By Harriet Dawson
When Bill Stern, a radio sportscaster from Chicago came over the airways in the 1940s, a young boy was listening to his every word and dreamed of being him. “I thought he was great. I remembered his ‘sports talk’ and I liked it.”
Dean Loudy lived about 100 miles from Chicago during a time when radio was all the “media” folks had except for magazines and newspapers. There were no TVs.
Dean was a small child, too small to play sports. Both of his parents had passed away when he was very young, and he was basically an orphan. Listening to Bill Stern and living sports through him, planted seeds Dean would later cultivate to become “The Voice of the Northern Neck.”
But it would be a long journey.
The first step to achieving his dream of getting into radio, was to borrow money to attend the Radio Television Institute and to get his FCC broadcast license. Once licensed, Dean turned to Broadcast Magazine for help in locating a job in radio.
He found his first radio job listed in this magazine. Knowing he had some family in the Bristol, Virginia area, the job that caught his eye was located in South Boston, Virginia. He applied for and was offered the job, took it, and left the black soil of Illinois for the red clay of South Boston.
“I did everything! he said. “My only objective was to ‘keep the thing on the air.’”
A young lady was also working in the South Boston area and already enjoyed the sound of his voice. On a whim, she called the South Boston station to request a “dedication song.”
Funny how that request turned into a 75-year marriage!
Dean enlisted in the Navy to become an electronics engineer. During his time in the Navy and while on leave, he married the young girl who loved his voice before anyone else.
The Navy promised him “they would use his capabilities” and they did. He increased his knowledge and skill set and once out of the Navy, consulted his friend, the Broadcast Maga-zine, for help in finding his next job.
This time, the job that caught his attention was in Warsaw, Virginia. Mildred, his new wife, had a mother near South Boston, Virginia and the decision to go to Warsaw and back to Virginia, made perfect sense. Dean has always been grateful to Grayson Headley for giving him his first job in the Northern Neck.
The couple moved to Warsaw in 1954, and Dean Loudy progressed from morning man to general manager at WNNT where he stayed until 1975.
During his years in Warsaw at WNNT, Dean did everything needed to help this station prosper but he was also growing himself in his knowledge of the Northern Neck and its needs.
Dean credits the selling of ads and working with area businesses with this better understanding of the Northern Neck and where its future was heading. With the building of the Norris Bridge in White Stone, Dean saw the growth potential in the lower end of the Northern Neck and a new dream developed.
With the financial backing of his WNNT partner, Pat Dewey, Dean made his move to create Kilmarnock’s first and only radio station, WKWI in 1975. As Dean loves to say, “She put up the money, and I did the work!”
With financial backing secured, the next step was to acquire FCC licensure to operate a radio station. Once obtained, the real work began. He had to BUILD a radio station!
Dean designed the building, then hired an Essex County contractor to assist in the building of this first radio station in Kilmarnock. Also, during this time, Dean was uprooting his family, his wife and two children, and moving them to their new home in Irvington, Virginia.
Once again, Dean did everything to make his dream a reality… He did sock hops, emceed beauty contests, baby contests and talent shows, had live broadcasts for businesses and grand openings. Whatever was happening, Dean was there with his microphone sharing everything with WKWIs listeners.
One of Dean’s most famous activities was climbing the 300-foot radio tower each time one of the two “red alert” bulbs burned out. People still remember seeing Dean climbing up that tower day or night to replace those bulbs!
And perhaps his smartest decision during this time was to hire his wife, Mildred, to manage the office. She later became famous in her own right for some of the most creative advertisements to ever “air” in the area. She first arrived at the NEW radio station riding on a construction bulldozer because the area was too muddy for a car to maneuver!
When asked about some of his more vivid memories of those early days, he quickly recalled an event in Northumberland County. “A Navy plane crashed in Northumberland County and because I was in the area selling ads for WKWI, I immediately went to the crash site. I was the first to call the accident into the United Press office in Richmond and into our own WKWI for notification. It was so exciting to be part of news ‘happening.’”
His most difficult time was when there was a fire at the radio station that destroyed the radio transmitter, and there was no choice but to close the sta-ion. Dean immediately contacted the destroyed transmitter’s manufacturer in California to order a replacement transmitter. The needed model was “online,” and was able to be completed to WKWI specifications and shipped to Maryland. Dean, along with Joe Silakis, drove to Maryland to get the transmitter, and the station was up and running again in three days. It was nothing short of amazing! Dean has always been grateful for the many people who have “seen him through tough times.”
No article would be complete without asking Dean how he got the name of “The Voice of the Northern Neck.” Dean believes it is because of all of the radio announcing he did at various sports events including the “Midget League” in Warsaw, and calling games at Lancaster High School with Carol Lee Ashburn. Dean’s daughter, Beth, recognized the growing popularity of Dean and his voice when she came home in the third grade and announced to her mother, “Now I know how movie stars’ children feel.” He was famous!
Those of us who have known Dean for a long time, recognize that indeed he is famous, but the path to fame was not an easy one. “I worked hard all the time, day or night; if something needed to be done, I did it…you just had to. I put everything I had into building that station…and I enjoyed what I did. It felt good.”
Dean contributed much to the success of others by providing first time jobs to many. Ray Tregembo, 53 years after receiving his first job from Dean, wrote this recent “thank you” to Dean:
“I was the skinny kid from Philadelphia with one hand. You took a chance on me and gave me instruction, guidance, support, and once in a while, a stern talking to. How different my life would be now at 73 had you not given me that first opportunity 53 years ago. Thank you for taking that chance on me. It lasted a lifetime.”
Bill Stern may be famous in Chicago, but no more so than our Dean Loudy…who is so much more than just “The Voice of the Northern Neck.” He represents its very lifeblood.
Dean Loudy retired from WKWI in 1992, but his legacy continues. His radio station, WKWI 101.7, celebrated its 50th year this year! Congratulations Dean! What a gift you gave the Northern Neck!
Reprinted with permission of “Our Neighborhoods” Summer 2025 edition.