Lester Spencer
Lester Graham Spencer worked at several stations including WCAH in Columbus Ohio, WOWO in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and WKBV in Richmond, Indiana. He was the president of the Central Broadcasting Corporation for 27 years, WKBV’s parent company. He also handled the audio at an Air Force base during World War II, worked for WHIO radio for 18 years and served as the president of the Indiana Broadcasters Association in 1957.
Spencer was born in 1911. He began his broadcasting career at 18 years old in 1929 as a part-time announcer in Columbus, Ohio at WCAH.
The same year, Spencer transitioned from WCAH-Ohio to WOWO radio, with President Fred Zieg. He worked in Fort Wayne for WOWO as a staff announcer for six years.
After working at WOWO, Spencer moved to Dayton, Ohio, and worked at commercial radio station WHIO. He worked there for 18 years.
Photo Courtesy of Indiana Broadcast Pioneers
During World War II, the Air Force had a branch at Wright Field in Dayton (now known as Wright-Patterson AFB) and needed someone to handle their audio. Spencer was hired to do sound tracks for Wright Field and went back and forth from his station at WHIO to Wright Field.
"During the world war, radio
Lester Spencer
grew up. Actually, it expanded and grew up during the war.
As far as what world war radio did, I think they did fairly
well at covering the news and covering the war."
In 1952, Spencer returned to Indiana and served as the manager of WKBV, in Richmond. He later became president of the parent company, Central Broadcasting Corporation and acquired stock. Central Broadcasting acquired stations that were making a profit and were interested in smaller markets. Spencer was president of Central Broadcasting Corporation for 26 years.
He continued to do play-by-play for high school football, basketball and baseball as a broadcaster in Richmond, Indiana for years.
Spencer was an original supporter of the Indiana Broadcasters Association, and he served as president of the Indiana Broadcasters Association in 1957.
Spencer retired in 1978 and passed away in Florida in 1997. Spencer said that every day working in radio was different, and he enjoyed every day of it.
March 2025
By Lily Saylor