BUCYRUS — For 20 years, residents of Crawford County and the surrounding listening areas have had one constant voice keeping them company during their morning routines.
Will Beard, the host of The Morning Show with Will.
Beard began working at Q92.7 WQEL on May 10, 1999 after spending 13 years in the industry, beginning his career in Marion at WMRN and working in Galion and Columbus for a time.
He now is the longest tenured full-time employee at the North Central Ohio Media Group.
“Will Beard has been a staple in our community for 20 years,” said Kim Jenney, General Manager of the North Central Ohio Media Group. “Listeners count on Will to get their day started with important information, fun trivia, and great contest opportunities. Happy Anniversary from us all at the North Central Ohio Media Group and we look forward to many more years to come!”
A recommendation from 49-year radio veteran Davey Jones led to Beard becoming the morning host on WQEL. He met Jones and former NCOMG employee Don Diosi while working in Marion and when the station needed a new host, Jones recommended Beard to the then-owners, Mike and Donna Laipply.
It was Beard’s first full-time morning host job.
It then did not take long for a change to come that Beard considers possibly the biggest single event to happen to the station during his time. Under the leadership of former station program director Jeff Roberts, WQEL changed from an oldies station to a classic rock format.
“We went from playing middle-of-the-road 70’s music to classic rock,” Beard said.
He said the change on 1540AM/107.5FM WBCO from the adult standards, such as Frank Sinatra, to classic country was a big change as well.
“That was a big deal too,” he said.
He said some of the biggest personal highlights for his past 20 years has been some of the interviews he’s done on the radio. He said some of the interviews he specifically remembers enjoying are author Jim Collins, Laverne and Shirley television star Cindy Williams, CSI: Miami actress Eva LaRue and rockstar Eddie Money and other musicians.
“You start to realize this just happens to be what they do for a living,” Beard said. “They’re famous people for what they do, but they’re more than willing to sit down and talk to you about things as long as you’re polite about it and don’t come across as some overbearing ‘my time’ type of person.”
https://soundcloud.com/q-92-7-wqel/wqel-morning-show-at-630-may-10-2019
Beard said one of the best things about spending 20 years in one place is he’s been able to stay close to his hometown.
“I grew up in Marion and I still live in Marion, but Crawford County is a second home,” Beard said. “I feel very comfortable in Galion and Bucyrus and it’s nice to be able to work close to home and be local. A lot of folks don’t get the chance to do that.”
A sense of community is something Beard said he felt from the beginning of his time at WQEL and continues to feel from coworkers, business owners and listeners.
“I just want to say a big thank you to everyone I’ve worked with back to those that first welcomed me in 1999 and everyone here now as well as all the local business owners and listeners who said that, hey, they really liked what I do,” Beard said.
The feeling of respect and thanks is returned by his coworkers both past and present.
“For the past 20 years, Will has been a picture of stability for WQEL and its listeners. For all the changes life throws at us, one consistency is Will being on our radio every weekday morning. His talent, passion and dedication have made the station better and allow us to continue to thrive in North Central Ohio,” Roberts said. “On a personal level, Will is an amazing colleague and great friend. I value the times we’ve spent together, and 20 years of laughs shared.”
Will may be heard on the morning show on Q92.7 from 5:30 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.