Remember when I said “never say never”? Turns out I was right to say that.
Very proud to announce that I am joining the AMAZING team at Emmis Communications to host the evening show on Hi-99 WTHI-FM beginning Monday, September 10th. I am very blessed to get this opportunity, and look forward to cracking the mic again in Terre Haute.
Talk to you soon-
Kyle
Wow. What a show today. Still can’t believe this was my final day on the air. Not sure I could of closed it out any better way then having some of my best people in radio ever by my side in studio.
While in this business you absolutely never say never, it is highly likely that this was my last radio show. I’ve spent a lot of time this week reflecting about the past 12 years on air in Terre Haute and all of the people I encountered along the way. From the absolute best listeners ever, A to D list celebrities, great teachers, and great co-workers. I can’t believe how fortunate I’ve been to be able to do something I love so much for 12 years in my hometown.
There are so many people I need to thank before I type any more:
Mr. Mike Dason- I would have never, ever done any broadcasting work if it wasn’t for Mr. Dason at Terre Haute North High School. He taught us so much and went way out of his way to create opportunities for us to learn and develop skills in radio and television. I learned more in his Technology classes than any Social Studies, English, or Math class.
Aaron Green- Aaron came to talk to Mr. Dason’s class at the beginning of my senior year at North High School in 2000. He was looking for interns for his new show on “Z107.5”. He gave me a shot, and taught me a lot while I was getting my feet wet.
Dave Kirsch- Dave was the General Manager at WZZQ. After some staff changes, Dave took a chance on me as a high school senior to help program a 50,000 watt FM station. While I had no clue what I was doing, I worked as hard as I could, and somehow we were 2nd in the market in 12+ ratings before the stations went dark.
Bill Cain- After WZZQ was closed, Bill gave me a shot on Y-96 (95.9 FM). Bill and Bob Swanson spent a lot of time airchecking me and giving advice on how to improve on air. I can listen to old tapes of shows from back then and be totally embarrassed about how I sounded, but they stuck with me and made me into a polished jock.
Danny Wayne- I have probably spent more time talking radio with Danny Wayne than anyone else. Danny and I covered the Colts for 7 seasons, and made 2 trips with the Colts to Super Bowls in Miami. Danny is one of the most talented guys I’ve ever worked with. Truly a legend.
Chad Edwards- In 2005, Chad moved me from Y-96 to nights on 100.7 Mix FM. Chad knew this had been a dream job for me and helped it come true.
Jamie Dawson- After Chad got a promotion, one of my best friends Jamie D became my boss. He had so many great ideas and being a former night jock himself, was able to give me great tips on how to improve. Jamie helped myself and Jules so much at WBOW as well as volunteering to be our voice guy.
Rayne- In December of 2010, Rayne sent me a tweet and asked if I could send him a demo. A month later he gave me 2 shows a week on the best CHR Radio station in the state (and some say the midwest) on RadioNOW 100.9 in Indianapolis. Rayne helped me polish my on air presentation and has always been there for advice no matter what the question I might have.
Jules- I told Jules in August of 2011 I was thinking about quitting work at Mix-FM. Several changes had been made, and I just wasn’t enjoying working there anymore. Jules being the true friend she has always been set me up an interview for mornings on WBOW. Thanks to her, I have been able to close out my radio career on an amazing station with amazing people, and do it on my terms. Not a lot of people get to do that.
Want to thank all the true friends I’ve made and maintained great relationships over the years like Ryan “Crash” Swiger, Cat Daniels, Matt Kelly, Matt Luecking, Steve Smith, Ben Davis, Jim Osborn, Tim Shelton, Stacey Kaye, Heather L, Chuck Mason, Will The Thrill, Jodi Gilmour, Vaso Michels, Jimmie The Kidd, Joe Coad, Party Marty, Doc Long, Mikey V, Reka, Chasney, Kevin Berlen, Jerry Arnold, the many great sales reps and office staff, and so many others I’m sure I’ve left out.
My family and long time girlfriend Pam have been so cool over the years, and I can’t thank them enough for putting up with a crazy schedule. Radio hours are never 9-5 and they have all been so supportive and accepting of my work.
And finally, I have to thank all of the listeners. I cannot tell you how many people have been so very kind to me over the years, there are so many great people in the Wabash Valley who have treated me far better than I ever have deserved.
Like I said at the beginning, when it comes to radio, never say never. As of now, I’m going to go hop on a plane and enjoy a week away. Maybe somewhere down the road I will get back into radio. If not, I think I am okay with it. I consider myself pretty damn blessed to get the opportunities I was given the past 12 years. Make sure you like my page on facebook and follow me on twitter so we can still interact.
Below are just a few pictures I have from my many stops over the years. I hope you enjoy them.
Again, thank you so very much.
Until next time,
Kyle
If you missed the announcement I made on air just after 8:30 this morning, well here it is in blog form.
As some may already know, 102.7 WBOW has been sold pending approval from the Federal Communications Commission. A local management agreement has been signed, and control of the radio station will be transferred to the new owners this Sunday, July the 1st, at 12:01 AM while both said wait for the FCC to finalize the sale.
What does that mean for you? Well, it means after Saturday, 102.7 WBOW will change. Our nationally syndicated shows like Delilah and Fox All Access will be gone. Also gone will be the Adult Contemporary Hits that we have played for several years. The new owners have to decided to try a different format that will be a big change from what you hear now. We won’t disclose that format as it is not our news to tell.
