Following the departure of Laurie DeYoung after 39 years in mornings at the end of this week, iHeartMedia Country 93.1 WPOC Baltimore has announced that afternoon host ‘Michael J’ will take over mornings along with current co-host Bethany Linderman starting Monday, January 6.
Michael J has hosted afternoons at WPOC since January 2000 and also hosts middays on sister Country 98.7 WMZQ Washington DC as well as tracks for multiple other iHeartMedia Country stations. A Baltimore native, Michael J began his career at WAQA Grasonville MD in 1979 and bounced around to stations including “B104” WBSB Baltimore, WKHI Ocean City, KSFM Sacramento, WZNE Tampa, and WNCI Columbus before settling in Detroit as ‘Michael J Foxx’ for a seven year run at 96.3 WHYT in nights and then mornings and a pair of stints in afternoons from 1994-96 and 1997-99 at “W4 Country” 106.7 WWWW-FM, the latter of which he signed the station off and briefly remained in mornings at successor Rock AC “Alice 106.7” until joining WPOC. In between stints at WWWW, he hosted nights at Hot AC “Mix 107.3” WRQX Washington.
He commented, “I finally found a job that lets me wear my pajamas to work!” said Michael J. “As a Baltimore Boy, to quarterback mornings on THE station I grew up listening to as a kid with my granddad who was a Country superfan, I’m truly living the dream!”
iHeartMedia Washington/Baltimore Region SVP Programming and WPOC Program Director Jeff Kapugi commented, “Michael was born and raised in Baltimore and has been hosting afternoons on WPOC for 25 years. I am excited to pair him with Bethany in the morning and watch them go. I feel like this new line up on WPOC has all the right talent in all the right places.”
Linderman had joined WPOC’s morning show in November 2023. She previously co-hosted mornings at Audacy Hot AC “Mix 106.5” WWMX Baltimore from 2018 until 2020 and also served as morning co-host at Townsquare Media Country 107.7 WGNA Albany NY, morning host at “95.7 The Big Pig” WPIG-FM Olean NY, and morning show producer at 99.5 WQYK Tampa.
APD and morning co-host Jeff St. Pierre will move to afternoons. He has been with WPOC since 2008 starting as morning show producer before rising to co-host. He was named Public Affairs Director in 2011 and APD of the station in 2015.
Bob Delmont will continue in middays at WPOC, while WPOC carries the Bobby Bones Show on delay at night.
This story first appeared on radioinsight.com