WIBC (FM) - WIBC History

WIBC History

1070 AM WIBC went on the air on October 30, 1938, the last of the big four in Indianapolis. The other big four were WFBM (now WNDE), WIRE (now WXNT), and WISH/WIFE (now WTLC). In its early days, it was the Indianapolis home of the Mutual Broadcasting System. WIBC would be considered one of the greatest MOR (middle of the road) format stations placing a huge emphasis on personalities both on the air and in the producing of the station promos: During the 70's and into the early 80's there was: Gary Todd (mornings 6am-9am) brought in from KOL Seattle, Jerry Baker (9am-11am) who was also the voice of the Indiana Hoosier basketball and Indianapolis 500), Orly Knutson (middays-Noon-2pm) brought in from Minneapolis), Chuck Riley (from WKYC Cleveland)afternoons 2pm-6pm before becoming a very successful v/o talent in L.A. Others personalities who were on the air at WIBC were Big John Gillis (traffic from the Helicopter 1070, the first in the market to utilize a Chopper), Pete Sullivan (from WHAS Louisville), Bob Simpson (WSNY Columbus) and Jeff Pigeon (KSTP Minneapolis) who went on to do Mornings after Gary Todd retired. There were 3 major production voices responsible for most of the stations promos at one time or another during the 70's & 80's: Billy Moore (deceased) from WHAS Louisville, KY., John E. Douglas (brought in from WNOX Knoxville) and Reb Porter, long time Indy personality from WIFE-AM.

A longtime fixture was former News Director Fred Heckman, who began with WIBC in 1957, abruptly resigning in 1993 under a dispute with its then-owners. He returned in 1994 after the station was purchased by Emmis, and remained until his 2000 retirement. His daily "My Town Indy" radio essays, which ran for thirty years, were among the station's most enduring favorites.

During the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, WIBC became a talk radio station.