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This Page Last Updated: Wednesday 11 January 2012

The Essentials

Frequency: 1280am
Frequency: 103.1fm
City of License: AM: Evansville FM: Henderson, Kentucky
Metro(s): Evansville
Power: AM: 5000 watts - Day, 1000 watts - Night (Class B) FM: 3200 watts @ 453 feet (Class A)
Format: AM: News/Talk FM: Rock
Address: P.O. Box 78, Evansville, IN 47701-0078
Address: 117 SE 5th St., Evansville, IN 47708-1639
Phone: 812.425.4226
FAX: 812.428.5895
Ownership: Townsquare Media, Inc.
Network Affiliation(s): AM: CNN Radio News, Jones Radio Networks (Clark Howard), Indiana Pacers, Indiana University (basketball and football), Premiere Radio Network (Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh), WestStar Talk Radio Network (Kim Komando) FM: Indianapolis Colts, Premiere Radio Network (Bob & Tom Show, Glenn Beck), St. Louis Cardinals
Web Presence: AM: http://www.newstalk1280.com
Web Presence: FM: http://www.103gbfrocks.com

Station Personnel

Current

AM:

GM: LaDonne Craig
Chief Engineer: Chris Myers
Engineer: Lyn Hare
Director of Sales: LaDonne Craig
GSM: Phil Gabbard
SM: Mike Skvara
LSM: Jerry Smith
OM: Mike Sanders (1991 - Current)
PD: John Story
News Director: Gene Stewart
Promotions Director: Laura Porter
Mornings: Dave Ramsey (6:00am - 9:00am)
Late Mornings: Laura Ingraham (9:00am - 11:00am)
Middays: Rush Limbaugh (11:00am - 2:00pm) (Syndicated via Premiere Radio Networks)
Afternoons: Sean Hannity (2:00pm - 5:00pm)
Afternoons: Glenn Beck (5:00pm - 8:00pm) (Syndicated via Premiere Radio Networks)
Nights: Mark Levin (8:00pm - 10:00pm)
Nights: Bill O'Reilly (10:00pm - 12:00am)
Weekends: Glenn Beck (Saturday 6:00am - 9:00am) (Syndicated via Premiere Radio Networks)
Weekends: Kim Komando (Saturday [9:00am-11:00am]/Sunday [9:00am - 10:00am]) (January 2004 - Current) (Syndicated via WestStar Talk Radio Network)

FM:

GM: LaDonne Craig
GSM: Phil Gabbard
SM: April Mitchell
OM: Johnny Randolph
PD/MD: Jeff Dement ("Fatboy")
Promotions Director: Bobby G.
Mornings: "The Bob and Tom Show" (5am - 10am) (syndicated from WFBQ) (January 16, 1995 - Current)
Middays: Jeff Dement ("Fatboy") (10am - 3pm)
Afternoons: Sabrina (3pm - 7pm)
Nights: Slick Nick (7pm - 12am)
Overnights: Ryan O'Bryan (12am - 5am)
Weekends: Scott Logan
weekends: Ladonna Sutton

