Issue link: http://southshoremagazine.uberflip.com/i/987785
32 service to the community and hung on by the skin of its teeth. The second half of the 90s presented more challenges. The FCC removed the limit on the amount of radio stations that a single company could own, and large chains started buying up smaller ones. During this time, Perry received a purchase offer for WATD. The proffered amount was significant; enough so that he would most likely never have to work again. Perry verbally agreed to sell the station. That week-end, he attended the wedding of a couple who met and fell in love while doing a radio show together at WATD. At the wedding, the bride and groom told Perry how much having access to the radio meant to them. They said that being on WATD and finding each other literally changed their lives. "If this is the kind of thing that is happening because of WATD," thought Perry, "I cannot sell it." He knew that the show, sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Duxbury, and shows like it would be obsolete once ownership of the station changed hands. He called the purchaser and told him he had changed his mind. Two of the biggest radio chains that bought up small stations, Cumulus and iHeart, have recently filed for bankruptcy. Meanwhile, WATD has not only endured, but thrived. It continues to unite people and be a voice for the South Shore and beyond. Many of the people at the station have been working there for over 20 years, making it a true community endeavor. Radio is an attractive business. Many interns work for free just to get into world of media. Perry's favorite intern success story is David "Wolfie" Wolfson, who kicked off his career at WATD. Wolfson visited the station with a group from the Cardinal Cushing Center, which supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He enjoyed the radio tour so much that he wanted to be an intern. Producer and disc jockey, Larry Nelson, showed Wolfson the ropes. During a show with then- Senator Bob Hedlund, Wolfson took over the sound board and had a great conversation with Hedlund about funding for people with disabilities in the Commonwealth. Now, Wolfson has his own show on WATD. "We gave Wolfie a chance and look what it produced," says Perry. "He built his own business and is a sought-after disc jockey." Perry's willingness to try new things has served WATD well. He good-naturedly regards both losses and wins with equanimity. "If you try new things, you're guaranteed to make mistakes," which is okay "as long as you have more successes than mistakes," Perry says. With 40 years of reporting on and adapting to an ever-changing world, the station has certainly faced its share of storms.. The early 1990s was particularly stressful. During the recession, WATD was almost shut down because of the banking collapse. The station was able to demonstrate that it provided a valuable