Former announcer for the Grand Ole Opry and lifelong radio engineer Ted Klimkowski, better known as Ted Randall, passed away on May 11 at the age of 73 in Lebanon, TN. A Detroit native, Klimkowski began his radio career at the age of 15 at WMUZ, a Christian station in his hometown.
There, he formed a pivotal relationship with Dr. Gene Scott, whom he introduced to shortwave radio, broadening the reach of Scott’s global ministry. His broadcasting journey would go on to include stops at legendary stations like CKLW, WKCQ, WSM-AM, and WSM-FM.
After relocating to Middle Tennessee in 1979, Klimkowski worked with WQKR, WRMX, WWCR, WZPC, and Cumulus and served as Chief Engineer for both 5 Star Radio in Clarksville and Cromwell Radio, overseeing engineering for ten stations in the Nashville market.
His on-air work was matched by a passion for digital innovation. He developed and hosted The QSO Radio Show for more than two decades and brought Cashbox Magazine online. Klimkowski’s pioneering online broadcasts were so popular that they reportedly crashed DNS servers in their early days.
Klimkowski’s final project was WRMI Legends, a shortwave programming initiative that creatively wove together classic American rock and Christian ministry.
Outside of radio, he founded and operated several successful businesses in Michigan and Tennessee, including carpet cleaning and restoration companies, as well as a chemical manufacturing business focused on advanced treatments for flooring and textiles.
He is survived by his wife Holly Misslin Klimkowski, sons David and Matt, and five grandchildren.
A profound loss for country music. His voice wasn’t just the sound of WSM—it was the soundtrack of Nashville’s golden era. The way he bridged classic Opry traditions with modern artists like Sturgill Simpson set a masterclass in evolving while honoring roots.
Ted was a wonderful guy – and loved radio beyond much else. His passion for a bunch of rag-tag radio deejays having fun on 100,000 watt radio stations started his journey with WTWW and then WRMI Legends. Fortunately, through Holly and the family, WRMI legends will continue at 5850 and 7570 khz-and wrmilegends.com Those of us who are part of it all are incredibly indebted to Ted and his visionary efforts to keep radio (and Christianity) alive.
Comments are closed.