If you remember Marty Bender from the old Bender & Fingers morning show on 96 Rock in the 1980s, then you'll be happy to hear him back on Cincinnati radio Monday, Oct. 10.
Bender, who later was executive producer of the nationally syndicated "Bob & Tom Show," returns to town at WOFX-FM (Fox 92.5) as program director and midday host (10 a.m.-1 p.m.). He'll join the lineup of Cincinnati rock veterans Laura Steele (1-4 p.m.) and Jay Gilbert (4-8 p.m.).
"I can't explain how excited we are to bring in a programmer of Marty's caliber to lead The Fox. With years dedicated to the format and working with 'The Bob & Tom Show' at WFBQ-FM (in Indianapolis), it’s exciting to see what’s in store for The Fox and classic rock listeners in Cincinnati. With the recent addition of Laura Steele and now, with Marty in the PD chair, The Fox is poised for bigger and better things,” said Keith Mitchell, operations manager for Cumulus Media-Cincinnati, in the announcement late Wednesday.
"It will be great to get back to Cincinnati and focus on one main goal: To make WOFX the best classic rock station in America," Bender said in the release.
Bender last year left Chicago's WSHE-FM, where he was program director. Before that he was Premiere Radio Networks' vice president for programming and executive producer of the "Bob & Tom Show."
From 1982-85, Bender was morning drive co-host with Eddie Fingers and program director at Hamilton's old 96 Rock (WSKS-FM). Bender continued as morning host after Fingers left in 1985 to join Robin Wood on WEBN-FM's "Dawn Patrol" morning show. In 2007, when Gary Burbank retired from WLW-AM, Fingers left WEBN-FM to join sister station WLW-AM as afternoon co-host.
Bender also has been operations manager for WFBQ/WRZX/WNDE in Indianapolis, and music director and morning drive personality at Cleveland's WWWM-FM, the nation's "first classic rock-formatted station in history, conceived and created during Bender’s tenure as music director," the release said.
