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Michael Titterton, WHQR's founding station manager, dies at 76

Michael Titterton during an on-air fundraising campaign for Hawai'i public radio where he served as General Manager from 1999 to 2016.
Courtesy Tina Yuen
/
PBN
Michael Titterton during an on-air fundraising campaign for Hawai'i public radio where he served as General Manager from 1999 to 2016.

Michael Titterton was at the helm as station manager when WHQR launched in 1984 after years of work by opera-loving community members. He oversaw more than a decade of growth and development of the station — including WHQR's move to downtown Wilmington.

Michael Titterton was the first adult voice on WHQR's airwaves — following the cry of a newborn baby and Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. At 7 a.m. on Sunday, April 22, 1984, Titterton greeted southeastern North Carolina, who may or may not have known he was broadcasting from a former bar in a strip mall near Greenfield Lake. The broadcast was the culmination of years of work, creating a community-based public radio station that is still thriving 40 years later.

Titterton passed away at his home in Honolulu this week. He was 76.

Titterton has a lifelong career in public media, teaching broadcasting, helping to bring college radio stations into the fold as NPR affiliates, and over a decade leading Hawai'i' public radio, in addition to his time at WHQR.

Richard Clerkin, chairman of WHQR's Board of Directors, said "We are sad to hear about Micheal Titterton's passing, but are proud to build on the public radio foundation he helped lay in the Cape Fear region."

Kevin Crane, who now holds the job Titterton established four decades ago, reflected on Titterton's accomplishments and legacy.

“The task of starting a public radio station from nothing forty years ago must have been gargantuan. Michael Titterton was clearly the right man for the job of working with a coalition of dedicated volunteers to navigate the legal and technological hurdles required. The Cape Fear community continues to benefit from his efforts," Crane said.