What does it mean for us? Well it means a lot of us are out of jobs. Friday will be the final shows for myself, Jules, and Jim Osborn. Knowing this was a real possibility for a few months, the reality is starting to set in that the end is Friday. I think I can speak for not only myself, but Jules and Jim as well, when I say the most disappointing thing for us is the fact that we won’t be able to do what we all love anymore — entertain you on the radio.
None of us have gotten rich doing radio, the job does have some certain perks, but usually the pay is terrible and benefits are non-existent. But just being able to do something we all loved so much on a daily basis made it more than worth it for us and our families. The fact all of us got to do radio in the towns we grew up and have lived in for so long made it that much more special for us. Generally in radio, you live in a new area code every two years. I’ve called the 812 home my entire life, and have done my best to entertain FM radio listeners in the area since 2000. Same goes for Jules who has been the best at what she does in the market since 1996.
We are proud of the work we have put in to make 102.7 WBOW what it is today. From top to bottom, running a radio station is a very hard job that never stops. Not only our on-air staff, but our sales team, Operations Manager Party Marty, Production Manager Vaso Michels, and our General Manager Kensey Kunkel have put in so many hours to make the radio station one of the most listened to in the area. We can’t go very many places without people telling us how much they enjoy the station, how it makes their workdays go by fast, and how the music keeps a smile on their face. I’ve been a part of a lot of radio teams through the years, and the group of people I work with now is by far the closest group of people I have ever worked with. In a tough situation for several months, we all have had each others backs the entire time.
As we begin our final week this week, we hope you will listen as much as you can. It will be a hard week for us here, but we are going to do our best to keep a positive vibe and do the best radio we can do. Please call, e-mail, facebook, or tweet us songs you want to hear.
Finally, I/we want to thank you. Your support to local radio over the years in Terre Haute has always been amazing. I’m sure I will have another sappy, long post at the end of the week, so check back.
Thanks again,
Kyle West
102.7 WBOW
We debuted the new song on the show today, if you missed it, check it out below!
I love it, great to have new MB20 music.
Do you like it? Tell me below!
Summer is here, and a great way to enjoy summer fun is by taking a trip to Holiday World and Splashin’ Safari. You can win FREE tickets tomorrow, Monday June 4th at PLAYTIME behind the Honey Creek Mall from 11am-1pm. Jules will be broadcasting live with Holiday World tickets and WBOW T-Shirts to win.
Stop by and see Jules and check out the amazing facility Playtime has to offer!
If you are going to miss out on the fun this Saturday for Lemonade Day, or if you want to help out even more, be sure to take the family out for dinner this Thursday at Beef-O-Brady’s in Terre Haute!
From 4pm-8pm this Thursday, May 17th, Beef-O-Brady’s will donat 15% of your food bill to the Lemonade Day 2012 project. Great food and money going back to the community! Hope you can make it out!
I wonder who the person in Hollywood is that sits and monitors when celebrities “unfollow” other celebrities on twitter. That person had a busy weekend as some high-profile celebs “unfollowed” their exes this past weekend.
Shortly after it was announced that Katy Perry and Russell Brand had filed for divorce, Katy unfollowed Russell on Twitter. However it took a few months for Russell to click the “unfollow” button on his beautiful ex. Brand has 4.6 million followers on twitter, and after deleting his soon to be ex, he now only follows 77 people. The divorce will be final in July.
Chris Brown and Rihanna have had a roller-coaster relationship, and after Chris released a freestyle rap last week that many assumed was taking a shot at Rihanna, it didn’t take long for her to make Brown disappear from her timeline. According to E! News:
Soon after, Brown himself stopped following Rihanna, as well as tweeting out the following regarding the rumors: “Assumptions! I didn’t say any names so if u took offense to it then it’s something you feel guilty about.”
One of our most requested songs this past couple of weeks has been “Paradise” from Coldplay. One would think that the video for a song called “Paradise” might be set on a nice beach with a beautiful sunset going on.
Well, not so much when it comes to this video, but it is hard to not love a guy in an elephant costume riding a unicycle.
Enjoy!
We at 102.7 WBOW are proud to be a part of the 2012 Terre Haute Lemonade Day!
It’s a great way to teach your children a little about the value of a dollar, a little hard work, and even how important it is to give back.
Get your child signed up to take part today here:
Wow! I love my iPad2, and it works so well for me, I can’t justify upgrading anytime soon. However, it sounds like millions of other people couldn’t wait to get the New iPads in their hands this past weekend.
Information Weekly has the details:
Apple revealed late Monday that it sold more than three million iPads worldwide between Friday, March 16 and Monday, March 19. The new iPad went on sale in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“The new iPad is a blockbuster with three million sold–the strongest iPad launch yet,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior VP of worldwide marketing. “Customers are loving the incredible new features of iPad, including the stunning Retina display, and we can’t wait to get it into the hands of even more customers around the world this Friday.”
Three million new iPads in four days is no doubt impressive. Apple said that the new iPad had a record weekend, and now we have the numbers to back that claim up. AT&T also said that it saw a record number of new iPad activations on its network.
Did you or anyone you know grab the new iPad last week?
djkylewest
Kyle's Korner 