(BENTON, Ky.) — Longtime WCBL Radio personality Greg Leath, the whistling and singing morning man and Bargain Line maestro who recently achieved dubious fame for his ill-fated expedition into Sinkhole Hill, has once again proven that timing is not his forte.
In what witnesses are calling “the most anticlimactic protest in Marshall County history,” Leath announced Tuesday morning that he would scale the WCBL radio tower and refuse to descend until the federal government shutdown ended.
“Somebody’s gotta take a stand,” Leath declared between the 6:45 AM News and a caller wanting to get a birthday announced said, “I’m going up that tower, and I ain’t coming down till Washington gets their act together!”
Armed with three cans of Vienna sausages, a sleeve of saltines, and what he described as “the indomitable spirit of Western Kentucky,” Leath began his ascent of the station’s 417-foot tower at approximately 10 AM. The climb, which he live-streamed on the station’s Facebook page while breathlessly narrating his progress, took roughly 30 minutes.
“You can see the Bottom Lands from up here!” Leath exclaimed as he reached the summit, his face illuminated by the tower’s blinking red beacon. “And I think that’s Mickey Darnall’s barn! Hey Mick, you listening? Your roof’s got a hole in it!”
Leath had just finished opening his first can of potted meat when his phone rang at 10:34 AM.
It was station manager Chris Freeland.
“Greg,” he said, “the shutdown’s over. President Trump signed the bill about eight minutes ago. You can come down now.”
According to witnesses at the base of the tower, Leath’s response was initially unclear due to a potted meat-related coughing fit. Once recovered, he was heard to shout several colorful phrases that were mercifully not picked up by the broadcast equipment.
“I’ve been planning this for three days,” Leath told reporters after his descent, still clutching an unopened sleeve of crackers. “I had a whole system worked out. I brought a rope and pulley for supplies. I was gonna do the morning show from up there. I had bits prepared!”
Local historian Martha Cunningham noted that Leath’s protest now holds the distinction of being the shortest tower sit-in in American radio history, narrowly beating a 1983 incident in Nebraska where a DJ came down after 14 minutes due to vertigo.
“It’s kind of poetic, really,” said longtime listener Brenda Castleberry, who had been following the drama from the JoJo’s parking lot. “This is the same man who got stuck in Sinkhole Hill for six hours last month because he thought he saw a cave entrance. His sense of dramatic timing is just… chef’s kiss.”
When pressed about whether he felt his protest had made a difference, Leath remained philosophical.
“Look, correlation doesn’t equal causation, but I’m not saying I didn’t end the shutdown,” he mused, wiping Vienna sausage juice on his jeans. “Sometimes you just gotta believe you made an impact, even if it’s only ten minutes.”
Leath returned to his regular duties Thursday morning.
The station has since installed a lock on the tower access ladder.
Greg Leath’s morning show airs weekdays from 6-10 AM on WCBL. Bargain Line is Saturdays from 8-10 AM on WCBL. The Sinkhole Hill incident is not discussed.
