Larry Bly and Larry Dowdy in studio for “Two Larry’s and a Mic” podcast. Photo courtesy of Heather Rousseau/The Roanoke Times.

When DJs retire from radio broadcasting, where do they go?  For Roanoke, Virginia DJs Larry Bly and Larry Dowdy, they have started recording a bi-monthly podcast called Two Larry’s and a Mic. 

Then on alternating weeks, Dowdy produces a separate solo podcast called Larry Dowdy Mic Side.

Over the course of the past 50 years, DJs Dowdy and Bly have been an important part of the Roanoke/Lynchburg radio market. With a wealth of radio broadcasting experiences, each new podcast installment creates unique perspectives by this duo.

I spoke with DJs Bly and Dowdy via phone on April 29, just before they recorded episode 18 of Two Larry’s and a Mic. Their latest podcast features songs that were popular 50 years ago during 1971, along with interesting information about the golden age of Top 40 radio.

The idea for podcasting came from Dowdy, as he retired from radio last summer after hosting WLNI Lynchburg’s Morning Line show for the past five years. You can listen to the final words that Dowdy spoke before retirement on the clip below, along with some conversation with WLNI Morning Line co-host Kenny Shelton.

Just after his farewell at WLNI, Dowdy contacted his former mentor Larry Bly about the possibility of recording a podcast together.  The guys quickly formed a plan and the Two Larry’s and a Mic podcast became a reality.

 In addition, Larry Dowdy’s Mic Side podcast was also started during the same time period. Debut of Mic Side occurred August 20 while Two Larry’s and a Mic maiden voyage happened August 25. Here is the link that came out on May 19, 2022, where I am the featured guest on a Mic Side episode.

On November 3, 2022, Larry Dowdy had me on as a guest for episode 61 of his Mic Side podcast. The audio link for that episode is below.

My connection with both guys named Larry was with WROV 1240 AM Roanoke when we were all employed at the station during the mid 70s.

I started my first job in radio at age 18, working for WROV during April 1974. I was a student at Virginia Western Community College, obtaining an Associate Degree in Radio & TV Broadcasting.

At WROV, I was hired to be a remote engineer by the Top 40 radio station.  My responsibilities at the station included setting up equipment for remote broadcasts, running the soundboard and playing records, while a WROV DJ was in charge of announcing duties.

Here I am at my first radio job. Sound engineer for WROV Roanoke during 1974.

During my first engineering remote assignment with WROV, I was fortunate to be paired up with Larry Bly. The morning drive DJ spoke words of encouragement, and made me feel comfortable during my first day working at the station.

It was also with WROV remote broadcasts where I first met Larry Dowdy, who was a part time employee like myself.  While I was preforming engineering duties for WROV remote broadcasts, Dowdy would run the main studio board back at the radio station.

Larry Bly and Wolfman Jack at the WROV Roanoke studio in April 1975. Photo courtesy of the WROV History Website/Pat Garrett.

The career paths for Bly and Dowdy intersected just once, as they both worked together at WROV Roanoke. However, both guys share similarities with their celebrated broadcasting experiences. Both guys named Larry:

•  Worked at one major market top 40 station outside of Virginia
•  Were on TV during 80s and/or 90s
•  Started radio careers at a young age

Larry Bly’s radio career flourished as a young man when he was an announcer for the Armed Forces Network in South Korea. Once Bly left the military, he took a radio job with WHBG Harrisonburg, which was located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

WROV Roanoke DJ Larry Bly and Music Director David Levine. Photo courtesy of the WROV History Website/Pat Garrett.

Next in Bly’s radio career was a gig at WWWW (W4) FM Detroit, Michigan. Although W4 was a major market top 40 outlet, Bly wanted to get a job closer to his native home state of Virginia. With the help of his friend Dan Alexander, Bly was hired to work at WROV Roanoke during 1971.

When Bly moved to Roanoke, he didn’t realize it would become his permanent home.  After settling in at Top 40 WROV, Bly spent 3 years full time at the station, starting on the 7 pm to midnight shift and ending up doing the morning show for a couple of years.

During 1974, Bly became a part time employee at WROV as he started working full time for an advertising agency called System 4. A business he co-owned with Marty Hall, who was a former WROV DJ himself during the 60s.

Even though Bly became a weekend employee for WROV, he continuously worked at the station for 37 years and ended his employment there in 1998. According to the WROV History website: “The last live announcer on WROV-AM was Larry Bly, who ended its final show by playing Don McLean’s hit “American Pie” (with lyrics “the day the music died”).”

The other major activity that Bly was involved in during the 80s and 90s was a TV program called Cookin’ Cheap. Hosted by Laban Johnson and Bly for Blue Ridge Public Television in Roanoke, the program became a nationally syndicated cooking show.  

Larry Dowdy’s radio career began in 1973 while he was still in high school at combo WRIS AM/WJLM FM Roanoke. Dowdy moved across town the following year for another part time radio position with WROV.

After high school, Dowdy worked at Beautiful Music station WLRG Roanoke 92.3 FM.  At Midnight January 1^st, 1980, WLRG switched call letters and music format, becoming Top 40 K92 (WXLK). Listen to the Music” by the Doobie Brothers was the first song played at K92.

