Original Call Letters: WTIR

Originally Licensed: Apr 12, 1999

Original City of License:  Winter Garden

Original Frequency: 1680

Origin of Call Letters: Traveler Information Radio

Original Power: 10,000 watts daytime/1,000 watts nighttime  

Original Location: 

Original Format: Traveler Information  

Network Affiliation(s):

Owner(s):

History of WTIR 
Thanks to Chuck Thornton for supplying some history of WTIR. 
TIRN, Traveler Information Radio Network was the brainchild of Joe Gettys. The concept grew out of Gettys' experience as marketing director for Old Town in Kissimmee. Joe had been in charge of an advertising budget of over one million dollars per year, and he became very familiar with the many ways to spend money to reach the millions of travelers coming to central Florida each year. He believed that travelers had a great need for information. At the time, there was no effective way to disseminate that information. Billboards were often extremely expensive and less than practical. Old Town eventually bought its own radio station, and leased 7 billboards alerting travelers where the station could be found on the dial. Gettys came up with a plan that he believed would be a "win-win" situation to provide emergency alerts to Florida travelers in exchange for freeway right-of-way, this would significantly lower the costs of billboards. Dick Kane, the top Public Information Administrator at the Florida Department of Transportation, liked the idea and worked closely with Gettys. 

                                

Names In WTIR History

Kris Persaud-2000-General Manager-Rama Communications

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