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This Page Last Updated: Saturday 21 February 2009

The Essentials

Frequency: 91.3fm
Frequency: Formerly 94.1fm
Frequency: Formerly 102.3fm
City of License: Orland
Metro(s): Angola
Power: 2000 watts @ 298 feet, DA (Class A)
Format: Jazz/News/Talk
Address: P.O. Box 8459, Fort Wayne, IN 46898-8459
Address: 3204 Clairmont Court, Fort Wayne, IN 46808-4513
Phone: 260.452.1189
FAX: 260.452.1188
Ownership: Public Broadcasting of Northeast Indiana, Inc.
Network Affiliation(s): NPR, PRI
Web Presence: http://www.wbni.org
Notes: Translator W204BF

Station Personnel

Current

GM: Bruce R. Haines
Assistant GM: Karen Fraser
Chief Engineer: Mike Peters
OM/Production Director: J. Michael Venable
News Director: Colleen Condron (July, 1998 - Current)

Former

Owner: Frank Kovas (deceased 29 January 2005)
President/CEO: Lloyd Roach (July 18, 2006 - ?)
President/CEO: Kristine Foate (May, 2004 - July 18, 2006) (From VP/GM of the Illini Radio Group in Champaign, Illinois)
GM: George Hays (November, 2001 - ?) (From GSM at WFWI) (Now co-owner of WGBJ)
GM: Connie Kovas
Director of Sales: David Wisniewski (September, 2004 - February, 2006) (Now Director of Sales for the Zimmer Radio Group of stations in Columbia, Missouri) (From Station Manager at Artistic Media Partners in South Bend)
GSM: Vori Dhabolt (? - July 18, 2006)
SM: Rob Livergood (July 18, 2006 - ?)
VP/Programming: Brian Michel (August, 2000 - February 20, 2001; PD: February, 1999 - August, 2000) (From WPTE in Norfolk, Virginia) (Now OM/PD at KUDD and KUUU in Salt Lake City, Utah)
VP/Programming: Roy Jaynes (March, 2001 - March, 2001) (From the Cumulus stations in Chattanooga, Tennessee) (NOw PD at WDZQ and WSOY in Decatur, Illinois)
Director of Programming: Bill Stewart (September 13, 2004 - July 18, 2006) (From GM at KIWR in Omaha, Nebraska) (Now VP/GM of the Meredith Communications' stations in Atlantic, Iowa)
Assistant Director of Programming: J.J. Fabini (January, 2005 - ?) (Also middays at WCKZ)
OM: "Weasel" (January, 1999 - February, 1999) (Now APD/MD/Mornings at WJFX)
OM: Jack Holliday (? - February 1, 2002)
OM/PD: Bob Shannon (March, 2001 - April, 2001)
PD: BJ Steele (Now late nights at WNHT)
PD: Doc West (Now mornings at WXKE)
APD/MD: Mike Thomas (February, 2000 - February 20, 2001) (From MD/nights at WYOK in Mobile, Alabama) (Now nights as "Jagger" at WKTU in New York, New York.)
APD/MD: Sammy Suarez (January, 2001 - March, 2001) (Now PD at KZCH in Wichita, Kansas)
APD/MD: John Fox
PD/MD: Bobby Corona (March, 2001 - April, 2001) (From KMRK in Midland, Texas)
Promotions Director: Courtney Heiser (? - March, 2001)
Promotions Director: Deb Washler
Director of Creative Services: Mathew Albro (May, 2005 - ?) (From Production and Operations Manager for Bacon's Broadcast Monitoring) (Now nights at WKLU)
Production Director: Roxanne McVay (March, 2001 - March, 2001) (Deceased 8 December 2007)
Newsperson: Rod Tanner
Mornings: Jeff Moore (September 2, 2001 - June 2, 2004)
Mornings: Jack Holliday (? - February 1, 2002)
Mornings: Tom Joyner (Syndicated from ABC Radio Networks) (Trisha Cole is the local producer)
Mornings: Justin Gettys (January, 1999 - October, 1999) (Now out of radio)
Mornings: Phlash Phelps (July 18, 2000 - August 18, 2000) (Now with XM Satellite Radio in Washington, DC)
Mornings: Trip (July 18, 2000 - August 25, 2000) (Now out of radio)
Mornings: Mike Thomas (? - November, 2000; Nights: February, 2000 - ? and November, 2000 - February 20, 2001) (From MD/nights at WYOK in Mobile, Alabama) (Now nights at WKCI in New Haven, Connecticut) (Now nights as "Jagger" at WKTU in New York, New York.)
Mornings: Nate Dogg (6am - 10am) (January, 2000 - March, 2001) (Now out of radio)
Mornings: Doc West (Now mornings at WXKE)
Mornings: Leslie Stone (Now mornings at WXKE)
Middays: Amy Ryan (March, 1999 - July, 1999)
Middays: Shane Teach (July, 1999 - October, 1999) (Now weekends at WJFX)
Middays: Brian Michel (10am - 2pm) (March, 1999 - February 20, 2001) (From WPTE in Norfolk, Virginia) (Now OM/PD at KUDD and KUUU in Salt Lake City, Utah)
Middays: John Fox
Middays: Buzz Maxwell
Afternoons: Buster Meyer (Now afternoons at WXKE)
Afternoons: Sammy Suarez (2pm - 6pm) (March, 2000 - March, 2001) (Now PD at KZCH in Wichita, Kansas)
Afternoons: BJ Steele
Nights: Jo Valentine (OM: October, 1999 - February, 2000; MD: May, 1999 - February, 2000; Nights: March, 1999 - February, 2000) (From nights at WJET in Erie, Pennsylvania) (Now nights, via voicetrack, at WYSX in Ogdensburg, New York)
Nights: "Wiley Coyote"
Nights: Brian Van Bokkelen ("Van") (Now Production Director at Backyard Broadcasting in Muncie and afternoons, as "Brian Van" on WLBC)
Overnights: Jason Lee (Now nights at WXKE)
weekends: Aaron Bone
Weekends: Trisha Cole

