R.I.P.: Longtime TN Station Owner Philip Beal

Philip Beal, longtime owner and operator of WRGS 1370 AM in Rogersville TN, passed away Tuesday at the age of 71 following a brief illness.

He was 79 years-of-age.

According to the Kingsport Times-News, Beal touched the lives of nearly every person in Rogersville and Hawkins County, not just through his work in radio, but through the countless charitable organizations and civic groups that benefited from his attention, expertise, and resources.

He and his wife, Debbie, were hands-on owners of the local radio station which features a variety of community-oriented programming including Christian music and local church sermons; local news and community coverage; local sports play-by-play coverage; and the most popular program on the station — “Swap Shop.”

Beal purchased the family-owned radio station in 1972 after spending time working and managing radio stations in the Tri-Cities.

Beal gave former Rogersville radio personality and current alderman Mark DeWitte his start in the business at the age of 15.

DeWitte told the Times-News Wednesday Beal’s death is a tremendous loss to the community.

“It’s just terribly ironic that an issue involving his heart had to cut Philip’s life so short,” DeWitte said. “Philip had a huge heart for everyone and especially for the Rogersville community.”

DeWitte added, “I was only 15 when I, like so many others at a young age, started working weekends for Philip at WRGS. That was 1973, one year after he came back to Rogersville to take the reins at the family-owned radio station. He had the patience of a saint as he guided all of us in the ways of radio. I learned a tremendous amount from him in the eight years I was there, but not just about radio. I learned a love for community and everyone in it and the value of honesty and integrity.”

“Philip was a man who was good as gold and solid as a rock,” DeWitte said. “He wasn’t only a boss but a great friend that I loved like a brother. There are so many stories that could be told, and Philip loved to laugh and cry at all of them. But he would be the first to tell you that even though he was in the story, it wasn’t all about him. His humility was as huge as his heart and his involvement in making things happen, and I’ll never forget the influence he had on this entire community and me.”