At K92, Dowdy was part of a phenomenal Top 40 outlet which became the number 1 most listened to radio station in the Roanoke/Lynchburg market for next 15 years.  Dowdy spent 3 different times employed at K92:  1980-1983, 1984-1992 and 1997-1999.

In 1983, Dowdy left K92 to land at job at Hot Hits WMAR Baltimore, working the midnight shift for his entire employment at that station. After a year working the overnight hours in Maryland, Dowdy came back to his Roanoke roots and once again played Top 40 hits on K92.

Photo of K92 Roanoke “K Crew” morning drive staff: Larry Dowdy, Mike Stevens & Bill Jordan. Dowdy provided his photo for this blog.

TV was next up for Dowdy, as he transferred his radio skills to a new platform: Early morning television. He spent 5 years with WDBJ7 as host for the station’s Mornin’ Program (1992-1997).

At the end of his employment with WDBJ7, Dowdy jumped back over to radio broadcasting and held down morning drive DJ positions with 4 stations from 1997 until 2015.  The first two stations Dowdy worked for after completing TV duties, were Mel Wheeler Media owned K92 and Star Country (94.9 FM) Roanoke.

Morning radio DJ jobs continued for Dowdy in the 2000s as he moved across town and worked for a couple of stations owned by Clear Channel Communications (Now known as iHeartCommunications). First up was Magic FM (104.9 FM) which featured adult contemporary music.

The longest time that Dowdy spent with one station happened with Sunny FM (93.5), where he spent 14 years as the morning show host.  Dowdy stayed at the classic hits formatted station until January 2015.

After Dowdy’s departure from Sunny FM, he hooked up with WLNI FM (105.9) Lynchburg. The final radio destination for Dowdy was different for the radio broadcaster: He was host for a news/talk program called Morning Line.  Dowdy completed 5 years at WLNI and his radio career was completed at the end of July 2020.

K92 Roanoke DJs Tripper and Larry Dowdy inside the K92 studio. Dowdy provided his photo for this blog.

In my communications with Larry Dowdy, I asked him to give me a brief description about the topic content of the two podcasts that he is producing. Below are his quotes:

• Two Larry’s and a Mic: Features Larry Bly and Larry Dowdy discussing what made radio fun to listen to and the incredible music that made it memorable.

• Larry Dowdy Mic Side:  Is a one-on-one interview with movers and shakers in the Roanoke area and other guests of interest from around the country to podcast listeners.

K92 Roanoke DJ Staff on the cover of Roanoker Magazine. From Left: Bill Jordan, David Lee Michaels, John Berry, Larry Dowdy, Vince Miller and Russ Brown. Photo courtesy of the WROV History Website/Pat Garrett.

Dowdy also gave me a breakdown on the number of total installments that are now available to download with his two podcasts:

• Two Larry’s and a Mic:  18
• Larry Dowdy Mic Side:  22

The aspect that I like most about both podcasts:  A person doesn’t need to be a radio geek to enjoy listening to the duo on “Two Larry’s” or to appreciate Dowdy’s warm and inviting interviewing skills on “Mic Side.”

With any “Two Larry’s and a Mic” podcast, the fellows talk on a featured music topic, that is chock-full of information and is fun-filled with laughter between the duo. On any given segment, one may hear radio airchecks, snippets of Top 40 hits, in-depth musical history and radio tales by “Uncle Lar” Bly.   

Some of the wonderful subjects that Two Larry’s and a Mic have tackled since last August include:

• One Hit Wonders
• Great Duets
• British Invasion
• Elvis Presley
• Canadian Invasion Music
• Powerful Instrumentals on Top 40 Radio
• 70s Music
• Love Songs

On “Larry Dowdy Mic Side” podcasts, a single person is interviewed by the host.  The subject matter is wide open and much more than just discussions of radio or music topics.  I appreciate the variety of guests that Dowdy interviews on his solo podcast.

Interviews that I have most enjoyed on Larry Dowdy Mic Side:

• David Lee Michaels
• Nelson Harris
• Bill Jordan
• Dr. Bob Denton
• Sammy Oakey
• Brent Watts
• Tommy Holcomb
• Kenny Shelton

Larry Bly and Larry Dowdy in studio for “Two Larry’s and a Mic” podcast. Photo courtesy of Heather Rousseau/The Roanoke Times.

For anyone wanting new listening experiences with podcasting, I highly recommend adding both “Larry Dowdy Mic Side” and “Two Larry’s and a Mic” to your playlist. Here are the main links for these superbly produced podcasts:

I fondly remember the golden days of top 40 radio and I am glad that DJs Larry Bly and Larry Dowdy are bringing back musical memories from many years ago.  It is also heartening to know about Dowdy’s labor of love producing two excellent podcasts for the world to enjoy.

If you are searching for new podcasting suggestions, I strongly advocate adding “Larry Dowdy Mic Side” and “Two Larry’s and a Mic” to your regular listening playlist. The retired DJs from Roanoke will not disappoint.  Rock on! 

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