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This Page Last Updated: Tuesday 22 May 2018

The Essentials

Call Letters: WGBF
Frequency: 1280am
City of License: Evansville
Metro(s): Evansville
Power: 5000 watts - Day, 1000 watts - Night (Class B)
Format: News/Talk
Address: P.O. Box 78, Evansville, IN 47701-0078
Address: 117 SE 5th St., Evansville, IN 47708-1639
Phone: 812.425.4226
Ownership: Townsquare Media, Inc.
Web Presence: http://www.newstalk1280.com

Station Personnel

Current

GM: LaDonne Craig
Chief Engineer: Ben Davis
Engineer: Lyn Hare
Director of Sales: LaDonne Craig
GSM: Phil Gabbard
SM: Mike Skvara
LSM: Jerry Smith
PD: Bobby Gates
News Director: Gene Stewart
Promotions Director: Laura Porter
Mornings: Doug Stephan's Good Day (5:00am - 6:00am)
Mornings: Dave Ramsey (6:00am - 9:00am)
Late Mornings: Glenn Beck (9:00am - 11:00am)
Middays: Rush Limbaugh (11:00am - 2:00pm)
Afternoons: Sean Hannity (2:00pm - 5:00pm)
Early Evenings: Mark Levin (5:00pm - 8:00pm)
Nights: Laura Ingraham (8:00pm - 11:00pm)
Nights: Free Talk Live (11:00pm - 12:00am)
Overnights: George Noory ("Coast to Coast AM") (12:00am - 5:00am)
Weekends: Glenn Beck (Saturday 6:00am - 9:00am)
Weekends: Rush Limbaugh (Saturday 9:00am - 12:00pm)
Weekends: Mark Levin (Saturday 12:00pm - 2:00pm)
Weekends: Sean Hannity (Saturday 2:00pm - 4:00pm)
Weekends: Laura Ingraham (Saturday 4:00pm - 6:00pm)
Weekends: Dave Ramsey (Saturday 6:00pm - 9:00pm)
Weekends: Free Talk Live (Saturday 9:00pm - 12:00am)
Weekends: George Noory ("Coast to Coast AM") (Sunday 12:00am - 6:00am)
Weekends: Dave Ramsey (Sunday 6:00am - 7:30am)
Weekends: Lutheran Hour (Sunday 7:30am - 8:00am)
Weekends: Dave Ramsey (Sunday 8:00am - 9:00am)
Weekends: USA Financial Radio Show (Sunday 9:00am - 10:00am)
Weekends: Dave Ramsey (Sunday 10:00am - 10:30am)
Weekends: The Charlie Butler Real Estate Show (Sunday 10:30am - 11:00am)
Weekends: Rush Limbuagh (Sunday 11:00am - 2:00pm)
Weekends: Business Rockstars with Ken Rutkowski (Sunday 2:00pm - 5:00pm)
Weekends: Laura Ingraham (Sunday 5:00pm - 8:00pm)
Weekends: Free Talk Live (Sunday 8:00pm - 9:00pm)
Weekends: Bill Cunningham ("Live on Sunday Night, it’s Bill Cunningham") (Sunday 9:00pm - 12:00am)

Former

WGBF(AM) (Take 1)

GM: Clarence Leich (Deceased 20 December 1955)
Chief Engineer: Fay Gehres
Chief Engineer: E.P. Schoeny
PD: Pat Roper

WWOK(AM)

Owner/GM: Larry Aiken (Deceased 13 February 2010)
Chief Engineer: Steve Chandler
GSM: Mike Bevers
MD: Tony Couch
News Director: Dan Egierski
Promotions Director: Lisa Yockey

WGBF(AM) (Take 2)

