Cofield’s Corner

Published 8:26 am Wednesday, August 6, 2025

On Sunday, May 1, 1955, the AM radio dial came alive in Oxford at AM 1420. The site was a former feed store on University Avenue (the present location of Kroger). And in the rear, there was the broadcast tower standing in the deepest gully in Lafayette County.

The daytime-only frequency had been awarded to Cletus Quick. The call letters he chose ended with “SUH” representing the phonetic spelling of the way Southerners say “sir.”

In 1985, WSUH-WOOR were sold to San Dow Broadcasting, which, years later, moved its studios to Tupelo, now known as WWMS, Miss 98. Unfortunately, with the ice storm of 1994, the damaged AM tower on University Avenue was never replaced, and WSUH went dark. Later owner Mel Chrestman had a special mobile remote broadcast trailer designed, which included a microphone, turntables, and a PA system.

I had the pleasure of working in that unit. It really brought a lot of attention to those live broadcasts, but on a hot, sunny day, you could see the records warping on the turntable while they played. It happened to me once at Rebel Chevrolet. — Rick Mize