Who's Who at WONN

Jack Eilertsen

Born Jon Barton Eilertsen in Kalamazoo, Michigan in 1941, Jack later moved to Lakeland and attended Lakeland High School. That’s when he began to fill in on weekends at WONN. After graduation in 1959 the next four years were spent at Florida State University in Tallahassee where he continued to acquire on-air experience from part-time jobs at WTAL-AM and college stations WFSU-FM & WFSU-TV. When he graduated in 1963 he returned to WONN to fill a night shift opening from 7 to midnight. A year later he had been moved up to afternoon drive.

Jack was ready to spread his wings in 1965 and left Lakeland for WFLA in Tampa. The next year he moved to Miami to jock at WQAM. It was there he changed his professional name to Jon Powers. In 1966 he headed for Beantown and Boston’s WRKO to work overnights. Three years later he made a major radio career change and gave up deejay work for the news room at WLCY. When Q105 WRBQ came calling in the 1970's, he got the nod for the News Director’s position. 
 
Having developed an interest in law enforcement in the early 1970’s, Jack spent many off-work hours with the Florida Highway Patrol Auxiliary. He eventually left radio altogether to become Director of Public Information for the Pasco County Sheriff’s Department, the job he held at the time of his death from kidney and liver cancer in 2003 at age 62.

Station History