Where Are They Now?

   

Rick Collins

Born Richard Gonzalez, a native of Tampa and Graduate of King High. The radio bug bit him at an early age of 10 and he found himself DX’n the AM band for great stations like WLS Chicago and WTIX New Orleans. Rick says "At 13 the FCC drove up my parents driveway in East Tampa and took me off the air. I ran 35 watts am and 1 watt fm, enough to cover into the Downtown Tampa Federal building where the FCC had me on tape. They didn’t confiscate anything, just made me disconnect it."

In 1955, at age15 and with the help of his good friend Daylon Rushing, a local radio icon, he got a job at WPKM Tampa doing time and temperature. Other stations followed included WTCX - St Pete, WBMJ - San Juan, WILZ - St Pete, and WQPD - Lakeland.

Rick got out of radio September 30, 1976. In 1999, he co-hosted a morning show with comedian G-David Howard (Dr. Dick & G-David in the morning) at WTAN Clearwater. Collins says "I will always have a passion for radio and I miss it terribly, but for now I must tend to my electronics business in St Pete."






Copyright © 2002 By TEDD WEBB • All Rights Reserved