Recognizing George Graham for His 50 Years of Service to Wvia Fm

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTWRIGHT. Madam Speaker, today I honor George Graham for his 50 years at WVIA FM, our region's NPR affiliate. George was celebrated by his colleagues, family, and friends on August 29, 2022, for his service to our region and public radio.

George was born and raised in Carbondale, Pennsylvania. After high school, he enrolled at Duke University to study electrical engineering. During his time at Duke, he served as the program director of the student radio station, bringing eclectic, contemporary music radio programming to the Durham, North Carolina-based university.

After graduating magna cum laude in 1972, George returned to Northeastern Pennsylvania where he was hired as the first employee of WVIA Radio to do studio design and construction for WVIA-FM. With his impressive background of on-air work at Duke, he soon found himself with a regular on-air spot.

While on the air, he introduced his popular show Mixed Bag which has become the longest, continuously running album adult alternative program in the country. The show features weekly album reviews, new release segments, and a Friday night request show. In 1976, he started Homegrown Music to highlight regional artists from a variety of genres including rock, folk, bluegrass, jazz, blues, and World Music. Performances have been held in the studio weekly with a monthly concert for a live studio audience. George also hosts All That Jazz, which also highlights and provides live radio coverage of regional jazz festivals from the Delaware Water Gap and Scranton.

When WVIA acquired Chiaroscuro Records, a 50-year-old jazz label, in 2010, George was appointed the director of artistry and repertoire, overseeing the extensive archive and production of new recordings and reissues. With his impressive background in the industry, he has written for many regional publications and lends his time and expertise as a freelance recording engineer, producer, and mastering engineer.

George has been an essential voice over the air waves championing regional musical talent, and generations of music connoisseurs and casual fans alike have tuned in to discover new music and listen to George's impeccably curated shows. I am honored to recognize George for his five decades of service to Northeastern Pennsylvania public radio and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

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