Robert D. Raiford
Encyclopedia
Robert D. Raiford offers liberal political and conservative social commentaries during the John Boy and Billy
big show. He is from Concord, North Carolina
and majored in communication at the University of South Carolina
. Raiford got his start in broadcasting in 1944 by calling play by play at baseball games. His first real radio job was at WEGO in Concord, North Carolina. Raiford has played in 28 movies—he usually plays judge characters. He is best known for his quote "Who says that? I say that!", which is also the title of his book containing excerpts from his commentary from the show.
Early in his career, Raiford worked for CBS Radio
. His best-known work for CBS Radio was a live radio broadcast covering the state funeral of President John F. Kennedy
. He also worked at Charlotte
radio station WBT
. Raiford also hosted a show on WIST, which aired Charlotte's first telephone talk radio
format.
He later taught Communications at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
. From 1978 to 1986, Raiford was a news anchor and talk show host for Charlotte's NBC
television affiliate. It was known as WRET-TV and then WPCQ-TV during his tenure there; it is now WCNC-TV
.
John Boy and Billy
John Isley and Billy James, known as John Boy & Billy, named after "John-Boy Harris and brother Bross Harris", are American radio hosts based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their comedic morning program The John Boy & Billy Big Show broadcasts from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m...
big show. He is from Concord, North Carolina
Concord, North Carolina
Concord is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. According to Census 2010, the city has a current population of 79,066. It is the largest city in Cabarrus County and is the county seat. In terms of population, the city of Concord is the second largest city in the Charlotte Metropolitan Area...
and majored in communication at the University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
. Raiford got his start in broadcasting in 1944 by calling play by play at baseball games. His first real radio job was at WEGO in Concord, North Carolina. Raiford has played in 28 movies—he usually plays judge characters. He is best known for his quote "Who says that? I say that!", which is also the title of his book containing excerpts from his commentary from the show.
Early in his career, Raiford worked for CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
. His best-known work for CBS Radio was a live radio broadcast covering the state funeral of President John F. Kennedy
State funeral of John F. Kennedy
The state funeral of John F. Kennedy took place in Washington, DC during the three days that followed his assassination on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas....
. He also worked at Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
radio station WBT
WBT (AM)
WBT is a radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina, broadcasting on the AM dial at 1110 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it can be heard across most of the eastern half of North America at night. It simulcasts on WBT-FM, at 99.3 MHz in Chester, South Carolina. It is owned by Greater...
. Raiford also hosted a show on WIST, which aired Charlotte's first telephone talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format.
He later taught Communications at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte , also known as UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte, is a public research university located in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States...
. From 1978 to 1986, Raiford was a news anchor and talk show host for Charlotte's NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
television affiliate. It was known as WRET-TV and then WPCQ-TV during his tenure there; it is now WCNC-TV
WCNC-TV
WCNC-TV is the NBC affiliate in Charlotte, North Carolina. It broadcasts its digital signal on UHF channel 22 and is carried on cable channel 6 on most area cable systems. It is owned by the Belo Corporation...
.
Filmography
- The Handmaid's TaleThe Handmaid's TaleThe Handmaid's Tale is a dystopian novel, a work of science fiction or speculative fiction, written by Canadian author Margaret Atwood and first published by McClelland and Stewart in 1985...
(1990) - Billy BathgateBilly BathgateBilly Bathgate is a 1989 novel by author E. L. Doctorow that won the 1989 National Book Critics Circle award for fiction for 1990 and the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and was the runner up for the 1990 Pulitzer Prize...
(1991) - Nightmare in Columbia County (1991) (TV)
- In the Line of Duty: Street WarIn the Line of Duty: Street WarIn the Line of Duty: Street War is an action film which was released in 1992. It is about a New York City Housing Authority policeman whose partner is killed and he seeks revenge for the killing.-Cast:*Peter Boyle ... Det. Dan Reilly...
(1992) (TV) - Super Mario Bros.Super Mario Bros. (film)Super Mario Bros. is a 1993 American action film directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel. Based on the Super Mario Bros.video game and its entire franchise, the film features Bob Hoskins, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper and Samantha Mathis. It tells the story of the Mario brothers, Mario and...
(1993) - The ProgramThe ProgramThe Program is a 1993 film starring James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Epps, Craig Sheffer, Kristy Swanson, Daniel Lee, and Joey Lauren Adams. The film was directed by David S...
(1993) - Bandit: Bandit Goes Country (1994) (TV)
- Justice in a Small Town (1994) (TV)
- Radioland MurdersRadioland MurdersRadioland Murders is a 1994 black comedy mystery film directed by Mel Smith and co-written/produced by George Lucas. Radioland Murders is set in the 1939 atmosphere of old-time radio and pays homage to the screwball comedy films of the 1930s...
(1994) - Star Struck (1994) (TV)
- A Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell StoryA Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell StoryA Burning Passion: The Margaret Mitchell Story is a 1994 biographical television film directed by Larry Peerce. The film is about the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel writer Margaret Mitchell, who landed to fame when she wrote Gone with the Wind....
(1994) (TV) - Bionic Ever After? (1994) (TV)
- Death in Small Doses (1995) (TV)
- MatlockMatlock (TV series)Matlock is an American television legal drama, starring Andy Griffith in the title role of attorney Ben Matlock. The show originally aired from September 23, 1986 to May 8, 1992 on NBC, where it replaced The A-Team, then from November 5, 1992 until May 7, 1995 on ABC.The show's format was similar...
(TV)- "Capital Offense" (1993)
- "The Fortune" (1993)
- "The Target" (1995)
- A Different Kind of Christmas (1996) (TV)
- Paradise FallsParadise FallsParadise Falls is a weekly soap opera shown nationally on the Showcase channel in Canada, starting in 2001. It is set in a summer cottage community in Central Ontario....
(1997) - The Rage: Carrie 2The Rage: Carrie 2The Rage: Carrie 2 is the 1999 sequel to the 1976 horror film classic Carrie. Directed by Katt Shea, the film starred Emily Bergl, Mena Suvari, Jason London and Amy Irving.-Plot:...
(1999) - The Runaway (2000) (TV)
- A Tale About Bootlegging (post-production) (2005)