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.