue a tricky, sensitive deal together with the Mennonite Church for the Cellular Tower site. We sold the radio station several years ago to Don Murphy but we continue to own and operate the Tower Company.
Bob was fortunate to have a wonderful wife, Sylvia who was more than a wife she was also his partner, confidant and chief nurse. Sylvia is and RN and cared for Bob diligently 24/7 for the past few years at their home in Sarasota. Bob has four children, Elizabeth, John, Wendy, and Robert. I am proud to have known Bob Weeks for the past 50 years. I have been missing him for several years now since he became ill. From 1999 to 2006 we talked almost every day and visited with each other every few months. Recently he was always in our prayers and thoughts daily. I miss all those meals at “Sweet Tomatoes”, and “Der Dutchman”, the Yacht Club and shopping for all that tofu stuff, and drinking all that non-alcoholic beer. As you can see Bob, Sylvia and I were real party animals. From early morning to late at night we never ran out of conversation, everything from travel, radio, politics, and religion. Bob could hold his own in a multitude of subjects. Then there was the Bible. Bob read this book over and over. We used to get into great discussions about Daniel and Revelations. I did more listening than discussing but nonetheless it was time well spent.
Although it is sad that he has passed on, I know that since Bob became a serious Christian many, many years ago his spiritual life was in order. He shared with me 10 years ago how we both enjoyed the finer things of life and that he was looking forward to an even better life once he passed through those pearly gates.
Good by Bobby! I hope your new home is everything you expected and more, you deserve it because you earned it.
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 13 March 2010 )
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