WJNO
Encyclopedia
WJNO is a News
/Talk
radio station
in the West Palm Beach market.
Its location links WJNO to two nationally syndicated radio programs. WJNO is a de facto flagship station for The Rush Limbaugh Show
; Limbaugh hosts the show from his home studio, located in the area. And starting April 14, 2008, former WJNO local host Randi Rhodes
returned to the WJNO studios to originate her syndicated show, after her move from Air America Radio
to Nova M Radio
.
affiliate, and it aired everything from classical music to Steve Allen
.
September 1943: -- pollsters found that 94 percent of all radios in use in Palm Beach, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth were tuned to WJNO (1230-AM). At the time, the 7-year-old station was the only signal between Orlando
and Miami
.
August 13, 1979: -- WJNO Program Director, John Picano, moves WJNO to a full-time News station.
1984: -- WJNO switches from national syndicated talk shows during the daytime to local hosts. Afternoon host Mike ("Captain Radio") Levine leaves for Tampa and Jack Cole from Boston, at that time 45 years old, takes the slot. Cole referred to himself as the "Inquisitor General" and described his program as coming from "World Headquarters."
September 1984:-- Barry Young is hired as midday talk host. According to the Palm Beach Post, Young was a conservative "who believes in nuclear energy, the death penalty and, more often than not, Ronald Reagan
. Abortion is repugnant, he says, and a vice-presidential candidate that goes by Ferraro-Zaccaro would be better off as a foreign sports-car." Young was first heard on WJNO in early 1980 - 1982 when he was hosting overnights from Atlanta's WRNG (now WCNN) radio. The program was broadast on a small number of stations via GN (The Georgia Network) and FN (The Florida Network). Young came to WJNO from WGBS
in Miami
, where he angered management by leaving. "Barry Young has a valid contract with this radio station," Lee Fowler, WGBS operations manager, said.
1986: According to the Miami Herald, WJNO runs constant local and state news, punctuated by national feeds, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. six days a week. Weekdays, local talk hosts work from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., when a national talk show network takes over.
.
April 1987: Barry Young leaves to join the staff of new talk station KFYI
Phoenix, Arizona
. John Broward and John Levitt did the program until late summer. This time there is no question that Young's contract allowed for is move. In Phoenix, Young would later become a founding partner in WestStar TalkRadio Network
, a brocast syndication company. WJNO carries programming, such as The Kim Komando Show
originated bt WestStar.
1987: Mike Miller from WIOD
joins the station.
May 1988: -- Jack Cole moves to KFYI
Phoenix, Arizona
. Cole was hired by former WJNO midday host and then KFYI
Program Director, Barry Young. Lee Fowler, formerly of WNWS in Miami, moves into the slot. Geoff Charles and Dick Farrel host the program in his absence.
January 1989: -- Miller shifted to 9 a.m. to noon, Fowler moved to noon to 3 p.m., and Geoff Charles moves to the afternoon slot. Syndicated Rush Limbaugh was on the station briefly.
March 1989: -- Jack Cole returns from Phoenix.
April 1993: -- Miller was fired and replaced with the syndicated G. Gordon Liddy
show. Miller returned the following year hosting afternoon drive at WBZT
, then moved to Jacksonville and eventually left radio.
September 1994: -- Randi Rhodes
, then 36, is brought in from Miami's WIOD
, where she was the evening talk show host. General Manager George Mills said Rhodes would bring a "younger, more aggressive approach" to the station's lineup. "She's very talented. I think she'll be a positive addition," Mills said.
March 1997: -- Fairbanks Communications purchased a station at 1040 AM and moved WJNO to that spot on the dial, after more than six decades at 1230, to take advantage of its strong signal strength in southern Palm Beach and Broward counties.
January 2000: -- WJNO and WBZT swapped frequencies. WJNO moved to 1290 AM and WBZT moved to 1230 AM. The switch was designed to boost WJNO's signal in all of Palm Beach County but weaken it in Broward and Miami-Dade, where it competed with other Clear Channel properties.
