Posted by William Nunnelley on 2004-03-31

Andy Parrish, News Director of Radio Alabama since 2002, has been named General Manager of WVSU Radio (91.1 FM) at Samford University. He will succeed Berkley Fraser, who is retiring after seven years as head of WVSU.

Parrish, who began his radio career as a Samford undergraduate, will begin his new duties April 1. A 1994 Samford graduate, he served as news director of WBBN-FM in Laurel, Miss., until 1996, when he joined the Alabama Radio Network as a news anchor.

Fraser, a broadcast industry veteran, came out of retirement to head WVSU in 1997. During his tenure, the station moved its antenna from the campus to the top of Shades Mountain, increasing power from 125 to 500 watts and strengthening its signal dramatically.

"The station experienced unprecedented growth in listening audience due to his leadership," said Samford Vice President and Dean of Students Richard H. Franklin. "Samford now reaches into many, many more homes and businesses than ever before with quality music and dependability."

Fraser and his wife, Judy, were honored in a reception at Samford Wednesday, his last day on the job. They plan to retire to Orange Beach.

 

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 5,791 students from 49 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks 6th nationally for its Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.