Station History

94.1fm signed on in 1991. WGL-FM changes calls then to WCKZ, as approved by the FCC on April 2, 1999. In preparation for the impending format change & frequency move, WCKZ (then on 102.3fm) simulcasted with WYSR (previously on 94.1fm) from February 26, 2001 - March 11, 2001. WCKZ moved from 102.3fm to 94.1fm, and flipped formats to Urban AC on March 12, 2001. WCKZ was sold (along with the other Kovas stations) to Travis Broadcasting Corp. in December, 2001, for $7.5 million. In October, 2003, WCKZ changed formats from 1980's hits to classic rock. WCKZ was purchased, along with its sister stations by Summit City Radio Group in July, 2004. On September 1, 2006, WCKZ dropped its "Z-94" moniker and began simulcasting with sister-WXKE, which returned on that day to its former Rock format, as "Rock 104." In 2007, 94.1fm was sold by Summit City Radio Group to Public Broadcasting of Northeast Indiana, Inc. On 1 May 2007 at 10:00AM, 94.1fm changed call letters to WBNI while the WCKZ calls moved to 91.3fm.

For Further Reading...

"Rumbles, Part 1 (Street Talk)." Radio & Records. January 15, 1999. Page 27.
Downs, Emma. "New format pushes WEJE up FM dial." Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. 9 March 2001. Page 5A.
Edmonds, Rhea. "4 radio stations to get new owner." The Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette. 3 November 2001. Page 7B.
Frazier, Lynne McKenna. "Kovases to sell 4 radio stations to company based in Virginia." The Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. 3 November 2001. Page 3A.
Hans, Jennifer Dawn. "Leading Lady." Business People Magazine. November 2005. Pages 69-73.
Gingery, Derrick. "NIPR to buy Summit City Radio station." Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly. 12 January 2007. Pages 1, 22.

RadioWatch Mentions

13 January 1999
10 March 1999
24 March 1999
19 May 1999
14 July 1999
16 October 1999
23 October 1999
12 February 2000
22 April 2000
1 July 2000
26 August 2000
23 September 2000
7 October 2000
18 November 2000
10 March 2001
24 March 2001
31 March 2001
5 May 2001
19 May 2001
29 September 2001
10 November 2001
16 February 2002
15 January 2005
29 January 2005
6 June 2005
20 June 2006
24 February 2007
20 October 2007
11 February 2009

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