Following Friday’s cut of Annaliese Lemieux-Kaplan, Max Media Country “97.3 The Eagle” WGH-FM Newport News/Norfolk VA has announced lineup changes.
Longtime station personality Karen West will move to mornings, while Barry McKay joins as midday host.
West has been with WGH-FM since just after its flip to Country in 1990, added Music Director duties in 2020, and rose to Assistant Program Director in August 2022. She stated, “After many years in the midday slot, I’m thrilled about this new chapter in my career! I’m excited for this fresh start, which brings limitless opportunities to unleash my creativity!”
McKay, a longtime radio veteran, previously spent over twelve years as Program Director of Audacy Hot AC “94.9 The Point” WPTE in the market from 2005-17. He remained locally based, while tracking remotely for Audacy AC “Magic 106.3” WSPA-FM Greenville SC until its flip at the start of this month. McKay also spent time on-air and programming in Cumberland MD, Baltimore, Houston, Richmond, Seattle, and Wichita.
He stated, “It’s an absolute thrill to reconnect with all the amazing listeners in Hampton Roads! I’m beyond excited to be back on the airwaves at this amazing heritage station. A huge shoutout to the incredible team at Max Media for providing me with this incredible opportunity and I can’t wait to spend our workday together, so buckle up y’all, let the good times roll!”
Max Media Hampton Roads VP/Market Manager Keith Barton remarked, “Karen has been a mainstay for country radio in our market for more than 3 decades. It is natural for her to wake up with our listeners every weekday morning. Her move to mornings created a great opportunity for a Hampton roads radio veteran like Barry to move to the midday slot on Eagle. We are very excited for them both as well as our listeners!”
