Meet The WAFT Staff

	bill tidwell, president / general manager My wife (Terry) and I have 4 children, Heather, Stephen, Jennifer, and Amanda. Heather married Kyle Linville and lives in Ohio, Stephen is an Air-Borne Ranger in the U.S. Army, Jennifer is attending Tennessee Temple University in Chattanooga, and Amanda attends Open Bible Christian School. All have been involved in the ministry of WAFT Radio. I appreciate being able to work here and owe much to my parents, Jack and Frankie, for pioneering the work over 35 years ago.
	frankie tidwell, bookkeeper / treasurer As you can tell, I am the oldest one at WAFT (past retirement age). I was born in Ocilla GA, lived most of my life in Jacksonville FL where I married Jack Tidwell in 1949. We came to Valdosta in 1971 to begin the ministry of WAFT - the best move of my life. I have six children, fifteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. My present job at WAFT is keeping up with the receipts and bookkeeping. I spend a lot of time figuring how I can catch up on my work so I can run around and enjoy my retirement. :) And, I am the fortunate one with grandchildren close so I can enjoy them!
	shelia hofmeister, music director/psa director Life is always busy at the Hofmeister Homestead. With the 3 children (Mary, Ben and Sarah) grown and on their own you would think life would be quieter and slower paced. Empty nesters do strange things like add puppies to fill the space the kids left. Bubba, a Rotweiler/Lab mix has joined Ivy, a Chow/Lab mix. He is busy eating us out of house and home - literally. So far he has eaten/destroyed: 1 window blind, 1 pair of reading glasses, 1 pair of sunglasses, numerous baskets (and contents), potpourri, books, plants, blankets, speaker wires, his leash and feeding dish. When I am not putting the house back together I check up on new music and groups to add to WAFT's music rotation, DJ Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, and interview national and local artists and authors. I am married to "Sound Doctrine's", Rick Hofmeister (and yes he uses those big words at home) who is also my pastor. Tuesday and Thursday I try and devote to church and Bible Study Fellowship. Any free time is spent quilting and sneaking over to WAFT to "do one more thing".
	rick hofmeister, overnight host Born February 28, 1950 in Pittsburgh, PA. Married Shelia Tidwell, August 14, 1971. Father of three children, Mary, Ben and Sarah. Received BA, MA from Southeastern Bible College, Birmingham AL. Pastor of Grace Bible Church, Valdosta GA since 1990.
	sean sawatzky, afternoon host I'm one of those people who have always known what they wanted to do. For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to work in radio. My parents would be quick to tell you about the little studio I had in my bedroom and the late night contests I would call in to win after I was supposed to be in bed! I've always loved radio and see it as a very powerful tool for ministry. I was hired for my first radio job in high school, just after my 16th birthday. Since that time, I've worked in adult contemporary, country, news/talk, and contemporary Christian radio and am definitely most passionate about Christian radio. While my most recent radio jobs have me focused on radio management, I do enjoy being on-air very much and am excited to be a part of the team at WAFT. My wife, Kim, and I were married in August of 1995 and just celebrated our ten-year wedding anniversary. She and I met while attending college at John Brown University in Siloam Springs, AR. When I'm not working in or listening to radio, I enjoy spending time with friends and family. Hobbies include cars, finding things on eBay!, riding motorcycle, and computers.
	amanda tidwell, evening host Hey ya'll! My name is Amanda and I am the youngest child of Bill and Terry Tidwell. I am 16 years old and a junior at Open Bible Christian School. I do voice tracks for the station and you can hear me in the evenings. My hobbies include watching Georgia Bulldog games, working out, photography, and cooking, especially Paula Deen recipes. You might see me at some of the WAFT activities like Sharathons or Coffee Drives. Talk to you later!
	ben parten, production I am a student at Valdosta State University and am currently a senior. I am getting my degree in mass media with an audio concentration, so that makes having my job here at WAFT a true blessing. I get to work somewhere that I am actually studying about in my classes at the same time. When I think that this was supposed to be just a temporary summer job in 2006 and that I'm still here today, I just thank God for the opportunity to work here. Getting to play around with(excuse me: work with) the equipment in the studio has been a learning experience that I hope to take into the future. I get to put together or acquire many of the promos and programs you hear on WAFT. You also can hear me during the weekend afternoon music, so be sure to join me! I am actively involved with the Baptist Collegiate Ministries (formerly known as the Baptist Student Union) and it is there I have developed true, godly friendships, some that I know I will hold on to way past college. I love my family and cherish the moments I get to spend with them; they are getting fewer and farther in-between then they used to be. Now, is radio definitely going to be my career? Well, after listening to Adventures in Odyssey a few times during the past year, I think about the most fun job I could have in the world would be as a voice actor. So it's definitely possible that I could end up doing this for a lifetime. However, my plans are just that: mine. God will do with me what He will, and I hope to be open and receptive to that.
	james spann, staff meteorologist I was born in Huntsville, Alabama. In 1966 we moved to the big city of Tuscaloosa. I graduated from Tuscaloosa High School in 1974. Some of the most significant events that shaped my intense passion for weather happened during those high school years; the Brent F4 tornado of May 27, 1973 and the "superoutbreak" of April 3, 1974. I spend many days after those disaster as an amateur radio volunteer, and the memory of what I saw is as clear as if it happened yesterday. Another big event took place while I was at Tuscaloosa High: I was hired by a local radio station as a disc jockey! I would go on to work for WTBC-AM, the "BIG 1230" for five years during high school, and my days as an electrical engineering student at the University of Alabama. That merger of being a weather weenie and a broadcaster would turn out to shape the rest of my career. Read more of James Spann's bio at his web site jamesspann.com
	corinne collins, webmaster I have been married for 23 years to a wonderful man name Jim and we are blessed with two children, a 11-year old daughter and a 6-year old son. I have been self-employed for a number of years. For ten years I had a house cleaning business. I wanted to be able to stay home with my daughter after she was born, so I began to learn how to do web design. I've been designing web sites for about 8 years now and enjoy having the freedom to work from home. I have had the distinct blessing of being the webmaster for some very special ministries like WAY Radio in Jacksonville and Brunswick. I also designed keep up my home church's web site, Westside Baptist Church and I am also the webmaster for WAFT in Valdosta. I'm glad to be part of the team.