Owner: Larry Aiken (Deceased 13 February 2010)
VP/GM: Don Griffin (May 1999 - ?)
GM: David R. Roederer
GM: Don Newberg
GM: Bob Dakin
GM: Mark Thomas (December 2004 - ?) (From parent Regent Communications' stations in Flint, Michigan)
Chief Engineer: Chris Myers
GSM: Scott Fenneman (May 1976 - June 1981) (Now out of radio) GSM: John Reiplinger (Now out of radio)
SM: Mike Fisher
OM: Johnny Randolph
OM: Mike Sanders (1991 - ?)
PD: Buddy Scott
PD: Dave Lyons (1980-1984) (Deceased 11 October 2015)
PD: Turner Watson
PD: Jim Wood (1975 - ?) (From PD/afternoons at WIFE)
PD: John Story
MD: Barry James
News Director: Randy Wheeler (Now News Director at WIKY)
Sports Director: Dan Egierski (1986 - April 6, 2006)
Mornings: Steve Jackson
Mornings: Bob Foster ("Bob Richards") (1977-1979)
Mornings: Alice Jackson
Mornings: WGBF Morning News (5:30am - 9:00am)
Late Mornings: G. Gordon Liddy (9:00am - 11:00am)
Middays: Rick Lippincott ("Dave Denver") (Now VP/Station Affiliations for All Comedy Radio)
Middays: Barry James (From overnights)
Middays: Bobby G.
Middays: Jim Wood
Afternoons: Turner Watson
Afternoons: Gary Spears (Yes, The Gary Spears)
Afternoons: Dr. Laura Schlessinger (2:00pm - 5:00pm)
Afternoons: Michael Savage (5:00pm - 8:00pm)
Afternoons: JJ Jackson
Early Evenings: Clark Howard (6:00pm - 8:00pm)
Nights: Buddy Scott
Nights: Don Gerronimo (Yes, The Don Gerronimo)
Nights: Dr. Joy Brown (9:00pm - 12:00am)
Nights: Bill O'Reilly (10:00pm - 12:00am)
Weekends: Kim Komando (Sunday 9:00am - 10:00am) (January 2004 - ?)
Airstaff: Greg Strassell ("Ashton") (1984-1986) (Now SVP/Programming at Hubbard Broadcasting.)
Airstaff: Scott Foreman (1985-1986)
Airstaff: Dave Lyons (1980-1984) (Deceased 11 October 2015)
Airstaff: Greg Michaels (1984-1986)
Airstaff: Jim Morris (1982-1985)
Airstaff: Lonnie Nichols (1985-1986)
Airstaff: Chip Ramsey (1983-1984) (Now PD/mornings at WNSP in Mobile, Alabama)
Airstaff: Julie Raymond (? - February 2000) (Now middays at WDKS)
Ralph W. Miller (Deceased 7 March 2002)

Station History

WGBF(AM) (Take 1)

Call letters stand for original owner, the G.B. Finke Furniture Company. WGBF was first licensed on January 3, 1925, but signed on November 22, 1923. WGBF was on 1270am in the spring or summer of 1927 (500 watts, then granted 250 watts). By 1928, the station moved to 630am, as a shared-time station with WOS (Jefferson City, Missouri), and KFRU (Columbia, Missouri). On 630AM, they ran 500 watts. WGBF moved to their current dial position on 1280am in the 1940's; the Federal Radio Commission granted the move on March 28, 1941. Evansville on the Air, Inc. also owned WGBF into the 1940s. Studios located at 519 Vine St., Evansville, IN 47708. On March 23, 1951, they were granted a CP for 1280am, 5kW, DA-Night. That CP was forefeited on November 3, 1952. In September 1975, WGBF changed formats to Top 40.

WWOK(AM)

WGBF(AM) was WWOK for a time, between October 1989 and August 1995. Owned by Aiken Communications Corp. MOR format.

WGBF(AM) (Take 2)

In 1996, Aiken Communications Corp. sold WGBF(AM) and 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. bought WKRI in January 2004. The deal completed an exchange of four Regent-owned Duluth, Minnesota radio stations and $2.7 million cash to Clear Channel for the five Evansville stations. Regent Communications, Inc. became Townsquare Media, Inc. in 2010.

For Further Reading...

Federal Radio commission. "Broadcasting Stations by Frequencies." The Congressional Digest. October 1928. Pages 272-276.
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.


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