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JAMESFrom A1 Whitmore graduated from Firelands High School, Lorain County Community College and Kent State University. His friendly voice and folksy manner have been fixtures to listeners since 1977, when his career in broadcasting began at WZLE 104.9-FM in Lorain.Whitmore said his pending departure was not the result of WEOL’s decision in the fell to dump its music-and-information format in favor of an all-talk-and-information format“That didn’t play into it at all,” Whitmore said. “I enjoyed putting it together and tinkering with it”But he admitted the switch wasn’t always pleasant“We took away what everybody was used to and that made it uncomfortable for some people, and we knew it would,” he said.The change was based on market research that bore out a longterm trend.“People are not listening to music anymore on AM,” Whitmore said.WEOL is operated by the Elyr-ia-Lorain Broadcasting Co, which is owned by the Lorain County Printing Publishing Co. The publishing company also owns The Chronicle-Telegram.Whitmore rose from announcer to chief announcer to his current post of program director under general manager Gary Kneisley.Kneisley succeeded the retiring Paul Nakel in 1984. That’s when he began looking for station personnel to help make changes. Whitmore raised his hand.“Gary said, Take it and go have fun,’ and that was good,” Whitmore said.Whitmore did, and Kneisley is pleased with how it worked out “Mike is a unique talent who knows the community well,” Kneisley said. “He brought that knowledge to the company, and that’s going to be hard to replace. The next person will have to be in the job for several years to do that”Listeners might still get to : hear Whitmore on occasion.“He promised to be available for special projects, if his schedule permits,” Kneisley said. “He has got a great voice and personality.” 'There was no immediate word ; cm a successor to Whitmore. 1In 1990, a heart attack let Whit- ! more know how much he meant 1 to co-workers, friends and listeners. His return to the air some months later was an emotional welcome bade filled with calls from well-wishers.In 1996, Whitmore’s long hours, hard work and dedication were recognized with a nomination for a coveted national radio 1 award. At that time, he was one lt;of only five broadcasters nomi-nated as Small Market Personal- j ity of the Year as part of the lt;National Association of Broad- ] casters Marconi Awards. \Whitmore said his wide recognition throughout Lorain County i will serve him well with the Building Industries Association. j In the newly created position, lt;Whitmore will work on behalf of t the county’s home builders and \ remodeling contractors on issues ^ such as land use, development \ and urban sprawL cThe association’s executive director, Robert Sexton, said the ( organization selected Whitmore i from many qualified applicants.“His 18 years experience with s WEOL have given him a wealth of knowledge about Lorain County,” Sexton said. “He has devel- e oped a lot of contacts in that time, g and he will be a tremendous asset 5 to our association.”
Newspaper Details
The Chronicle Telegram
Elyria, Ohio, US
Thu, Mar 26, 1998
Page 61
Full Page
Clipped by
Nathan O.
OH, USA 08 Jun 2025
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