Indiana RadioWatch: January 17, 2004
Northeast
Only days after debuting as a light AC station and calling themselves "The
New Sunny 106.3" there has been a change in airstaff at WSHI (106.3fm,
Columbia City). Legendary Fort Wayne air personality and WSHI afternoon
man Ron Gregory exits. Before holding down afternoons, he did mornings
since his arrival in May, 1998. WSHI may not be what he's best known for
though: He's best connected with WOWO (1190am, Fort Wayne) as his lengthy
tenure there (twenty years plus!) as air personality (not a "DJ") made him
a Fort Wayne institution.
After stunting with a loop of AC/DC's "T.N.T." on Thursday and Friday
(1/11 and 1/12) in morning drive (only), Federated Media's Director of
Rock Programming (and PD) Greg Gillispie rolls out the new Rock/WBYR
(98.9fm, Van Wert, Ohio). The station has a new lineup:
Mornings: "T.N.T." - Turner Watson and Tommy Collins
Middays: Cristi Cantle
Afternoons: Joe Maumee
Nights: Dick
Overnights: Barry Thickk
Watson and Collins arrive from WXNR in Greenville/New Bern, North Carolina
(Watson was APD/MD/middays; Collins was Promotions Director and
afternoons). Watson also has an Indiana connection as he was once PD at
Evansville's Rock/WGBF-FM (103.1fm, Evansville). Cantle was last MD/nights
at WKLQ in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Joe Maumee simply shifts from
middays to afternoons.
Just before the T.N.T. stunt, WBYR let morning team "Gasman and Laureen"
go along with night guy Irizarry.
Country/WBTU (93.3fm, Kendallville) promotions director and midday man Jay
Michaels exits.
Where Are They Now? Former AC/WAJI (95.1fm, Fort Wayne) MD/Midday lady
Marti Taylor is now Promotions Director at the Clear Channel/Sandusky
(Ohio) stations - WCPZ, WLEC, and WMJK. She is also MD/Middays at WMJK.
Northcentral
Budget cuts are why CHR/WNDV (1490am, 92.9fm; both South Bend) midday lady
Lexi Ray exits. IRW hears she has an excellent recommendation from parent
Artistic Media's Director of Top 40 Programming Casey Daniels. If you're
interested in contacting Lexi, e-mail us (phredd at well dot com) and
we'll pass along the info, gratis.
According to IRW reader Keith Thews, Standards/WHLY (1580am, South Bend)
switches from ABC Stardust to Westwood One for its standards format.
A note from the Radio-With-Pictures Department: Meteorologist Larry Mowry
exits WSBT-TV (Channel 22, South Bend [CBS]) for the Windy City. Mowry
joins ABC-owned WLS-TV (Channel 7, Chicago, Illinois) for Saturday morning
weather forecasts during their new 6am-7am newsblock. According to The
Chicago Sun-Times' media guru Robert Feder, he had worked at WSBT since
2001.
Central
A quick Bob & Tom affiliate update as they add Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to
the list - WRRK (96.9fm, Braddock, Pennsylvania).
Westcentral
Sports/WSDX (1130am, Brazil) applies for night power - 20 watts. WSDX
signed on in 1959 as WITE (on 1380am) and has been daytime only ever
since.
Southeast
After five years as Urban/WBLO (104.3fm, Charlestown), Radio One flips
their format to Classic Country as "the New Eagle 104.3", and call letters
to WEGK. Tom Dorsey's column in The Louisville Courier-Journal says
they're playing the "Country Legends" format. The format change was
logical as WBLO was competing with sister Urban/WGZB (96.5fm, Corydon).
Southwest
News-Talk/WGBF (1280am, Evansville) adds WestStar Talk Radio's Kim Komando. IRW
finds no website for WGBF, but Kim Komando's page says the show is on
Saturday (9am-11am) and Sunday (9am - 10am).
That's it for this issue. See you in a week!
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Blaine Thompson. Articles, photos, corrections, and other contributions should be
e-mailed to the editors.