Original Call Letters: WEUS

Originally Licensed: Aug 1947   

Original City of License: Leesburg 

Original Frequency: 790 

Origin of Call Letters: Location; LeesBurg/Eustis 

Original Power: 5,000 watts daytime/1,000 watts nighttime

Original Location: 1240 Floradell Ave.

Original Format: Pop

History Of WLBE
The Husebos came to Lake County from Minneapolis in 1951. Wendy had worked in a major station there as the program director and chief announcer. When his brother, Paul Husebo, called him to say he was moving to Central Florida from their native Minnesota, Wendy Husebo told him if he found a radio station for sale, he would move, too. While Paul Husebo was scouting around for the right town, he arrived in Leesburg on the day of the Watermelon Festival. He liked the friendliness and the activity in the town, spotted a radio tower and stopped in a gas station to call the station. "He asked if the station was for sale, and the voice said, `Yes.' " WLBE, had been purchased by the former publisher of Liberty Magazine, who died within six months,  Husebo said. The man's wife was stuck trying to keep the station running. From 1951 to 1962, WLBE was a major news source to people in Lake County. Husebo remembered the first remote broadcast of a Leesburg High School football game in Palatka and a 37-hour stretch at the microphone during Hurricane Donna in 1960. "People depended on radio for local news," he said. "We didn't have television, and most of the papers were weekly. So, we tried to cover everything."  Lacking also were the services of an advertising and public relations agency. When area businesses wanted to stage a grand opening or plan a promotion, they went to Wendy Husebo. So did civic leaders in Leesburg, when, in a twist of fate, they named him chairman of the festival that helped bring him to Leesburg. In the 1950s, the Leesburg Watermelon Festival was important to the city. To promote it, the mayor and prominent residents formed a 30-car motorcade with a P.A. system and part of the high-school band and visited all the other towns in the area. "Our mayor would pop out and present their mayor with a watermelon," Husebo said. "The people in the cars would jump out and put posters in all the windows..." By 1962, he was so involved in promotion outside the radio business that he sold WLBE and formed Husebo Advertising & Public Relations. His son, Lanny Husebo, worked with him in the mid-1970s. "He has become known for his sayings, `How may I brighten your day?' and `Consider it done.'
1992-WLBE drops NBC news for CBS, and in the process lost the right to broadcast popular talk show host Bruce Williams. The syndicator of Williams' show is an NBC company. In Williams' place, WLBE aired Gil Gross from 8 to 11 p.m.
 

                                                                  
 WLBE studios on Radio Road in Leesburg 

WLBE  Personalities

Bob Andrews-1947-1951/1980-2009-Mornings Biography

Dick Coleman-1951-1975-Program Director

Wayne Scott-1952-News Director

Bill Reedy-1952-Sports Director/Commercial Manager

Jack Wilson-1953-1993-play-by-play broadcasts of Leesburg High's football games

Marion Lewis-1954-News Director

Bill Jackson-1954-Farm News Director

Aunt Judy-1954-1955-Women's Director

J. P. Gray-1955-1957-Women's Director

Charles (Charlie) Northrup-1966

Dutch Edwards-1971

Wayne Coleman-1972-1974

Dick Ravenhill-1975-Program Director-WLBE Radio, Inc.  In Memory

Tom Slusarchyk-1985

Mike Konstan-1986-Host of "Rock n' Roll For The Big Kids"

Chris Sawyer-1994-middays/program director

Victor Lent-1996-2PM-5PM/News 5PM-6PM weekdays. Leesburg Athletics Minor League Baseball Play-by-Play.

Peter Rocchio-1998-1PM-4PM-Mondays-Thursdays

John Weyrick-1998-2000-"Johnny's Swingin' Sunday"

Doug Hoy and Matt Turse-2000-"Wise Guys Sports Football Handicapping" 

Richard Ryan-2002-Host of "Comin' Home"  

Fred Johnson-2008-Co-host "Lake County/Central Florida Roundtable" 

Ralph Smith-2008-Co-host "Lake County/Central Florida Roundtable" 

Lee Gillette-News Director  

Alan B. Walts

Michael Solt

Bill Gephart-News Director  In Memory

"Uncle Russie"-Russ Ross-Sat 2PM-5PM  Biography

Chuck Stevens-Host of "Party Line"-callers buy, sell, and trade their items live on the air. 

Eve Martin-Host of "Eve the Mystic"

Al Martin

Mark Logas Biography

Ronald V. Regan-Host of "Veterans Cafe"

Allan Konstan-Engineer/Announcer

 
         Bob Andrews at the WLBE studios in 2004     

               l to r  Frank Reed, Bob Andrews, Gabe Burton and Dave Edwards        l to r  Frank Reed, Bob Andrews, Gabe Burton and Mac McNair
                                                                       (photos courtesy of Dave Edwards 2007)       

1970's license plate     click photos for full sized view   courtesy of Mark Logas     1980's license plate

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