Columbia Star
reporter talks about the great outdoors with Wateree’s Thomas Lanham

Columbia Star reporter, John Dixon, polls listeners about activities fathers and sons do in the great SCoutdoors. During the primaries and the 2004 election, while working with Scholastic Magazine , I had my first experience with print and television media. Now I have been writing for The Columbia Star for just over a year.

This past Saturday, I had my first experience with radio as a guest on the Wateree Outdoors show hosted by Thomas Lanham on WIS 1320AM. In some ways radio is not all that different from television in that you have to think well on your feet and speak carefully because you basically get one shot at saying things well to avoid personal embarrassment.

Print media is easier for me because I can edit multiple times to get things just right. I also have editors to catch whatever I miss before it goes to press. Pictures help me get the story told. With radio, however, you are sort of on your own.

That said, Mr. Lanham was a great host. He and his producer, Megan, made me feel welcome and as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. I had no idea what I was doing!

Thomas Lanham, owner of Wateree Arms, hosts the Wateree Outdoors show on WIS 1320AM. Thomas Lanham is the owner of Wateree Arms and hosts a weekly radio show related to outdoor and shooting sports on WIS radio. He is also a loyal reader of The Columbia Star where he happened upon the movie review of Madagascar and has been hooked ever since. Especially after he discovered that the author was the 11–year–old son of a regular customer. When he found out I was working on an article about father/son excursions and outdoor activities in SC, he invited me to be a guest on Wateree Outdoors.

Local radio is a simple, low–key affair. The studio was a small 8’ by 10’ room filled with sound equipment and sound–proofing. There was another studio right beside us for another radio station and it was producing a whole different kind of show at the same time.

Mr. Lanham crammed a lot into a one–hour show. He did advertising for Winchester Arms, Wateree Arms, and Chick–Fil–A. He even managed to sneak in a plug or two about The Columbia Star.

He spoke to a Second Amendment advocate from Horry County, fielded caller questions, ran a trivia contest, interviewed a cub reporter, and played “Stump Steve” where callers tried to ask questions hard enough to stump Steve Rast, sales manager at Wateree Arms. The winner would earn a chance to win a free shotgun provided by Winchester Arms.

Also on the show via telephone was David Thomas, executive director of the US Practical Shooting Association, an organization which hosts an obstacle– based competition in stages where competitors are judged on speed, skill, and stamina. Mid–Carolina Rifle Club sponsors those competitions in the Midlands area. Folks interested in more information about this sport can contact Donnie Bryson at Mid–Carolina Rifle Club at 874–0607.

I was able to poll listeners about activities fathers and sons do together in the great SC outdoors. Poll results will be coming up in a future story, so keep reading The Columbia Star and listening to Wateree Outdoors on WIS 1320AM. I hear a certain cub reporter may be back in the future to share what he learned from researching favorite outdoor and father/ son activities.