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This Page Last Updated: Saturday 15 August 2009

The Essentials

Frequency: 98.9fm
City of License: Woodburn
Metro(s): Fort Wayne
Power: 50,000 watts @ 453 feet (Class B)
Format: Rock
Address: 1005 Production Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46808-4107
Phone: 260.471.5100
FAX: 260.471.5224
Ownership: Pathfinder Communications Corp.
Network Affiliation(s):
Web Presence: http://www.wbyr.com

Station Personnel

Current

GM: Jim Allgeier (January 2, 2002 - Current) (From the Citadel Communications stations in Lansing, Michigan)
Director of Engineer: Jack Didier
Chief Engineer: Joseph Kirklin
Director of Sales: Mark Osborn (February 15, 2002 - Current) (From Sales Manager at WBYR)
GSM: Ann Earnhart-Tenney
PD: "Stiller"
Mornings: Turner Watson ("Turner") (6am - 10am) (January 12, 2004 - Current) (From APD/MD/middays at WXNR in Greenville, North Carolina)
Mornings: Parker Thomas ("Parker") (6am - 10am)
Middays: "Stiller"
Afternoons: "John the Mexican"
Nights: "Drew Cage"

Former

GM: Chris Cage (Now out of radio)
GM: Bob Schutt (1996 - November, 2001) (Formerly with WRIF in Detroit, Michigan, and WDVE in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
GM: Joe Conway (? - May 15, 1995) (Now Market Manager for the Cumulus stations in Fayetteville, Arkansas)
GSM: Chris Clendenon (? - June 1, 1998) (Now GSM at WROV in Roanoke, Virginia)
GSM: Bart Schacht (July 1, 2003 - ?)
Director of Non-Traditional Revenue: Jack Hammer (Now afternoon co-host at WFWI)
OM: Darren Arriens (June, 1996 - July, 1997)
OM: John Rozz (August, 1997 - June, 1998) (From APD/PD at WBGG in Miami, Florida)
OM/PD: Jim Fox (OM: January, 2001 - ?; PD: October, 1998 - ?) (From PD at WMFS in Memphis, Tennessee)
OM: Billy Elvis (Remains PD/afternoon co-host of sister WFWI)
PD: John Robertson (January 11, 1989 - ?) (Now PD at WRRK in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
PD: Buzz Casey (? - May 15, 1996) (Now OM of WBZY and PD at WKLS in Atlanta, Georgia)
PD: Scott Hamilton (August, 1998 - August, 1998) (From OM/PD at WXFX in Montgomery, Alabama)
PD: Greg Gillispie (November 1, 2003 - March 16, 2004)
PD: Cindy Miller (May, 2004 - September, 2006) (Now PD at WSFL-FM in New Bern, North Carolina)
PD: Chuck Wright (June 18, 2007 - ?) (From PD/afternoons at WYPW)
APD/MD: Roxanne McVay (Did Mornings alongside Lester St. James in 1989 and 1990. Left in 1990 and returned in 1993. From Mornings to ? in ?; From Nights to Middays in March, 1994. APD: November, 1997 - ?; Interim PD: June, 1998 - August, 1998; September, 1998 - October, 1998) (Deceased 8 December 2007)
MD: Shannon Norris (May, 2000 - January, 2002) (From WIMZ in Knoxville, Tennessee)
MD: Matt Talluto ("Gasman") (April, 1999 - December 15, 2006) (Now afternoons at WHQG in Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Production Director: Earl Rolling ("Tuna" Jon Rose) (? - November, 2001) (Deceased 11 January 2003)
Promotions Director: Jodi Hamilton (June, 2000 - ?)
Mornings: Lester St. James (1989 - 1990) (Now PD at KGOR and early afternoons at KQBW, both in Omaha, Nebraska)
Mornings: "Psycho" Joel Haas (June, 1997 - May, 2000) (Producer) (Now with XM Satellite Radio in Washington, DC)
