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The John Bonsignor Interview (Part 4 — Special Edition)

A Rebroadcast of Big Talk with Paul Gable and Guest: Randal Wallace (2018)

In Part 4 of our John Bonsignor series, we present a special edition — a rebroadcast of Big Talk from 2018, featuring Wallace Podcast Network host Randal Wallace in a pivotal moment of transition.

This appearance came shortly after Wallace’s 16-year tenure on the Myrtle Beach City Council came to an end following the 2017 election — a turning point that would ultimately lead to the creation of the Wallace Podcast Network, including Grand Strand Politics, The Randal Wallace Presents Podcast, and The Richard Nixon Experience Podcast.

Hosted by John Bonsignor and cohost Paul Gable, this episode captures Wallace at a crossroads — reflecting on public service, political life, and what comes next after leaving elected office. It’s an honest and revealing conversation about leadership, loss, and reinvention.

It also represents something more.

Because in many ways, the work being done today across the Wallace Podcast Network traces directly back to the influence of Big Talk. Bonsignor and Gable helped pioneer local political television in the Grand Strand — creating a forum where ideas could be debated, leaders could be challenged, and the public could stay informed.

That legacy lives on here.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Randal Wallace’s reflections following the 2017 city council election
• Insights into his 16 years of public service
• Early hints of the path that would lead to the Wallace Podcast Network
• The kind of thoughtful, substantive conversation that defined Big Talk

This is more than a rebroadcast.

It’s a bridge — from local television to modern podcasting…
from one generation of political conversation to the next.

And at the center of it all is the influence of John Bonsignor and Paul Gable — the foundation on which so much of today’s local political media was built.

Theme song is Produced by Danya Vodovoz, link to my song https://youtu.be/NRxduUMZcdw

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The John Bonsignor Interview (Part 3)

Broadcasting, Paris, the Philippines, and Betty Sue Bonsignor

In Part 3 of our ongoing series, we explore the most personal chapter yet in the life of John Bonsignor — the early experiences that shaped the broadcaster, public figure, and storyteller behind the microphone.

Before Big Talk and Talking Politics, Bonsignor’s journey began in New York City, where he worked in radio at WOR Radio. His path then took him far from home — serving in the Philippines during his military years and later spending time in Paris, France, experiences that broadened his perspective and helped shape the voice he would later bring to the airwaves.

After returning home to New York, Bonsignor entered a new chapter of service as a New York City police officer. And it was during this time — just after coming back home — that a chance encounter would change his life.

While on duty, he stopped a young woman for jaywalking.

That woman was Betty Sue, from Salisbury, North Carolina.

What could have been a routine ticket became something entirely different. A conversation turned into lunch… and lunch turned into a lifelong partnership. It’s a story that perfectly captures the unexpected nature of life — and the idea that opposites truly do attract. A New York City policeman and broadcaster with a love of opera meets a Southern woman who didn’t quite share that passion — and yet, it worked beautifully.

In this episode, Bonsignor shares:

• His early broadcasting days in New York
• His experiences in the Philippines and Paris
• His transition into police work after returning home
• The unforgettable story of meeting Betty Sue
• Warm and often humorous family stories from their life together

Part 3 offers something deeper — the human story behind the public life.

Before the career…
before the cameras…
there was a young man returning home, finding his footing — and unexpectedly finding the person who would share the rest of his life.

Theme song is Produced by Danya Vodovoz, link to my song https://youtu.be/NRxduUMZcdw

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The John Bonsignor Interview (Part 2 — Special Edition)

A Rebroadcast of Big Talk with Paul Gable and Guest: Former Congressman John Jenrette

In Part 2 of our John Bonsignor interview series, we present a special edition — a rebroadcast of Big Talk, featuring a memorable conversation with former South Carolina Congressman John Jenrette.

This episode offers a rare window into the style and substance that made Big Talk a cornerstone of political dialogue along the Grand Strand. Hosted by John Bonsignor, the program brought together candid discussion, sharp questioning, and a willingness to engage complex and often controversial topics head-on.

Joining Bonsignor is cohost Paul Gable, a respected Myrtle Beach journalist whose thoughtful, measured approach helped elevate the conversation. Gable’s ability to ask incisive questions while maintaining a sense of balance and professionalism is on full display here — a reminder of the important role strong journalism plays in local media.

Together, Bonsignor and Gable guide a revealing discussion with Congressman Jenrette, touching on politics, public service, and the realities of life in elected office.

This special rebroadcast is more than a look back at a single episode — it’s a snapshot of an era when local television provided a vital forum for political discourse, driven by voices deeply connected to their community.

Part 2 continues our journey into the life and legacy of John Bonsignor — by revisiting the work that made him a defining figure in Grand Strand broadcasting.

Theme song is Produced by Danya Vodovoz, link to my song https://youtu.be/NRxduUMZcdw

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The John Bonsignor Interview (Part 1)

Big Talk, Politics, and The Grand Strand Opera Workshop

In this first installment of our eight-part interview series, we sit down with a true pioneer of local media and civic life in the Grand Strand — John Bonsignor, longtime host of Big Talk and Talking Politics, and a voice that helped shape political conversation in Myrtle Beach for decades.

At 94 years old, Bonsignor reflects on a remarkable life spent at the intersection of broadcasting, public service, and community leadership. Often described as the “grandfather” of local political talk television in the Grand Strand, he created a platform where ideas, candidates, and debates could reach everyday citizens long before the rise of modern digital media.

In Part 1, we begin at the heart of his legacy:

• The origins and evolution of Big Talk and Talking Politics
• What it meant to host political television at the local level
• The role of media in shaping informed communities
• His involvement in the Grand Strand Opera Workshop and its cultural impact

This episode sets the stage for a deeper exploration of Bonsignor’s life — from politics to the arts, from local activism to national campaigns — and the enduring influence he’s had on the civic fabric of the Myrtle Beach area.

