Indiana RadioWatch: January 27, 2001
Many thanks for your compliments on the Year-End issue. We enjoyed putting it together!
Northeast
IRW hears that a new jazz station will hit Fort Wayne, possibly by the end of this year. The calls WFJZ have been assigned to Alec Dille's Fallen Timbers' new station at 106.7fm (Hicksville, Ohio). Dille is the son of Pathfinder
Communications owner John Dille III. According to the CP, he'll be running 6000 watts from a tower northeast of Hicksville, on OH-2. IRW thinks there will be a double-hop STL, perhaps off of Pathfinder's WBYR tower, since
Hicksville is 30 miles northeast of Fort Wayne. IRW hasn't heard a target date for WFJZ to hit the airwaves.
Country/WBTU (93.3fm, Kendallville) GSM Lori Swihart exits.
Rock/WBYR (98.9fm, Van Wert, Ohio) PD Jim Fox earns a promotion to OM of both "98.9 The Bear" and sister Classic Rock/WFWI (92.3fm, Fort Wayne).
Where are they now? Former Urban/WJFX (107.9fm, New Haven) co-owner Louis Dinwiddie is now in sales at News-Talk/WOWO (1190am, Fort Wayne).
Northcentral
Oldies/WGTO (910am, Cassopolis, Michigan) rolls out a new morning show: "The Big Beat." Your hosts are still Mike Shannon and Deb Millard. The show includes 1950's and 60's music, along with old commercials, jingles, and fun.
If you're not within listening range of WGTO, you can still hear it on the web at:
http://www.warpradio.com/asx/wgto(AM).asx
Rock/WAOR (95.3fm, Niles, Michigan) adds Craiger Williams as their station voice. He voices for numerous stations nationwide, and also holds down mornings at WBBY in Tampa, Florida.
J.J. Davis, OM at the Mid-America stations in Logansport and Peru, departs. He was responsible for Classic Hits/WARU(AM) & FM (1600am, 98.5fm, both Peru), Country/WHZR (103.7fm, Royal Center), Oldies/WIOU (1350am, Kokomo), and
CHR/WZWZ (92.5fm, Kokomo).
Congratulations to WSAL/WLHM sports director Mike Montgomery has been named the 2000-2001 recipient of the IHSAA Distinguished Media Service Award for District I. According to a press release from the IHSAA, Montgomery is a
17 year broadcaster, the last 14 at WSAL/WLHM.
Northwest
News-Talk/WIMS (1420am, Michigan City) moves out of its original studios on the southeast side of Michigan City to the St. George Broadcasting complex on Olcott Avenue in Hammond. Some Michigan City residents, already angered by
WIMS dropping local news, in favor of regional Northwest Indiana coverage, feel as if the move is akin to a close friend moving away. When St. George Broadcasting purchased WIMS from M&M Broadcasting, they changed to a "regional
news format" where, instead of primarily covering Michigan City news, they covered news from a three county area (Lake, Porter, and LaPorte). Some residents who were angered by this tuned out. According to an article in The
South Bend Tribune, OM Dave Flood says the move to regional news takes advantage of the radio station's 5000 watt signal.
Central
Jan Sutter, MD/middays at CHR/WNOU (93.1fm, Indianapolis) exits for KSLX in St. Louis, Missouri for identical duties. If you're interested in the job, contact us for details on where to submit your package.
After only two months, Dam Somers exits mornings at Classic Rock/WKLU (101.9fm, Brownsburg). His co-host Jay Baker remains in mornings.
Where are they now: Former CHR/WNOU (93.1fm, Indianapolis) morning man Marty Simpson is now doing mornings at KQCH in Omaha, Nebraska.
Bob & Tom affiliate news: They're dropped at KXTA in Los Angeles, California.
Westcentral
Longtime Oldies/WCVL & Hot AC/WIMC (1550am, 103.9fm, both Crawfordsville) GM Dick Munro will retire on January 31. Munro was also an air talent when WCVL signed on in December, 1964. He'll remain at WCVL doing mornings. Jill
Pursell, GM at sister CHR/WVXI (106.3fm, Crawfordsville) adds GM duties at WCVL & WIMC. Also at WVXI, APD Tony McGuinness exits, and Cale Stephens moves from nights to afternoons.
Southcentral
Mike Carter removes "acting" from his PD title, as he's now officially installed as PD at Country/WKKG (101.5fm, Columbus).
Before we leave Columbus (and the Findlay Publishing properties), we'll tell you that Gil Nalley is now PD at sister Oldies/WINN (106.1fm, North Vernon).
Southwest
Jim Gilmore, Jr., owner of Evansville TV station WEHT (Channel 25, Evansville [ABC]) died Sunday December 30, 2000 in an automobile accident. Gilmore, 74, had owned WEHT since 1964. His other accomplishments include being elected
mayor of Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1959; the city's youngest mayor. He also owned & operated Gilmore Enterprises which sponsored several Indy race drivers, including A.J. Foyt.
Religious/WBGW (101.5fm, Fort Branch) has completed their power upgrade from 1000 watts to 2100 watts from a transmitter near the intersection of Interstates 64 and 164, north of Evansville.
Big changes at Brill Media: Ladonna Sutton exits nights at Evansville's CHR/WSTO (96.1fm, Owensboro, Kentucky). Also, Puddin' exits late nights at WSTO for nights at WXYK in Biloxi, Mississippi. If you're interested in the gig,
contact us and we'll tell you where to send your package. Finally, Jack Shell joins WSTO from mornings at WMHX in Louisville, Kentucky. There, he'll be production director & afternoon guy.
Finally, a note about LPFM. Shortly before the end of 2000, the FCC released a list of 255 applications that meet the required guidelines and are uncontested. They are now eligible for construction permits. In our area, they
are:
Calvary Chapel of Crawfordsville, Inc. (93.9fm, Crawfordsville)
Advanced Search and Rescue (107.3fm, English)
Elkhart Adventist Broadcasting Service Corp. (96.3fm, Elkhart)
Christian Fellowship Church, Inc. (102.7fm, Evansville)
Iglesia Sinai Pentecostes, Inc. (106.7fm, Goshen)
Huntington College (105.5fm, Huntington)
College Wesleyan Church (94.3fm, Marion)
New Castle Broadcasting Service, Inc. (107.5fm, New Castle)
Midwest Ministries, Inc. (102.5fm, North Vernon)
Voice of the Fighting Irish, Inc. (105.5fm, Notre Dame)
Menominee (105.7fm, Plymouth)
League of United Latin American Citizens (98.1fm, South Bend)
The Book of Life Bible Institute, Inc. (93.5fm, Valparaiso)
Neighbors Corp. (98.3fm, Valparaiso)
Blessed Beginnings (98.3fm, Warsaw)
That's it for this abbreviated issue. We'll be back in two weeks with the latest in news, including an Indianapolis station sale...
Blaine Thompson
Indiana RadioWatch
Back to the Archive Index
All pages Copyright
Blaine Thompson. Articles, photos, corrections, and other contributions should be
e-mailed to the editors.