The University of Florida has announced the appointment of Tommy BoDean as Brand Manager and host at Country “103.7 The Gator” WRUF-FM and CHR “GHQ” 95.3 W237EJ/89.1 WUFT-HD3 Gainesville FL.
BoDean joins the stations from Cumulus Media Melbourne FL where he has served as Operations Manager since August 2020. He also programmed Country “102.7 The Hitkicker” WHKR and CHR “107.1 A1A” WAOA there. BoDean also served as SVP/Programming for iHeartMedia Jacksonville from 2010 until July 2017 and has also previously programmed “i106.7” WNFN Nashville, 104.7 WNOK Columbia SC, “Kiss 107.1” WKFS, “Mix 94.1” WVMX and “97.3 The Sound” WSWD all in Cincinnati, and “Z104” WZEE Madison during his career.
WRUF-FM and sister “ESPN Gainesville” 850 WRUF operate commercially under the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, with sales managed under a JSA with Audacy’s local cluster. The “GHQ” brand is non-commercial featuring students from the college.
The University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) today announced that radio veteran Tommy BoDean will join the College as brand manager and talent for radio stations WRUF-FM and GHQ, starting on May 24, 2022.
WRUF-FM (1037, The Gator) is the 100,000-watt commercial country-formatted radio station operated in conjunction with WRUF-AM, the ESPN/sports formatted station that is the flagship for Florida Gators athletics and provides immersive experience for UFCJC students interested in sports journalism and sports broadcasting. GHQ is a student-run radio station that provides students with exposure to the radio industry in a Top-40/contemporary format.
BoDean will be responsible for all programming and operations for “The Gator” and “GHQ,” and lead new efforts to expand the immersive opportunities for CJC students.
BoDean joins UFCJC with 20 years of commercial radio programming and operations leadership and experience. Most recently, he was the Operations Manager of Cumulus Media’s commercial radio cluster in Melbourne, Florida. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President/Programming with oversight of eight radio stations for iHeart Media in Jacksonville, Florida. He has programmed various radio stations that have been nominated for NAB Marconi Radio Awards and has led a number of stations that have been named “Best of” in markets including Jacksonville, Madison, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Columbia, South Carolina.
He is a board member of Laugh for the Troops, a non-profit that helps veterans suffering from PTSD, and has been part of St. Jude Hospital’s “Angel” Program and the Susan G. Komen “Race for the Cure.”
