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Bob Crews
Bob grew up in the tobacco country of North Carolina, graduating from high school in 1959, and furthered his radio career while attending college. He came to WONN in April 1962 from WSYD in Mt. Airy, North Carolina (the heart of Andy Griffith country) and was Program Director there in 1963 and 1964. He left the station for about three years but returned in 1967 as PD, a position he held until 1971 when he moved back to North Carolina.
In 1986, Bob arrived back in Lakeland and went to work for Root Communications, owners of WLKF-AM and FM beautiful music WVFM. He spent a short time doing an airshift on the AM before the company switched it to an automated talk format and appointed him Program Director and Operations Manager for both stations.
With WLKF automated, Bob moved over to the FM (re-named WEZY in 1988) to do morning drive. When it, too, was automated in 1992, he switched back to WLKF and started up a local morning show. Then, in 1995, came news from the home office that Root was selling off the FM and that its new owners, Paxson Communications, intended to move the station to Tampa (as Smooth Jazz WSJT). Rather than move, too, he opted instead to remain in Lakeland with Root and the now stand-alone AM. A good decision, because a year later Hall Communications bought WLKF and kept him on as Program Director.
In 1997 Hall launched its new Polk County A/C station, WWRZ 98.3 FM, The Rose, and Bob was named Program Director in addition to his work with WLKF. For the first year, he also co-hosted the morning show with Debbie Tennick. Then, from 1998 to 2004 he again anchored a morning show on WLKF, except for about a year when he filled in on WONN in the mornings following the death of its Program Director and longtime morning host Dick Goleno. It was at this time he was asked to also assume the duties of Program Director for WONN.
After over 45 years in radio, Bob decided to spend some quality time in semi-retirement in 2004. But, like most radio guys, he couldn’t relinquish that desire to be on the air full time. So, in 2007, he returned to Hall’s four-station Lakeland cluster, this time as morning news anchor.
In October 2008 Bob gave in to the demands of 3AM wake-up calls and moved to part-time status.
Station History
2007 - 2008 HALL COMMUNICATIONS' Big 4 - Lakeland (News)
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