Former

Owner: Larry Aiken (AM & FM) (Deceased 13 February 2010)
VP/GM: Don Griffin (AM & FM) (May 1999 - ?)
GM: David R. Roederer
GM: Don Newberg (AM)
GM: Bob Dakin (AM & FM)
GM: Mark Thomas (December 2004 - ?) (From parent Regent Communications' stations in Flint, Michigan)
GSM: Scott Fenneman (May 1976 - June 1981) GSM: John Reiplinger (AM)
SM: Mike Fisher (AM & FM)
OM: Johnny Randolph
PD: Turner Watson (Now mornings at WBYR)
PD: Jim Wood (AM) (1975 - ?) (From PD/afternoons at WIFE)
News Director: Randy Wheeler (Now News Director at WIKY)
Sports Director: Dan Egierski (AM) (1986 - April 6, 2006)
Mornings: Steve Jackson (AM)
Mornings: Bob Foster ("Bob Richards") (AM) (1977-1979)
Mornings: WGBF Morning News (AM) (5:30am - 9:00am)
Late Mornings: G. Gordon Liddy (AM) (9:00am - 11:00am)
Middays: Rick Lippincott ("Dave Denver") (AM) (Now VP/Station Affiliations for All Comedy Radio)
Middays: Bobby G.
Middays: Jim Wood (AM)
Afternoons: Turner Watson (Now mornings at WBYR)
Afternoons: Gary Spears (AM) (Yes, The Gary Spears)
Afternoons: Dr. Laura (AM) (2:00pm - 5:00pm)
Early Evenings: Clark Howard (AM) (6:00pm - 8:00pm)
Afternoons: JJ Jackson (AM)
Afternoons: Michael Savage (AM) (5:00pm - 8:00pm)
Nights: Buddy Scott (AM)
Nights: Don Gerronimo (AM) (Yes, The Don Gerronimo)
Nights: Dr. Joy Brown (AM) (9:00pm - 12:00am)
Airstaff: Greg Strassell ("Ashton") (1984-1986) (Now a Senior VP of Programming with CBS Radio in Boston, Massachusetts)
Airstaff: Scott Foreman (1985-1986)
Airstaff: Dave Lyons (?-1984)
Airstaff: Greg Michaels (1984-1986)
Airstaff: Jim Morris (1982-1985)
Airstaff: Lonnie Nichols (1985-1986)
Airstaff: Chip Ramsey (1983-1986) (AM: 1983-1984; FM: 1984-1986)
Airstaff: Julie Raymond (? - February 2000) (Now middays at WDKS)
Ralph W. Miller (Deceased 7 March 2002)

Station History

WGBF(AM)

Call letters stand for original owner, the G.B. Finke Furniture Company. WGBF was first licensed on January 3, 1925 and signed on November 22, 1923. They were originally on 1270am in the spring or summer of 1927 (500 watts, then granted 250 watts). In 1930, the station moved to 630am, as a shared-time station with WOS (Jefferson City, Missouri), and KFRU (Columbia, Missouri). There, they ran 500 watts. They moved to their current position on 1280am in the 1940's; the Federal Radio Commission granted the move on March 28, 1941. On March 23, 1951, they were granted a CP for 1280am, 5kW, DA-Night. That CP was forefeited on November 3, 1952. WGBF(AM) was WWOK for a time. In September 1975, WGBF changed formats to Top 40. Owner Larry Aiken sold WGBF(AM) & WGBF-FM to Connoisseur Communications for $2.5 million. After not reaching an agreement with The Premiere Radio Network on syndication rights, WGBF(AM) dropped Dr. Laura Schlessinger's show in December 1998. When the Connoisseur/Cumulus deal closed, Cumulus immediately spun off the station to Clear Channel to raise capital. Studios formerly located at 1133 Lincoln Avenue, Evansville, IN 47728-1054. Regent Communications, Inc. became Townsquare Media, Inc. in 2010.

WGBF-FM

103.1fm signed on December 1, 1971. It was also WHKC, starting in 1979. WGBF-FM took its calls in April 1986. Owner Larry Aiken sold WGBF(AM) & WGBF-FM to Connoisseur Communications for $2.5 million. When the Connoisseur/Cumulus deal closed, Cumulus immediately spun off the station to Clear Channel to raise capital. Studios formerly located at 1133 Lincoln Avenue, Evansville, IN 47728-1054. Regent Communications, Inc. became Townsquare Media, Inc. in 2010.

For Further Reading...

Coudret, Rebecca. "WGBF Stations Sold to Connecticut Firm." Evansville Courier. 18 July 1996.
Coudret, Rebecca. "WGBF cancels 'Dr. Laura' radio program." Evansville Courier. 19 December 1998. Page A4.

RadioWatch Mentions

19 May 1999
3 June 1999
26 February 2000
7 October 2000
25 August 2001
30 March 2002
15 January 2005
3 December 2008


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