January 14, 2000: -- Syndicated Rush Limbaugh
and Dr. Laura Schlessinger were added to the station as Rhodes
was moved to afternoon drive.
January 14, 2000: -- Randi Rhodes moves to afternoons as Jack Cole is fired. Cole said he was informed of the decision about half an hour before he was to begin his regular 3-to-7 p.m. show. The station aired a tape of an old Cole broadcast instead. Operations Director Jim Edwards said WJNO's owner, Clear Channel Communications of San Antonio "has taken the radio station in a new direction and has chosen to end the professional relationship between Jack and WJNO."
November 15, 2000: -- Jon Howe leaves WEAT/Sunny 104.3 to join WJNO's Palm Beaches' Morning report. Howe had been co-hosting WEAT's "Champion's of Breakfast Show" with Jennifer Ross, following the untimely passing of that show's host, Kevin Kitchens.
March 2004: --- Randi Rhodes moves to New York
to join the Air America Radio
liberal talk network. Her program continues in syndicated form on WJNO. Later her producer, Tim Allan Walker, exits to WOLL "Kool 105.5."
June 2007: --- WJNO adds weekend talent Shawn Wasson to host 'The News Junkie.' The show, which currently airs every Saturday from 8 to 10PM, made headlines in September when Wasson interviewed Republican Senator and Presidential candidate John McCain. McCain, referring to the Iranian President's intentions to visit Ground Zero, said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should be 'physically restrained if necessary.'
April 2008: --- Randi Rhodes returns to WJNO after her dismissal from Air America due to remarks made at a fund-raiser for KKGN deriding Hillary Clinton as a "whore" as part of a comedy routine. Rhodes' show becomes syndicated by Nova M Radio
.
February 2009: --- Rhodes leaves the airwaves due to a contract dispute with Nova M management. On the show's website, Rhodes vows to find a new home. Shortly afterwords, Nova M liquidates. WJNO sister company Premiere Radio Networks
takes over syndication of the show in May 2009.
All-news radio
All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks...
/Talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in the West Palm Beach market.
Its location links WJNO to two nationally syndicated radio programs. WJNO is a de facto flagship station for The Rush Limbaugh Show
The Rush Limbaugh Show
The Rush Limbaugh Show is an American talk radio show hosted by Rush Limbaugh on Premiere Radio Networks...
; Limbaugh hosts the show from his home studio, located in the area. And starting April 14, 2008, former WJNO local host Randi Rhodes
Randi Rhodes
Randi Rhodes is an American progressive talk radio personality, formerly featured on Air America Radio and Nova M Radio and now on Premiere Radio Networks. Her eponymous program, The Randi Rhodes Show, airs live Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm Eastern Time.-Early life:Rhodes was born in...
returned to the WJNO studios to originate her syndicated show, after her move from Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
to Nova M Radio
Nova M Radio
Nova M Radio, later known as On Second Thought, was a radio syndication service providing progressive talk programming. Founded as Nova M Radio by Sheldon and Anita Drobny in 2006, its stated purpose was to purchase, own, and operate underperforming radio stations in small and medium sized markets...
.
Timeline
July 31, 1936: -- WJNO signed on at 1 p.m. According to the Palm Beach Post, WJNO was originally a CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate, and it aired everything from classical music to Steve Allen
Steve Allen (comedian)
Stephen Valentine Patrick William "Steve" Allen was an American television personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. Though he got his start in radio, Allen is best known for his television career. He first gained national attention as a guest host on Arthur Godfrey's Talent...
.
September 1943: -- pollsters found that 94 percent of all radios in use in Palm Beach, West Palm Beach and Lake Worth were tuned to WJNO (1230-AM). At the time, the 7-year-old station was the only signal between Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
and Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
.
August 13, 1979: -- WJNO Program Director, John Picano, moves WJNO to a full-time News station.
