1405 E. Main- Eastland, TX 76448

Joellen Hodge

Ok…Michael says I have to write down my biography for the web site…So, here we go…My name is Joellen Hodge and I have been in the field of communications off and on since the mid 1970's…That makes me very old!

I am a veteran of the United States Army…a single mom with five grown children…and a career broadcast journalist. I am queen of the Vocational Certification…and have the paperwork to back up my boast! I am a paralegal, avionic mechanic, nutritional counselor and bookkeeper…I enjoy taking correspondence courses or night classes because there is no such thing as wasted education!

My job at All Texas Radio includes a lot of responsibilities….I am the Bargain Box Lady Monday through Friday from 9 to 10am…the rest of the day, I have my hand in just about everything at the studio….Writing and producing commercials, making sure all the ads go out on air…I also do the billing and make sure the records are kept straight…One of my favorite parts of my job is doing news and sports…I love to write and report!

I have done a lot of jobs in my life…from busting truck tires to driving a bus at Ranger High School to producing news for ABC in Beaumont, Texas, you can say I have had a pretty rounded career…but there is nothing as wonderful as doing what I love the most right here in my family's hometown county…

My hobbies are sewing, crocheting, reading good books, redoing old furniture, and of course, riding my scooter! The best days are when I ride my scooter to and from anywhere! It is a great way to get around and conserve on gasoline…

I am proudest of my involvement in the community, I love a project that betters the world around us all…

Ok…my best friends are my mom and Delia…I think my baby niece KK is the greatest, smartest and prettiest little girl in the whole world and I love my dog EZ Rider… my favorite food is sushi…I am single and my favorite television show is the new BattleStar Galactica…Or maybe…. I am single because I eat sushi and watch BattleStar Galactica…You figure it out…I am just too busy to stop and think about it

Michael "Crash" Cockburn

A living dream is how Michael Cockburn describes being your community announcer for so long. Just recently, Michael watched the clock and yelled a big WA-HOOO as he enters 20 full years of broadcast,

The dials and switches were very new to him in his debut to KVMX. It was late October of 1987. “You know those 1970’s Sci-Fi movies with a thousand flashing lights and alarms going off everywhere? That’s exactly how this studio appeared to me,” said Cockburn. “I was a very nervous individual that just graduated high school…my trainer was a very patient man! I guess it’s just like the first year of marriage…you have to grit your teeth and make a few sacrifices,” said Cockburn.

The veteran broadcaster terms his work as a living dream because radio started to appeal to him by the time he was a junior in high school. His parents, Jim and Lyndell Cockburn, were very supportive of his dream, never once giving him words of discouragement. “I guarantee you, if I didn’t have their direction and guidance in deciding on this career, this would have ended a long time ago and I’d be out picking up cans for a living,” Cockburn said. “GOD knew what he was doing when he put me here, and I think that’s why my family had no problem of my entering a unique field.”

The years, for the most part, have been filled with cherished memories, but there were a few hurdles Cockburn had to overcome. “In 1996, we lost a great man. Dan Staggs gave me the start where I am broadcasting now and every opportunity to grow as a businessman. When he passed away, he took a part of me with him. Day by day, the grieving process got worse, so with that along with other circumstances, I felt it would be best to leave Eastland to pull myself together.” In between, Cockburn had worked other radio projects while attending Ranger College and it was there he earned to certificates of completion in Computer Information and Technology. “Guess who gets the computer work now that I’m back?” Cockburn adds jokingly.

There is another hurdle that Cockburn had to overcome that may compose him distinctive broadcaster among the others. “When I was in the 7th grade, I was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. It is a neurological disorder that basically causes uncontrolled twitching. In my earlier years, I had vocal outbursts but that calmed down after I entered high school, said Cockburn. “There were period that I was self conscious about having TS, but the community I live in is awesome. Very rarely I am asked what the devil is happening to me. Once I explain that it’s nothing more than a miscommunication between my brain and everything else, then they call off the exorcist.”
Most of Cockburn’s radio experience has been in Eastland County, but as earlier mentioned, he moved in 2000 to become a successful accounts executive for KLXK/KROO in Breckenridge, and then a stringer for KYOX before returning to Eastland.

“These were some fun projects,” he said, “but to quote Dorothy deliberating with the good witch of the North, ‘There’s no place like home’, and I have build my home in Eastland, Texas.”
To date, Cockburn is back with his family of ALL TEXAS RADIO and says he couldn't be happier. "I suppose I followed the lead of John Snyder and Tom Wopat when they left the Dukes of Hazzard, I realized where my roots are and knew that the door was always opened. From the partners to the staff, we are family and we cannot be broken." Michael "Crash" Cockburn says he looks forward to many more years serving the ALL TEXAS region adding one final thought. "Can we please do it without the rubber duckies?"

Don Bishop has been working in radio since the 1960s. He enjoys the vast outdoors and fishing in remote streams and lakes. A history buff, Don also enjoys high vintage performance cars and has a restored ‘68 Cougar. One of is greatest thrills was filling in for a week as announcer for “The Price is Right.”

Adrienne Brooks originally studied psychology but quickly developed a love for radio that has lasted more than 20 years. She's an avid “I Love Lucy” fan and could spend an entire day watching back-to-back episodes. Adrienne enjoys being with family and friends and spending time with her husband and daughter.

Paul Freeman loves to collect radio station stuff, sci-fi hero movies, and all things electronic. Not to be kept indoors by his toys, Paul is also into biking, boating, and motorcycles. One of his most thrilling music moments was meeting the great Elvis Presley at one of his concerts. Paul's cool cat is named Stickers.

Jack Boxer has been entertaining audiences for four decades and has been recognized with a national Billboard Magazine award for his talent. He is an avid poker player and has written a number of articles that have been published in gaming magazines. He also loves baseball, racquetball, and sci-fi movies

. Kent Richards is a thirty-year broadcaster. He's a big fan of action movies and TV shows, but has a soft spot for a good romantic story every so often! Kent's hobbies include model building, reading, astronomy, and stamp collecting. One of his best career experiences was meeting the one-and-only Joe Namath.