Indiana RadioWatch: April 11, 2000
Northeast
Hot AC/WMEE (97.3fm, Fort Wayne) shuffles their airstaff. PD "Captain" Chris Didier's airshift expands to 10am - 2pm. OM John O'Rourke now does 2pm - 6pm, while afternoon guy Boomer takes nights again (6pm - 10pm) and John Mathews
does 10pm - 2am.
From the police blotter: WPTA (Channel 21, Fort Wayne [ABC]) anchorperson Marti Wright was arrested near Auburn on a misdemeanor charge of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. According to the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, DeKalb
county sheriff's deputies booked her around 11pm on Thursday March 30, where she was then held pending a $500 bond. No word from station management on Wright's future.
Eastcentral
Muncie news: Oleita Martin is now doing middays at simulcasted Hot AC/WHTI & WHTY (96.7fm, Alexandria; 93.5fm, Hartford City). Martin's new air name is Kay Lee.
Central
Last issue, we told you about an impending format change at Rock/WNAP (93.1fm, Indianapolis). All came true on Tuesday March 28, at 6am, as WNAP flipped formats to CHR. After the computerized countdown hit zero, and a quick Legal ID
("This is W-N-A-P-F-M, Indianapolis, so bite me"), there was dead air (2m 4sec!). Their first song? "The Rockafeller Skank" by Fatboy Slim. At 7:00am, we were rewarded with "Radio Now 93.1 is W-N-O-U, Indianapolis).
Thanks to several IRW correspondents, we were able to hear tape of the broadcast a few days later. IRW had contemplated driving down there, but the early hour precluded us from doing so (we're night owls!)
Here's the tentative lineup:
Mornings: Marty Simpson ("Marty McKnight" on the air). (Formerly "Booger" at WWXM in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina).
Alongside McKnight is Jana Sutter (formerly MD/middays at WNOK in Columbia, South Carolina).
Middays: J.D. Redman (formerly nights at WKSS in Hartford, Connecticut).
Afternoons: Chris Ott (formerly APD/nights at WABB in Mobile, Alabama).
Nights: Doc (from WWXM in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina).
What does this mean for former WNAP employees? The entire programming department is gone, we hear. Robert Feder's column in The Chicago Sun-Times informs us that former PD Jo Robinson is now in the Interactive division of
Emmis Communications (WNAP/WNOU's owner). There, she'll focus on website content for all of Emmis' stations.
Steve Cooper, part of the morning show at AC/WTPI (107.9fm, Indianapolis) is being "roasted" on 5 May. The roast is a benefit for the Indianapolis Muscular Dystrophy Family Foundation. We hear it promises to be a great evening!
"Radio's Best Friend" Art Vuolo pointed out to an industry publication that Indy's The Bob & Tom Show is heard in all four markets where the NCAA Final Four teams are based. Michigan State can hear them on WJXQ in Jackson,
Wisconsin can hear them on WIBA right in Madison, North Carolina hears them on WXRA in Eden; while Florida listens on WRKG in Newberry.
Speaking of Bob & Tom, they're gone at KARO in Boise, Idaho. They add KMKF in Topeka, Kansas.
Southeast
Family Worship Center (WJFM in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) applies for a translator on 91.1fm in Madison.
Southcentral
Greg Snyder, morning show sidekick at Religious/WVNI (95.1fm, Nashville) departs to form his own production company: "REJOICE! Productions". IRW wishes Snyder success in his new venture.
Southwest
Evansville news: OM Sky Phillips exits. He was in charge of CHR/WSTO and Country/WBKR (96.1fm, 92.5fm; both Owensboro, Kentucky). No replacement has been named.
That's it for this issue! See you in two weeks...
Blaine Thompson
Indiana RadioWatch
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