Wayne Winkler is the director of WETS-FM, ETSU's public radio station. Wayne was born and raised
in the Midwest, the son of Appalachian refugees. He attended Vincennes University in Indiana,
where he received an A.S. in broadcast production technology. He worked as a disc jockey at
stations in the Midwest, and as a reporter and news writer in West Palm Beach and Miami, Fla.
Between radio jobs, Wayne wrote advertising copy, unloaded freight cars, did public relations
work for the Harlem Globetrotters and Ringling Brothers-Barnum and Bailey Circus, and surveyed
swamps.
Wayne came to WETS-FM as an announcer/producer in 1978, and also worked part-time at area radio
stations WQUT, WIDD and WETB. He won ETSU's Distinguished Staff Award in 1987, received his
B.A. in communication from ETSU in 1988, became operations director of WETS-FM in 1990 and
received his M.A. in history in 1993. Following the death of WETS- FM's original director, Dick
Ellis, in 1993, Wayne moved into his present position.
While management duties take up the bulk of his time now, Wayne continues to host "Blue Monday"
every Monday from 12:30-5 p.m. and co-hosts "Radio Mojo" on Fridays at 10:06 p.m.
Pertinent Links:
WETS-FM
A Melungeon Home Page:
Blues
©1998 East Tennessee State University