Happy birthday, WBMC!

The year was 1955. Rosa Parks was preparing for her historic civil rights stance on a Montgomery, Ala., city bus. Families gathered around their black-and-white TV sets to enjoy new programs such as “Gunsmoke” and “The Mickey Mouse Club.”

And in McMinnville, on May 1 of that year, a fledgling radio station took to the airwaves with the playing of the National Anthem, followed by “I’m Going to Shout” by the Stamps Quartet.

The host was Jim Eastman. The disc jockey was Norman Rone. WBMC was officially on the air.

Through location changes, format shifts and multiple owners and managers, WBMC has been a mainstay in our community, providing information and entertainment for everyone within reach of its broadcast signal. Thursday the station celebrated its 70^th anniversary, honoring the past by bringing in former station stalwarts while simultaneously looking toward the future as the world of mass communications continues to evolve.

Thursday's broadcast of "Town Talk with Raven Young" featured several members of recent radio history, including Jay Walker, Chuck Haston, Bryan Kell and Bill Zechman.

"These are four voices who’ve helped shape what this station means to our community," Young said. "As one of the newer hosts, it’s an honor to share the mic and to celebrate alongside the team bringing fresh energy to these familiar frequencies."

If you’ve spent any time in Warren County, chances are you’ve heard the steady voice of WBMC. Whether it was playing in the background at a local store or bringing you the latest from city hall over your morning coffee, WBMC has been there as a go-to for all things local — music, news, weather, preaching, and sports. You name it; they covered it.

For a long time, the station operated with a tight-knit crew. People wore a lot of hats, sometimes out of necessity. You might hear the morning guy reading the obituaries, then catch him later calling play-by-play for the Pioneer football game. And through it all, the station kept its focus on McMinnville — not what was trending nationally, but what mattered to the people who lived here.

WBMC eventually expanded with a signal on 97.7 FM, which gave the sound a boost and helped keep up with changing listener habits. These days, listeners double as viewers, with locally produced shows each day available not only on the radio, but live and in living color on social media.

Jeff Simmons, host of the popular “Simmons Says” and “Warren County Sports Authority” programs, has a personal link through the station’s history as Rone – who will forever be remembered for spinning the first record ever played on 960-AM – is his grandfather.

“I feel like there’s an importance to live up to a bit of a family legacy,” Simmons said after coming off the air Thursday. “As much as people think of my grandfather as our city mayor, or as an eye doctor, he has always thought of himself as a radio guy. And I always felt he wanted someone in the family to be a radio guy, too. So, I take pride in continuing that family tradition.”

Even as the tech evolved, the heart of the station has remained the same. It’s once again locally owned, focused on the community, and doing things the way they’ve always worked best: with familiar voices, hometown stories and a deep connection to the people it serves.

Main Street Media, which owns WBMC, along with other local and regional stations and the Main Street Journal, finds itself tasked with keeping the station’s local community-based tone while expanding into an ever-growing, multi-media information source. MSM partner Chad Graves feels that mission has been accomplished.

“As things change with tech and media, what really matters is staying connected to our community,” Graves said Thursday. “WBMC has been part of the fabric of Warren County for 70 years and keeping that small-town feel is what makes it special.”

At its core, WBMC isn’t flashy. It’s not trying to be the next big thing. But that’s exactly why it’s lasted. It still harkens back to the days of Eastman, Rone, Kelly Marlowe, Bobby Newby, Bud Godwin and countless others. It knows its role, it knows its people and it keeps providing the content its audience has enjoyed for the past 70 years while not losing focus on the future.

“It’s not just a radio station,” Graves said. “It’s part of home."