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John Lanigan
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Lanigan was an Ogallala, Nebraska native and still in high school when he made his radio debut hosting “Spins and Needles” on local station KOGA. Throughout the 1960s, he bounced between jobs in Denver, Colorado Springs, Albuquerque, and Dallas, and then, in 1970, joined Cleveland’s WGAR as the morning replacement for Don Imus. Within a year, the show’s ratings had nearly doubled.
In 1983, he left Cleveland for a two-year stint in Tampa Bay at Magic 96 WMGG (battling Q105’s “Q Morning Zoo”), then returned to co-host mornings on 105.7 WMJI-FM with veteran Cleveland newsman John Webster. His popularity there helped raise the profile of the station, leading it to win five NAB Marconi Awards during his tenure (“Large Market Station of the Year” in 1998 and 2003, and “Oldies Station of the Year” in 2002, 2004, and 2006).
On January 24, 2014, Lanigan announced his retirement, giving WMJI 60 days notice. In addition to being one of the highest rated personalities on Cleveland radio, the 2013 inductee into Chicago’s National Radio Hall of Fame also did some television work as host of the daily afternoon “Prize Movie” on WUAB-TV from the 70’s through the early 90’s (except for the two years he was in Tampa).
Station History
1983 - 1985 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (On Air Personality)
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