1984: -- WJNO switches from national syndicated talk shows during the daytime to local hosts. Afternoon host Mike ("Captain Radio") Levine leaves for Tampa and Jack Cole from Boston, at that time 45 years old, takes the slot. Cole referred to himself as the "Inquisitor General" and described his program as coming from "World Headquarters."
September 1984:-- Barry Young is hired as midday talk host. According to the Palm Beach Post, Young was a conservative "who believes in nuclear energy, the death penalty and, more often than not, Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
. Abortion is repugnant, he says, and a vice-presidential candidate that goes by Ferraro-Zaccaro would be better off as a foreign sports-car." Young was first heard on WJNO in early 1980 - 1982 when he was hosting overnights from Atlanta's WRNG (now WCNN) radio. The program was broadast on a small number of stations via GN (The Georgia Network) and FN (The Florida Network). Young came to WJNO from WGBS
WAQI
Radio Mambi is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish News/Talk format. Licensed to Miami, Florida, USA, the station is currently owned by Univision Communications....
in Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, where he angered management by leaving. "Barry Young has a valid contract with this radio station," Lee Fowler, WGBS operations manager, said.
1986: According to the Miami Herald, WJNO runs constant local and state news, punctuated by national feeds, from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. six days a week. Weekdays, local talk hosts work from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., when a national talk show network takes over.
.
April 1987: Barry Young leaves to join the staff of new talk station KFYI
KFYI
KFYI is an American news/talk radio station broadcasting in Phoenix, Arizona. KFYI is owned by Clear Channel Communications. KFYI transmits in both analog AM and digital HD Radio.The digital signal is also rebroadcast on KNIX-FM's HD2 channel....
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. John Broward and John Levitt did the program until late summer. This time there is no question that Young's contract allowed for is move. In Phoenix, Young would later become a founding partner in WestStar TalkRadio Network
WestStar TalkRadio Network
WestStar TalkRadio Network is a privately held United States corporation operating as a live national radio broadcast network, program creator and program syndicator. Corporate offices and all studios are located at 2711 N. 24th Street, Phoenix, Arizona...
, a brocast syndication company. WJNO carries programming, such as The Kim Komando Show
The Kim Komando Show
The Kim Komando Show is a commercial talk radio program focusing on personal computers, the use of the Internet, and the complexities of consumer electronics....
originated bt WestStar.
1987: Mike Miller from WIOD
WIOD
WIOD is a news/talk formatted radio station in Miami, Florida. For over 80 years, it has been a major information station in South Florida...
joins the station.
May 1988: -- Jack Cole moves to KFYI
KFYI
KFYI is an American news/talk radio station broadcasting in Phoenix, Arizona. KFYI is owned by Clear Channel Communications. KFYI transmits in both analog AM and digital HD Radio.The digital signal is also rebroadcast on KNIX-FM's HD2 channel....
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. Cole was hired by former WJNO midday host and then KFYI
KFYI
KFYI is an American news/talk radio station broadcasting in Phoenix, Arizona. KFYI is owned by Clear Channel Communications. KFYI transmits in both analog AM and digital HD Radio.The digital signal is also rebroadcast on KNIX-FM's HD2 channel....
Program Director, Barry Young. Lee Fowler, formerly of WNWS in Miami, moves into the slot. Geoff Charles and Dick Farrel host the program in his absence.
January 1989: -- Miller shifted to 9 a.m. to noon, Fowler moved to noon to 3 p.m., and Geoff Charles moves to the afternoon slot. Syndicated Rush Limbaugh was on the station briefly.
March 1989: -- Jack Cole returns from Phoenix.
April 1993: -- Miller was fired and replaced with the syndicated G. Gordon Liddy
G. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...
show. Miller returned the following year hosting afternoon drive at WBZT
WBZT (AM)
WBZT is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, the station serves the West Palm Beach area. With a synchronous amplifier in Pompano Beach, Florida, they also cover Fort Lauderdale, Florida...
