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, again as PD, a position he held until 1971 when his family packed up and all moved back to North Carolina. 

 

In 1986, the Tarheel State native 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, he moved over to the FM (re-named WEZY in 1988) to do morning drive. When it, too, automated in 1992, he switched back to WLKF and started up a local morning show. 

 

News came from the home office in 1995 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, Bob opted instead to remain in Lakeland with Root and the stand-alone AM. 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 he was named Program Director in addition to his work with WLKF. For the first year, he also co-hosted the morning show, then again anchored a morning show on WLKF from 1998 to 2004.  For about a year, 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 the company asked him to also assume Golendo’s duties as WONN Program Director.

 

In 2004, after over 45 years in radio, he decided to spend some quality time in semi-retirement. But, like most radio guys, he couldn’t relinquish the desire to be on the air full time. Three years later, he returned to Hall’s four-station Lakeland cluster, as morning news anchor. The following year he, again, gave in to the demands of 3AM wake-up calls and returned to part-time status. 

 

Bob moved back to North Carolina to be close to family members in 2013 and took a part-time morning shift at the same Burlington radio station he worked for in the 70s and early 80s.