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WINT AM & FM - A History

WINT-AM 1360 & WINT-FM 97.5 Winter Haven – WINT-AM went on the air in 1958 with 1,000 watts of power from a studio and transmitter site on Dundee Road in Winter Haven. The daytimer played a mix of pop and country (and a little classical) and was owned by Angelo Fazzari who selected the call letters to represent the city of license, WINTer Haven. 

Bruce Parker, later a Winter Haven mayor and a Polk County commissioner, was hired to do sales in 1960 and became Fazzari’s business partner. In 1963, they signed-on 97.5 WINT-FM, the city’s first FM (in stereo), which shared office and studio space with the AM at the Dundee Road location.

That same year, Fazzari and Parker sold WINT-AM to Winter Haven Broadcasting Co. (Doug Montgomery, president). In 1965, Parker bought out Fazzari’s interest in WINT-FM, changed the call letters to WXKL, and moved its offices and studios from Dundee Road to Avenue D N.W. downtown, next to Tip Top TV.

Other WINT-AM owners included WINT Radio, Inc. (Norman O. Protsman, president) in 1966 and Dave and Diane Buerger (Vantage Broadcasting) who changed the calls and format to oldies WZNG in 1972.

Names from Winter Haven’s WINT years include Earl Sturgeon (sales manager), Michael Saras (PD), Robert Weiss (1962), Al Cash (1962), Joe Trivette (PD-1963), Woody Lester (1963), James Duke, Jack Hufflefinger (chief engineer), Jim Rinehart (sales manager), Gayle Gauthier, Fearon Hicks, Bill Crowe (sales manager), Judith Blaze, Ken Barfield, Chip Surber (GM), Jim Greenfield (news), Marion Fritz (chief engineer), Jack Shaw, Jack Phillips (PD), Daylon Rushing, Michael Hatfield (Tom E. Collins), Glen Hill, Bill Gaskins (Paul McCartney), Mike Helminski (PD Michael Jay), Mike Sharp (sales), Dave Farrington (PD and later sales), and Ronny Brown (GM). Bernard “Bunny” Brown (“B-B-Boney Bunny Brown” as he called himself), played country music from 5-7am, and was a part-timer whose full time job was with an Auburndale auto supply store.

Station History