Mornings: Billy Elvis & Jack Hammer (1991 - March 8, 2002) (Elvis is now OM of WBYR and sister WFWI. Elvis and Hammer co-host afternoons at WFWI.)
Mornings: Dick (6am - 10am) (March, 2002 - ?)
Mornings: Laureen (6am - 10am) (? - January, 2004)
Mornings: Tommy Collins (6am - 10am) (January 12, 2004 - ?) (From Promotions Director/afternoons at WXNR in Greenville, North Carolina)
Midddays: Shannon Norris (February, 1999 - January, 2002) (From WIMZ in Knoxville, Tennessee)
Middays: Earl Rolling ("Tuna" Jon Rose) (Deceased 11 January 2003)
Middays: John Robertson (January 11, 1989 - ?) (Now PD at WRRK in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Middays: Roxanne McVay (March, 1994 - ?)
Middays: Matt Talluto ("Gasman") (? - December 15, 2006) (Mornings: May, 2002 - January, 2004. Afternoons before that.) (Now afternoons at WHQG in Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Middays: Woody (10am - 3pm) (May, 2002 - ?; Nights: 1995 - June, 1999.) (In between, he worked at local TV station WPTA-TV.) (Now PD/mornings as "Woodrow" at WFGA)
Middays: Cristi Cantle (10am - 3pm) (January, 2004 - ?) (From MD/nights at WKLQ in Grand Rapids, Michigan)
Afternoons: Hal Brandt (? - February, 1996)
Afternoons: Joe Maumee (3pm - 7pm) (? - March 5, 2004) (From middays) (Now nights at KRQX in Sacramento, California)
Afternoons: "Mary Jane" (2pm - 7pm) (? - March, 2009)
Nights: Earl Rolling ("Tuna" Jon Rose) (March, 1994 - ?) (Deceased 11 January 2003)
Nights: Brian Kendall (June, 2000 - February, 2002) (From afternoons at WMFS in Memphis, Tennessee) (Now with Bill Young Productions in Houston, Texas)
Nights: Irizarry (May, 2002 - January, 2004) (7pm - 12am) (From middays as "Chris James" at WKHY) (Now middays as "Maximus" at WRBR)
Nights: Dick (7pm - 12am)
Overnights: Craven Morehead (12am - 6am)
Overnights: Mike Edwards (June, 1997 - ?; Weekends before that)
Overnights: Barry Thickk (12am - 6am) (? - November, 2004)
Airstaff: "Super" Dave Shaw (? - October, 1996)
Airstaff: Buster McKenzie (? - April, 1997)

Station History

98.9fm signed on October 1, 1962. Formerly WERT-FM and WKSD-FM. WBYR signed on with a classic hits format (9,890 songs, commercial free) on January 11, 1989. Was licensed to Van Wert, Ohio until late 2008, when the city of license moved across the border to Woodburn, Indiana.

For Further Reading...

Kilbane, Kevin. "Local radio stations do the talent shuffle." Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.. 30 March 1994. Page 1F, 5F.
Kilbane, Kevin. "Federated Media agrees to purchase WBYR, 98.9-FM." Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. 24 April 1996. Page 4A.
"The Bear losing 3 staffers." Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette. 2 May 1996. Page 3D.

RadioWatch Mentions

13 June 1996
26 October 1996
9 June 1997
17 June 1997
10 November 1997
10 June 1998
19 August 1998
2 September 1998
7 November 1998
10 Feburary 1999
7 April 1999
28 July 1999
6 November 1999
12 February 2000
20 May 2000
17 June 2000
1 July 2000
26 August 2000
27 January 2001
28 April 2001
21 July 2001
15 September 2001
10 November 2001
29 December 2001
16 February 2002
30 March 2002
4 August 2005
20 September 2005
23 September 2006
24 February 2007
20 October 2007
3 December 2008


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