Legendary High Point Broadcaster Max Meeks Dies At 92

Max Meeks, the WMFR radio announcer known as “The Voice of High Point,” has died. He was 92 years old.

Meeks' style was a throwback to a different, pre-shock-jock era, with program staples including a “Birthday Club” and “Hymn of the Day.” Listeners sometimes compared him to the likes of Walter Cronkite and Jimmy Stewart.

But Meeks said he never considered a career in broadcasting when he was growing up. That all changed in 1947, when he was discovered during a drama club rehearsal at High Point College. He started as a fill-in host at WMFR, and went on to spend more than half of his life as a popular announcer for the station.

Meeks' friendly voice soon became familiar to listeners throughout the Furniture City. His program Max In The Morning would go on to air for more than 50 years, making him a household name among generations of Triad listeners.  

In a 2016 podcast interview with the The High Point Enterprise's Jimmy Tomlin, Meeks recalled how the public's familiarity with him led to some memorable interactions with fans.

“My wife and I – Nancy – would be out somewhere, and almost invariably some woman would say, ‘I love getting up with your husband every morning,'” said Meeks. “And her comeback was, ‘Well, he can get up with all he wants to, but I better not catch him going to bed with any of them.'”

Meeks and his wife were married for 68 years until her death in 2014.

In his lifetime, Max Meeks was recognized for both his professional achievements and his active role in the community, often promoting charitable causes including Greek spaghetti dinners, Mental Health Association auctions, and many others. In 1996, Meeks was named to the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame. Seven years later, he won High Point's Citizen of the Year Award, and in 2010 he received the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest honor given by the Governor to a North Carolinian.

High Point Enterprise reporter Jimmy Tomlin knew Meeks well. He says even with the many accolades that Meeks received, he remained himself.

“As soon as you were in the presence of Max, you knew that you were with somebody special,” Tomlin said. “And yet he had that ability to make you feel like you were the special person. He wanted to know about you and what was going on in your life. And it was not just him putting on airs, he was genuine. He was a genuinely kind, caring man which honestly has a lot to do with why he was such an icon here in High Point.”

In January 2010, after producing more than 12,000 programs, Max Meeks signed off from his final show. At 85, he was the oldest radio announcer in the country. Meeks told the High Point Enterprise at the time that looking back on his life, he wouldn't have changed a thing.