Send us your Stories

A life can be measured in songs cued, flags saluted, and nights under stadium lights. We sit down with radio mainstay Ted Tibbett to trace the winding road from a childhood spent in studios and parades to a draft notice in 1968, a detour to South Korea, and a homecoming that turned into four decades behind a high school press box mic. Ted’s stories are vivid and generous: a father who sang and read poetry on the air before World War II, a small-town talent show where Elvis Presley placed third, and the early shifts where cab fare cost more than the paycheck but the dream was worth it.

The conversation delves into what local radio brings to a town: companionship, context, and a familiar voice when the weather turns or the Tigers take the field. Ted shares lessons learned during a rookie hurricane broadcast about who calls the shots, the delicate boundary between personality and professionalism, and the grit it takes to keep a station alive.

You’ll hear outrageous, laugh-out-loud moments with a mercurial owner who once boomed “TIbbett! They’re naked!” at a Broadway show, along with tender reflections on veterans’ service, civic leadership, and why the national anthem still brings a tear.

We also pull back the curtain on today’s talk radio, including conservative news talk, the economics of satellite programming, and how to maintain a local heartbeat when syndication pays the bills.

Ted guests range from members of Congress to SEC legends. He also reveals why time, temperature, and the Powerball update still matter more than algorithms. If you care about media that sounds like where you live—Hattiesburg, the Pine Belt, or any town with a signal—you’ll find wisdom and warmth here.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

Send us your Stories

This is a special (bonus) episode of Stories From Cold Springs. We've been asking our guest to share their favorite Christmas memories. Here are some of our favorites.

A castoff tree becomes a masterpiece. A heaterless Ford carries a homesick soldier down a freezing highway. A prank chair turns a nervous daughter-in-law into family. These are the moments that define Christmas in our world: kindness at midnight, laughter that sticks, and simple gifts that outlast their batteries.

We gather voices from across our first season (and upcoming second season) for a special holiday tapestry.

Dawn Beam remembers a year so lean that her family prayed for a tree that miraculously appeared, and made beautiful with cookies, popcorn, and borrowed lights.

Ted Tibbett relives 1965—stuck with a late radio shift, a chance meeting at a truck stop, and a dirt road rescue capped by two mules and a sunrise reunion.

Kym Garraway-Braley shares the infamous camo seat with the hidden remote, proof that humor can knit a family faster than any perfect present.

Father Tommy brings Irish cadence—Santa on Christmas Eve, church on morning, cards by the fire, and St. Stephen’s Day songs at neighbors’ doors—celebrations built on ritual, service, and shared delight.

Kristen Illarmo talks about finding her way back to wonder through her kids and the sanity-saving tradition of giving books.

Todd McCall maps the logistics of love across grandparents’ tables and a rotating family Christmas that waits for him to get home from college athletics.

Stubbs Lucus honors a father who couldn’t wait to give, handing out presents early so the kids had more time to play.

Host J. Stephen Beam closes with twin battery bulldozers, a crack in the hood, and a lasting lesson: joy doesn’t require perfect things, only present people.

If you crave stories that feel like a warm room on a cold night, this collection is for you. Press play, remember your own best Christmas, and share it with us. Subscribe, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell a friend who could use a little light today.

This episode was sponsored by MCS Homecenter, Bellevue.

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents

Send us your Stories

A priest’s journey rarely begins at the pulpit. Ours starts on a small Irish farm in County Galway, where thirteen children, a barter ledger at the grocer, and a windowless scullery kept life running without cash or convenience. Father Tommy Conway opens up about a way of life built on chores, prayer, and community—then shows how Ireland’s commitment to free education and EU investment vaulted a rural nation into a global workforce. The contrast is striking: horses and harrows traded among neighbors become modern careers at Boston Scientific and Pfizer, yet the heart of that village life remains.

We explore pivotal moments that chiseled character: a house fire that flattened the family home during a church revival, the struggle of high school, the joy of seminary friendships, and the unexpected call to serve in Mississippi. Tommy recalls early assignments on the Gulf Coast, years as a university chaplain, and a habit of answering every hospital request without checking denomination. The story blends humor and candor—yes, bacon and cabbage, not corned beef—and paints a tender picture of homesickness that never fully leaves, even as new roots take hold in Hattiesburg.

The capstone is the founding of St. Fabian in West Hattiesburg: donated land with a name that honors a beloved nun, a bishop’s simple “You decide,” and a parish that now hums with dozens of ministries. Local artist Kim Garraway Braille’s 21-foot “happy Jesus” mural turns a sanctuary into a welcome, a landmark that signals joy to anyone walking through the doors.

Suppose you’re curious about Irish rural traditions, the power of education, Catholic ministry in the American South, or how a person builds communities. In that case, this story delivers a warm, grounded look at service and belonging.

Enjoyed the conversation? Follow the show, share this episode with a friend, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find Stories from Cold Springs. Your support keeps these voices alive.

Be sure to listen on Christmas Eve for a special episode of Stories from Cold Springs. Your favorite SFCS guests share their favorite Christmas memories!

Subscribe, share with a friend who loves radio, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories. Your voice keeps this community strong.

Links to Stephen's incredible novels:

The Death Letter
The Bondage of Innocents