A broadcaster. A community builder. A witness to history.

This is where the story begins.

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In our final episode in this special series we will listen in as Mayor Hirsch talks about his wife of many years, Ethel Hirsch. Her many contributions to his successful life, and career, and the raising of 10 children. The real keys to happy life are right here to be learned in this special story.

We will also listen , in its entirety, to the speech that inspired this special series in the first place. When Mayor Bob Hirsch addressed the ceremony at the Grand opening of the Myrtle Beach World War 2 Memorial. It was an extraordinary address that captured all the high points, emotions, and the sense of adventure that came from the generation that fought this horrific War.

We then switch gears to hear some advice for the future leaders who are now taking their seats at the table of government and for the next generation of young people who are just starting out in life too.

It is an episode of sound advice from our local example of all the great lessons of leadership we should be learning from the example set by the Greatest Generation.

It has been an honor to produce these seven episodes.

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In this episode, in our special series, looking at the career of former Mayor Robert Hirsch, we look back at his arrival in Myrtle Beach and his single term as Mayor. It was a term of extraordinary accomplishment, much of which may not be as well known by the public in general today. Myrtle Beach today is the fastest growing region in America, a far cry from where it was in the early 1970s.

When Mayor Hirsch was elected in 1973 , the City of Myrtle Beach was operated under an entirely different form of government than it is today. In that time the Mayor ran the city and each council member ran a separate department of the city government. That system was the first thing Mayor Hirsch worked to change, leading a movement that changed the form of government to the type of city government structure we have today, a Council-Manager form of Government. Where a professional Manager runs the day to day operations of the city and the Mayor and Council are a policy setting body. When that referendum was held in the early 1970's the citizens of Myrtle Beach voted for it overwhelmingly.

Mayor Hirsch also led the way to adopting the zoning and building code document that has served as the foundation for the way the city operates to this day. He worked with Senator Strom Thurmond and Congressman John Jenrette to get joint runway use for commercial flights to begin coming to the City of Myrtle Beach, opening up an entirely new way to bring tourists into our community. It is hard to imagine the city of Myrtle Beach even functioning without those three major initiatives, that Mayor Bob Hirsch spearheaded, not being in place. They are so integral to how the city functions that they are often today taken for granted as a given.

When Mayor Hirsch left office he was immediately recruited by the new Republican Governor in the State, James Edwards, to head up the Energy Department for South Carolina and later to join his staff. His work in that realm actually contributed greatly to Jim Edwards being selected to go to Washington D.C. to lead the Energy Department under President Ronald Reagan. For a brief time there were even calls for Bob Hirsch to run for Governor of South Carolina. However, Bob Hirsch decided to come home to Myrtle Beach where he would serve another term as a city councilmember here a decade after leaving Columbia.

Bob Hirsch would also through out the next half century serve as the Chairman, and as a Board Member of the South Carolina Hall of Fame, and under his leadership it became one of the highest honors available for any citizen to achieve in our state, to be inducted into the South Carolina Hall of Fame.

In this episode we will listen in as Mayor Hirsch recalls the moments in those years that made all of that possible.

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In this special Edition within our special series I thought it was important to introduce you to three of the names you have heard or will hear in our series. As a person in my 50s who has worked in or around politics my entire life these names are familiar to me. That may not be the case for so many of our listeners who are either younger or not from South Carolina.

Strom Thurmond, the former Senator from South Carolina, was as dominate a political figure in my home state for decades as any name you will ever know. He literally served in political office for 72 years and up to the age of 100. Governor Jim Edwards, the first Republican Governor in South Carolina since Reconstruction, was also a well known figure for many years. Both men have also been out of public office for more than 20 years or longer. I thought it would be important to introduce you to both men so that our younger listeners can grasp how important they were in their time.

I also have learned in the three years and 12 seasons we have been producing these documentary podcasts that you end up with great materials that don't actually fit into your narrative. In the case of General George Patton we had that issue. Mayor Hirsch met Patton while he was fighting in the war but he headed home before the General died in a car accident near Christmas of 1945.

We found an extraordinary documentary short on Patton's life from the time of his death and it was narrated by Ronald Reagan. We wanted to share that short audio with our audience but could not find a place where it would fit. So we thought we would share it here. The same for another interesting story told by Mayor Hirsch that involved the star of our current long series , President George H. W. Bush. We thought that would be a great story to share here in this episode as well.

We hope you will enjoy this episode of what we like to call our "DVD Extras"

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As the War came to its end it brought about the confirmation that up to that point had been known but not confirmed. That the horrific genocide of a people had gone on throughout Europe. The Deathcamps that were discovered , one by one , by the Allied troops as they moved closer to Germany, from all directions, had practiced such organized, horrific, cruelty, that even these most hardened of war veterans could barely talk about it over 80 years later. Which we will hear when we ask about it. The short answer given by Mr. Hirsch is as powerful a moment as we will hear in these interviews.

We will also hear the radio broadcasts marking the deaths of Franklin Roosevelt, Adolf Hitler, and finally the surrender of Germany itself. We will then hear the stories of how pilot Bob Hirsch flew the displaced persons to the new places that they were to go to be housed in, having lost everything, from their homes, and businesses, to their entire families.

Then, just as Bob Hirsch is sent to Paris, France, to pick up his plane to be flown around the World to the Pacific Theater. His orders are suddenly changed, and he and his fellow troops are left to wonder, why?

Then we will focus in on the Potsdam Conference, the bluff to the Japanese Government, and the decision to drop an atomic bomb on Japan, that will finally bring this horrifically, bloody war, to its end.