For immediate release January 15, 2007
Ten-year anniversary for Northwest Indiana morning show team
Indiana 105 (WLJE-FM) morning show host Steve Zana and news director Laura Waluszko mark ten years on the air together this month. Zana began hosting the Dawn Patrol in January 1997, one month after Waluszko joined the Radio One Communications staff. Since then, the company has seen the show grow not only in length (the Dawn Patrol expanded from 5:30am-10am to 5am-10am in February 2006) but also in listenership.
“Steve and Laura started on the air with us just one month apart, and for the past decade they've been providing Northwest Indiana with information and entertainment tailor-made for our audience from Chicago to South Bend,” said Radio One Communications President/General Manager Leigh Ellis.
“Laura and Steve have become a trusted staple to Northwest Indiana, informing residents on major events like the March blizzard of 1998 that shut down the region, and the day our country was attacked on 9-11. They are true broadcasters committed to Northwest Indiana, and I’m always very proud to say they're Radio One Communications employees.”
“The longevity of the team and the show says a lot about their talent as well as this company's commitment to the community – bringing Northwest Indiana listeners a morning show they can truly call their own,” said Director of Programming Don Clark.
The Indiana 105 Dawn Patrol was just named runner-up Best Broadcast Personality/Team in its market for the Indiana Broadcasters' Association (IBA) 2006 Spectrum Awards. Indiana 105 received a first-place for news in the same competition, and WLJE-FM Indiana 105 was a finalist for Station of the Year. Indiana 105 newscasts, news coverage and features have also garnered several awards over the years, from the IBA, Network Indiana and Society of Professional Journalists Indiana Professional Chapter.
Zana came to Radio One Communications in January 1997 and Waluszko in December of 1996 – neither having worked together but both with years of experience in the field. Zana produced a sports program in South Bend and also worked in Baton Rouge and Hammond, Louisiana. A Louisiana native (born in Independence, LA) and Southeastern Louisiana University grad, Zana spent several years in Europe, where he graduated high school in Brussels. Waluszko worked for stations in Hammond (Indiana) and Bloomington, Indiana, before coming to Radio One Communications. She is a native of Northwest Indiana, with her Bachelors Degree from Purdue and her Masters from Indiana University.
Radio One Communications owns and operates four radio stations – Indiana 105.5 (WLJE-FM), X-Rock 103.9 (WXRD-FM), Z107.1 (WZVN-FM), and AM-1500 The Music of Your Life (WAKE-AM).
For more information, contact:
Leigh Ellis, President/General Manager, Radio One Communications, 219-462-6111
Don Clark, Director of Programming, Radio One Communications, 219-462-6111
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