Who's Who at WPLA

Lindsey Yates

Born in Bartow, Lindsey’s first on-air radio job came in 1965 at his hometown station, WBAR, until he left to join the Air Force a year later. While in the military, he worked with the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service and, for two years, part-time at KLEO in Wichita, Kansas. In 1968 Lindsey was transferred to Alaska to run a TV station for Uncle Sam. For his last year in the Air Force, he was stationed in Langley, Virginia working for the broadcast division of the Tactical Air Command.

Returning to civilian life in 1970, Lindsey found on the air work at WLAK. He left for about a year to work for an advertising firm, but returned to the East Lime Street station in 1972 to do sales and part-time on-air as “Lindsey B,” only now the station had a new owner and the call letters were WQPD.

Lindsey soon set his sights on a bigger opportunity down the road, one with State Farm, the insurance people. He left WQPD in 1973 and did sales for WVFM, Lakeland’s easy listening station, and, in 1974, sales and a Saturday morning air shift at Plant City’s WPLA. It wasn’t long after that until he began his long association with State Farm, and today (2006) he’s still an agent with his own office in Winter Haven.

Lindsey’s outside activities include chairing the Central Florida Committee of the Moody Radio Network (for WKES FM 91.1), giving the St. Petersburg-based Christian radio organization input from people in this area since Lakeland is the radio station’s city of license. Lindsey is also pursuing his undergraduate degree from Southeastern College in Lakeland and then plans to begin work on his Masters in Biblical Counseling.

Lindsey and his wife, Ann, have two grown children and live in Lakeland.

Station History