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WSEB AM & FM - A History
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WSEB-AM 1340 & WSEB-FM 105.5 Sebring – South Central Florida’s WSEB-AM was Sebring’s second radio station. It went on the air in 1959 with a power of 250 watts (later increased to 1,000 watts day/250 night around 1969) on 1340 – the frequency previously for WJCM, which had moved to 960. For most of its time on the air, WSEB’s offices and studios were located at 2500 S. Lakeview Drive.
Owners of WSEB included Radio Sebring, Inc. (its original owner-1959), Highlands Broadcasting Corp. (William K. Diehl, president-1961), Dixon Industries (1964), H. Philip Nesbitt and Maryan B. Nesbitt (1965), Erway Broadcasting (Guy S. Erway, president/GM 1966), Sebring Broadcasting Corp. (Francis J. Matrangola, president 1971), and Morgan Broadcasting Co. (Harry J. Morgan, president 1973).
3,000 watt WSEB-FM went on the air in 1965 at 105.5, duplicating the programming from WSEB-AM. In 1969, the FM calls became WANZ, but reverted back to WSEB in 1972. The station adopted a religious format and became WSKP-FM in 1974.
WSEB-AM was sold to Highlands Broadcasting in 1984 and flipped its calls to WITS.
Names from WSEB’s history include John Wright (1960’s), Ron Wilson (GM-1960), Thomas Moore (chief engineer-1960), Frank Pease (GM-1961), Milton Hinlein (sales manager-1961), Paul Buckles (PD-1961), Andrew Denonn (news director-1961), Gene Bond (chief engineer-1961), Tom Lyons (ass’t manager-1963), Ray Allen (chief engineer-1963), William I. Bass (manager-1965), Lee Caput (chief engineer-1966), Ron Kwozalla (PD-1967), Mark Spencer (1967), Woody Wooden (GM 1966-67), Betty Berry (PD-1968), Jim Shepard (news director-1968), Don Jones (chief engineer-1968), J.A. Robinson IV (general manager-1969), Carol Parks (PD-1969), Don Ray (news director-1969), Dave Wright (1970), Ted Dell (chief engineer-1971), Chet Good (PD-1971), F. Eugene Waite (GM-1972), James H. Gaunt (sales manager-1972), Ray Thomas Graddy II (program director-1972), Mary E. Gaul (office manager-1972), Jeff Bogard (news director-1972), Gene Gray (PD-1973), Graham Tregurtha (GM-1973), Cliff Jennings (manager, sales, morning drive-1974), John Wright (afternoons-1974), David Jorgensen (GM-1978), Elaine Jorgensen (bookkeeper-1978), Jim Kowalski (chief engineer-1978), Kenny Blount (music director-1978), John Riffey (production director-1978), Ron Jacobitz (sales-1978), Tom Grady (1978), William E. Powley (GM and sales manager-1979), Ray Richards (Ray Shasho-late nights, then afternoon drive & music director-1979); James Warwick (PD-1979; music director-1980), Ed Mooney (music director-1979), Ed Cole (chief engineer-1979), Philip R. Scott (GM/sales manager/chief engineer-1980), James McCann (PD-1980), and Ron Rush (PD/news director-1981).
(Please contact us if you have additional information to share about WSEB.)
Station History
1959 - 1984 Other Central Florida Stations (History)
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