Charles Crutchfield papers

Charles Crutchfield was born July 12, 1912 in Hope, Arkansas. At the age of eight, he and his family moved to Spartanburg, South Carolina, where he went to high school and attended Wofford College. Crutchfield began his broadcast career in Spartanburg where he worked at several different radio stations. In 1929, he was hired as an announcer and an all-purpose office hand at WSPA Radio in Spartanburg. He also worked in Columbia, Charleston and Greenville, South Carolina; Greensboro, North Carolina; and Augusta, Georgia. In 1933, he joined WBT and was named program director in 1935. He later became the general manager of the station in 1963 and President of Jefferson-Pilot Broadcasting Company, which operated WBT-AM and FM Radio, and WBTV Television in Charlotte, as well as stations in Richmond, Atlanta and Denver. Shortly after his promotion in 1967, Crutchfield received the “Broadcast Preceptor Award” in San Francisco for outstanding industry leadership. In addition, under his leadership, WBT and WBTV won awards from respected organizations such as The Freedoms Foundation and Sigma Delta Chi.

One of Crutchfield’s accomplishments included his work as an advisor for a broadcast organization in Greece—an assignment in 1951 with the US State Department. He also received the North Carolina Distinguished Citizen Award in 1977. Other achievements included him being honored by the Charlotte Sales and Marketing Executive, Inc. where he was among six business-civic leaders who were singled out for their outstanding contributions to the Greater Piedmont area. In addition, North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt named Crutchfield the Chairman of the Public Telecommunications Agency in 1979. The agency was formed to operate a media center of programs and materials for the public and to develop public radio stations across the state.

After retiring in 1977, Crutchfield and veteran WBT-WBTV personality Doug Mayes, formed Media Communications, Inc., a consulting firm which taught business executives how to deal with the press.

Charles Crutchfield died on August 19, 1998, at the age of 86. He and his wife Jacqueline Williams, of Savannah, Georgia had two children: a son, Dr. Richard D. Crutchfield and a daughter, Leslie C. Tomkins. The Crutchfields had five grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.