, then moved to Jacksonville and eventually left radio.
September 1994: -- Randi Rhodes
Randi Rhodes
Randi Rhodes is an American progressive talk radio personality, formerly featured on Air America Radio and Nova M Radio and now on Premiere Radio Networks. Her eponymous program, The Randi Rhodes Show, airs live Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm Eastern Time.-Early life:Rhodes was born in...
, then 36, is brought in from Miami's WIOD
WIOD
WIOD is a news/talk formatted radio station in Miami, Florida. For over 80 years, it has been a major information station in South Florida...
, where she was the evening talk show host. General Manager George Mills said Rhodes would bring a "younger, more aggressive approach" to the station's lineup. "She's very talented. I think she'll be a positive addition," Mills said.
March 1997: -- Fairbanks Communications purchased a station at 1040 AM and moved WJNO to that spot on the dial, after more than six decades at 1230, to take advantage of its strong signal strength in southern Palm Beach and Broward counties.
January 2000: -- WJNO and WBZT swapped frequencies. WJNO moved to 1290 AM and WBZT moved to 1230 AM. The switch was designed to boost WJNO's signal in all of Palm Beach County but weaken it in Broward and Miami-Dade, where it competed with other Clear Channel properties.
January 14, 2000: -- Syndicated Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
and Dr. Laura Schlessinger were added to the station as Rhodes
Randi Rhodes
Randi Rhodes is an American progressive talk radio personality, formerly featured on Air America Radio and Nova M Radio and now on Premiere Radio Networks. Her eponymous program, The Randi Rhodes Show, airs live Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm Eastern Time.-Early life:Rhodes was born in...
was moved to afternoon drive.
January 14, 2000: -- Randi Rhodes moves to afternoons as Jack Cole is fired. Cole said he was informed of the decision about half an hour before he was to begin his regular 3-to-7 p.m. show. The station aired a tape of an old Cole broadcast instead. Operations Director Jim Edwards said WJNO's owner, Clear Channel Communications of San Antonio "has taken the radio station in a new direction and has chosen to end the professional relationship between Jack and WJNO."
November 15, 2000: -- Jon Howe leaves WEAT/Sunny 104.3 to join WJNO's Palm Beaches' Morning report. Howe had been co-hosting WEAT's "Champion's of Breakfast Show" with Jennifer Ross, following the untimely passing of that show's host, Kevin Kitchens.
March 2004: --- Randi Rhodes moves to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to join the Air America Radio
Air America Radio
Air America was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk programming...
liberal talk network. Her program continues in syndicated form on WJNO. Later her producer, Tim Allan Walker, exits to WOLL "Kool 105.5."
June 2007: --- WJNO adds weekend talent Shawn Wasson to host 'The News Junkie.' The show, which currently airs every Saturday from 8 to 10PM, made headlines in September when Wasson interviewed Republican Senator and Presidential candidate John McCain. McCain, referring to the Iranian President's intentions to visit Ground Zero, said Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should be 'physically restrained if necessary.'
April 2008: --- Randi Rhodes returns to WJNO after her dismissal from Air America due to remarks made at a fund-raiser for KKGN deriding Hillary Clinton as a "whore" as part of a comedy routine. Rhodes' show becomes syndicated by Nova M Radio
Nova M Radio
Nova M Radio, later known as On Second Thought, was a radio syndication service providing progressive talk programming. Founded as Nova M Radio by Sheldon and Anita Drobny in 2006, its stated purpose was to purchase, own, and operate underperforming radio stations in small and medium sized markets...
.
February 2009: --- Rhodes leaves the airwaves due to a contract dispute with Nova M management. On the show's website, Rhodes vows to find a new home. Shortly afterwords, Nova M liquidates. WJNO sister company Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
takes over syndication of the show in May 2009.
External links
- WJNO official website
- The News Junkie
- "Why Do These Radio Stations Keep Switching Frequencies?", a South Florida Radio History article by Alan Diskin