WPOC moves Michael J to mornings – RadioInsight

After Laurie DeYoung’s departure after 39 years in the morning at the end of this week, iHeartMedia Country 93.1 WPOC Baltimore has announced that afternoon host ‘Michael J’ will take over the mornings alongside current co-host Bethany Linderman starting Monday, January 6th.

Michael J has hosted afternoons on WPOC since January 2000 and also hosts dinners on sister country 98.7 WMZQ Washington DC as well as numbers for several other iHeartMedia Country stations. A native of Baltimore, Michael J began his career at WAQA Grasonville MD in 1979 and bounced around to stations including “B104” WBSB Baltimore, WKHI Ocean City, KSFM Sacramento, WZNE Tampa and WNCI Columbus before settling in Detroit as ‘Michael J Foxx’ for a seven-year run at 96.3 WHYT in nights and then mornings and a few afternoon stints from 1994-96 and 1997-99 atW4 Country” 106.7 WWWW-FM, the latter of which he resigned from the station and briefly remained in the mornings on the successor Rock AC ”Alice 106.7” until he joined WPOC. In between stints at WWWW, he hosted nights at Hot AC”Mixture 107.3”WRQX Washington.

He commented, “I finally found a job that lets me wear my pajamas to work!” said Michael J. “As a Baltimore Boy, to quarterback mornings on THE station I grew up listening to as a kid with my grandfather who was a Country superfan, I am truly living the dream!”

iHeartMedia Washington/Baltimore Region SVP Programming and WPOC Program Director Jeff Kapugi commented, “Michael was born and raised in Baltimore and has hosted afternoons on WPOC for 25 years. I’m excited to pair him with Bethany in the morning and watch them go . I feel like this new line-up at WPOC has all the right talent in all the right places.”

Linderman had joined WPOC’s morning show in November 2023. She previously co-hosted mornings on Audacy Hot AC “Mix 106.5” WWMX Baltimore from 2018 to 2020 and also served as morning co-host on Townsquare Media Country 107.7 WGNA Albany NY, morning host on “95.7 The big pig” WPIG-FM Olean NY, and morning show producer at 99.5 WQYK Tampa.

APD and morning co-host Jeff St. Pierre will move to afternoons. He has been with WPOC since 2008, starting as a morning show producer before becoming a co-host. He was named Public Affairs Director in 2011 and APD for the station in 2015.

Bob Delmont continues mid-day at WPOC, while WPOC carries the Bobby Bones Show on delay at night.