Gerald “Jerry” Fordyce (1918-1993) was a veteran radio broadcaster who made significant contributions to the Indiana radio industry over a career spanning several decades. He worked at multiple stations, serving in various roles such as announcer, disc jockey, station manager, news director, and public affairs director.
Born in Bedford, Indiana, in 1918, Fordyce began his radio career at WGRC in Louisville, which later became WAKY. He and his wife moved to New Albany, IN to work for the station, which paid $12 a week and initially involved broadcasting station breaks every 15 minutes and sweeping floors.
Fordyce had originally wanted to work at WHAS in Louisville but had pronounced “systemic” as “systematic” during an audition, after which he was told to try applying to a smaller station.
At WGRC, he worked as an announcer and later became the disc jockey for the popular “Breakfast Matinee” morning show. In the 1960s, Fordyce served as station manager and news director at WNUW in New Albany, Indiana, which later became WHEL.
Fordyce’s career path led him to WXVW in Jeffersonville, Indiana, where he worked on and off since the station’s inception in 1961. He joined WXVW full-time as a newsman in 1966. In 1970, Fordyce briefly left radio to work as public affairs director at WKPC-TV in Lousville for two years before returning to WXVW, where he remained until his retirement in 1980.
Throughout his career, Fordyce was known for his professionalism and willingness to mentor younger staff members. Mike Densford, a former colleague at WXVW, praised Fordyce’s seasoned expertise and his eagerness to teach newcomers about writing and identifying important elements in a story.
Beyond his broadcasting work, Fordyce was actively involved in community service. His contributions to the community were recognized with several awards, including the Sagamore of the Wabash, 1977 NAACP Human Interest award, and the 1978 Veterans of Foreign Wars Hobart Beach Post Outstanding Citizen award.
After his retirement from radio in 1980, Fordyce became a volunteer reader for the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, recording over 150 titles between 1978 and 1990.
Jerry Fordyce passed away on September 16, 1993, at the age of 75, after a long battle with heart disease. Fordyce was inducted into the Indiana Broadcast Hall of Fame in the early 1980s, recognizing his lasting impact on the state’s broadcasting landscape.
