Jim Turner
Radio Personality, News Talk 580 WDBO-AM

Man Behind the Microphone
A constant voice continues to steady morning listeners.

IN MAY 1972, Jim Turner answered an employment advertisement from NewsTalk 580 WDBO-AM. He got the job. Through the years, Turner has not only remained at the station, but he's also become perhaps Orlando's best-known radio voice. In 1985, he took over WDBO's morning show (Monday through Friday, 5 to 9) and led the station's move from music to its current information and talk format. Then, in 2004, he won the Marconi Radio Award as the nation's medium-market personality of the year from the National Association of Broadcasters. FM caught up with Turner, who ironically shies away from media attention. With the radio microphone off, here's what he had to say:

FM: So, you arrived at WDBO 34 years ago. Two years ago, you wound up winning a national award for excellence. What does that say about you?

TURNER : It means I like to put down roots, more than anything. I stayed here. I had opportunities along the way. I tried to be good at what I do, and I liked it here. So I stayed. If I find something I like and I'm comfortable with, I'm inclined to stay with it.

FM: Why do you like your job so much?

TURNER : It's all I've ever wanted to do, for the most part. When I was less than 3 years old, I can remember listening to a big console radio playing in the corner [of my home]. All my life I've been fascinated with radio. I was a ham radio operator when I was a kid. I was more interested in the technical side of it, but then I became more
interested in being on the air. It just worked out that way. Fortunately, in my entire career I've only had about three jobs. But it's all I've ever wanted to do. And it's still exciting for me, especially doing news now, because there's something new every day.

FM: What is the most inspirational movie you've watched or book you've read , and why?

TURNER : My wife and I are big musical fans, and we love Broadway shows. We have a collection of Broadway shows. And I have every movie Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers ever made. We love to sit and watch those old movies. In a way that inspires, I suppose, because they were so darned good at what they did. They were really professional and they worked hard.

FM: In a perfect world, what would Central Florida be like in 10 years?

TURNER : I think growth has been managed pretty well, considering the way it's exploded here. I would like to see just responsible management of growth. I'm very much into the environment. We live on the Clermont Chain of Lakes, which is an outstanding Florida waterway. I would like to see our environment maintained. I would like to see improvement in transportation. Obviously, that's the standard answer. I never thought I would be seeing traffic jams in Clermont like I do now.

FM: If you could be something other than what you are professionally, what would it be?

TURNER : One thing I love to do is build things. I'm not terribly good at it, but I'd like to be maybe a Norm Abram from "This Old House," who could go out to the workshop and just whip up this beautiful chest of drawers. I would love to be able to have that skill, to be able to build it and have it sit there and say, "I built this," as opposed to what I do. [In radio], you do it and it's gone.

FM: Who would you consider to be your mentor?

TURNER : There are people I look back on, like my mom. I got a lot of things from her, like work ethic. I
was in the Marine Corps; that gave me a sense of discipline. There are people who inspired me when I
was growing up, but I never had any contact with them. I used to love Jack Paar and Steve Allen.

FM: How do you feel about giving back to the region, participating somehow?

TURNER : That's something people have to decide for themselves. Everybody gives back in their own way. I'm kind of intimidated by that because I don't run out and try to get on this committee and that committee. In my own way, I think I do things — help out organizations that I believe in. Just actually going out and participating in elections, for crying out loud, is giving back to the community. Giving back can become just a personal indulgence for somebody if they're not doing any good. It's great if people want to participate. But it's kind of a personal choice.
Radio Persona lit y, News Talk 580 WDBO-AM

Close Up

Jim Turner was born in Lebanon, Pa., growing up amid steel mills, although his parents operated a combination neighborhood store/ restaurant. He began his broadcasting career at WLYH-TV in his hometown before switching to radio two years later. He met his wife, Emilie, while she was a copywriter at News Talk 580 WDBO-AM in the mid 1970s. They live with three cats and two dogs — brother and sister schnauzers named Panky and Darla.


Published November of 2006.