Note: This webpage is not affiliated with the radio station itself. For more information on how to contact the radio station, read below. If you have questions, e-mail us.

This Page Last Updated: Tuesday 6 May 2020

The Essentials

Call Letters: WLDE
Frequency: 101.7fm
City of License: Fort Wayne
Metro(s): Fort Wayne
Power: 6000 watts @ 328 feet (Class A)
Format: Classic Hits
Address: 347 West Berry Street, Suite 417, Fort Wayne, IN 46802-2241
Phone: 260.423.3676
Ownership: Sarkes Tarzian, Inc.
Web Presence: http://www.fun1017.com

Station Personnel

Current

GM: Lee Tobin (June 2008 - Current; From OM/PD: February 1985 - June 2008) (From PD at WRKA in Louisville, Kentucky)
Chief Engineer: Jamie Till
Sales Manager: Bart Schacht
PD/MD: "Captain" Chris Didier (APD: June 2000 - ?) (From PD/middays at WMEE)
Promotions Director: Alina Davis (January 2018 - Current)
Mornings: Jim Reed (5:30am - 10am) (1996 - Current)
Mornings: Carrie "Bud" Wellman (5:30am - 9am) (From mornings at sister WAJI)
Late Mornings: Carrie "Bud" Wellman (10am - 12pm)
Afternoons: Angie Nash (12pm - 4pm)
Afternoons: "Captain" Chris Didier (4pm - 7pm) (June 2000 - Current) (From PD/middays at WMEE)
Nights: Mark Evans

Former

WCMX-FM

President: Clarence Moore
VP/GM: Ed Moore
GM: Gordon Beck
GM: Terry Bozien
GM: Charles (Chuck) Hatch (From Sales Manager)
GM: Guy Ewing (From Sales Manager)
Chief Engineer: Jeff Carlson (Deceased 8 December 1995)
Chief Engineer: Claude Parker
PD: Gary Beck
PD/MD: Jeff Carlson (Deceased 8 December 1995)
PD: Mike Brown
News Director: Norman Pankop

WEZV-FM

GM: Howard Karlin
GM: Tom Scheithe
Chief Engineer: Raymond Winters
Chief Engineer: Mike Peters
GSM: Jeff Holmes
SM: Jeffrey Holmes
SM: Delores Frantz
SM: Charles King
PD: Al Greenfield
PD: Paul Tein
PD: Jim Tighe
News Director: Bill Forsythe
News Director: John Clarke

WJLT-FM

President: Steven C. Trivers
VP/GM: Fred Bohn
GSM/SM: Shelly Steckler (Now GSM of WBYR)
OM/PD: Doug Silver
MD: William Wertz
MD: Lee Tobin (Now GM of WAJI and WLDE)
News Director: Bill Allen
News Director: Cristy Williams
News Director: Dawn Andrews
Promotions Director: Dawn Andrews
Middays: Rose Collins (? - June 1992) (Now Production Director/middays at WRCQ 103.5fm, in Fayetteville, North Carolina)

WLDE-FM

GM: Candace Wendling (Retired)
Chief Engineer: Ed Didier (Now Chief Engineer at the Adams Radio Group, Inc. radio stations in Fort Wayne)
SM: Todd Kane
APD: Jeff DeWeese
Production Director: Matt Myers (August 1998 - 2009)
Production Director: Jeff Moore (June 2011 - September 2013)
Promotions Director: Randy Alomar (Now PD/afternoons at WBTU)
Promotions Director: Dave B. Goode (Now out of radio)
Promotions Director: John O'Rourke (Now GM at WELT-LP in Fort Wayne.)
Mornings: Douglas B. Pritchett (March 1994 - ?) (Now out of radio)
Middays: Jim Barron (? - October 1999) (Now mornings at WBCL)
Afternoons: Julie Jordan (March 1994 - ?) (From WBTU)
Afternoons: Zack Skylar (? - June 2000)
Middays: Miranda Rae (October 1999 - June 2000; Overnights: ? - August 1998; Nights: August 1998 - October 1999)
Middays: Lee Tobin (9am - 12pm) (February 2000 - ?) (Now GM at WLDE and sister WAJI)
Nights: Dr. Dave (6pm - 12am) (June 2000 - 2009) (From morning show producer at sister WAJI)
Nights: Truckin' Tom Kent (7pm - 12am) (2009 - Current)
Overnights: Doug Jacobs
Overnights: Maria Rocco (August 17, 1998 - January 2000) (From WMRI-FM)
Overnights: Charlie Willier ("Charlie Franklin") (November 1999 - January 2000) (Deceased 27 January 2004)
Overnights: Samantha Stevens (January 2000 - ?; From weekends)
Overnights: Randy Alomar (12am - 5:30am) (Now PD/afternoons at WBTU)
Weekends: Geno Burgess
Weekends: Michelle Andrews (Previous: WQTZ, WGL, WOWO)
Weekends: Terry Black (Last at WDJB)
Rob Stark (Now mornings at WESP in Dothan, Alabama)

Station History

101.7fm signed on August 24, 1970.

WCMX-FM

Owned by Fort Wayne Broadcasting Co. The "CM" in the call letters stood for owner Clarence Moore. Studios located at 424 Reed Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46815-7246 (Telephone: 219.422.4646). Later owned by Fort Wayne Radio, Inc. When Fort Wayne Radio, Inc. defaulted on their payments to Fort Wayne Broadcasting Co., Fort Wayne Radio, Inc. sold WCMX-FM for $600,000 to Fairfield Broadcasting.

WEZV-FM

Owned by Fairfield Broadcasting. Beautiful music format. Studios located at 424 Reed Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46815-7246 (Telephone: 219.422.4646).

WJLT-FM

Studios located at 424 Reed Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46815-7246 (Telephone: 219.749.4600). WJLT signed on by stunting with different versions of "Louie, Louie" before starting its oldies format. WJLT's call letters stood for "We're Just Louie Tonight". Changed calls from WJLT to WLDE after Sarkes Tarzian, Inc. purchased 101.7fm for $1.5 million from Fairfield Broadcasting in April 1993. The call letter change was approved on March 24, 1994.

WLDE-FM

In 2014, WLDE 101.7fm moved tower sites from Reed Road in Fort Wayne to Parrot Road in New Haven, Indiana. Also, they increased power from 3000 watts to 6000 watts.

For Further Reading...

Kilbane, Kevin. "WJLT gets fans' flak after DJ's removal." Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. 24 June 1992. Page 1F.
"WAJI buys WJLT for $1.5 million" Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette. 7 April 1993. Page 8C.
Kilbane, Kevin. "Local radio stations do the talent shuffle." Fort Wayne News-Sentinel.. 30 March 1994. Page 1F, 5F.
Smith, Denise. "Death" Broadcasting & Cable June 29, 1998. Page 95.

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All pages Copyright Blaine Thompson. Articles, photos, corrections, and other contributions should be e-mailed to the editors.