I started my career in television in 1991 in Bloomington, IL at WYZZ-TV Fox43 as a receptionist, then assistant business manager. Within one year I was promoted to business manager.

In 1996, I moved closer to my parents, who were residing in the Effingham area. In 1998 I met my current husband, who was living in Salem. 

In 1999 I was able to continue my career as a business manager with WJBD.

I am proud to be a part of WJBD and the Salem community, and I look forward to the many years to come!

I'm a fairly new addition to WJBD.  I've lived my entire life in Centralia and I am a 2008 graduate of Centralia High School.  Next up on my life agenda is getting an Associates Degree from Kaskaskia College before transferring to SIU-C to get a degree in (surprise, surprise) Radio-Television, with specialization in Broadcast News.  For some reason, I have a strange obsession with the news.  I spend a good portion of the day reading the happenings of the world, so I figure it's a good thing to try and get into.  I'm a St. Louis Cardinals fan, and if you ever hear me on WJBD on a day the Cardinals are playing, don't be surprised if I throw in some score information.  Well, I'm sure I left out some important detail of my life, but I guess this will do for right now.

While you're here on WJBD Online, I would suggest checking out our Business Directory.  You may be wondering why I would suggest such a thing.  Well, my only claim to fame on this website is that I hand-entered all but a few of the 1,839 of the businesses in our directory, so if you visit it, I'll feel like my work was worthwhile.

Also, my e-mail address is listed above.  Don't hesitate to drop me a line.

Favorite WJBD artists:  Billy Joel, Sir Elton John, Simon and Garfunkel
Favorite non-WJBD group:  Queen
Hero:  Tom Brokaw
Favorite TV Show:  Seinfeld

I'm a 1997 graduate of South Central High School where I had the opportunity to play for 3 outstanding coaches during my time playing baseball and basketball.  I then went to Lakeland College for a year before transferring to Concordia University where I majored in Communication and played soccer and baseball.  Then I graduated from the Broadcast Center and got my first job in Festus Missouri.  After spending a great year there I made my way back to southern Illinois and WJBD.  We continue to expand our area sports coverage and our website has opened up a ton of opportunites for different things such as web streaming games or online photo galleries.  Listen for me every morning Monday thru Saturday on 1350 AM WJBD or during the Saturday Sports Showcase with Bill Hawley and Sam Snodsmith from 9-10 a.m.  If not then, you'll probably find me at an area game of some sort or sitting on my couch with my wife and 3 sons rooting for the Cubs.  If you have any questions, stats, scores, ideas or comments email me.  No email ever goes unread!

Favorite WJBD Artist:  Brad Paisley, Neil Diamond, Sammy and the Alabamy Boys

Favorite non-WJBD Artist:  Silverchair, Three Days Grace, Marvin Gaye

Favorite Food:  Pizza

Movie's I recommend:  Green Street Houligans, Frailty, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, Primal Fear, Bad News Bears, Usual Suspects.

Favorite TV Show:  The Office, House, Ultimate Fighter, Deadliest Catch, Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen

Bill has been the "Voice of the Wildcats" for over 20 years.  He's a local legend with his unique call of a game that has been captivating Salem fans for years.  The voice of Salem Wildcats Football and Boys Basketball, Bill is also the president of the Kaskaskia College Board of Trustee's and works at Wilson and Wilson Monument in Odin. 

Hey Everyone!

My name is Matthew Horst and I would like to welcome you to the “Staff” portion of WJBDRADIO.com. I never really know how to start off these biography things, so I’ll just tell you a little about myself. First off, I am from Centralia, GO ORPHANS! But I currently reside in Walnut-Hill. I have lived in the area all of my life and have been pretty active in the radio biz since 2005. I started off at WRXX in Centralia and was there for a few years, where I did a little bit of everything. Now, obviously, I am here at WJBD. I am a student at Kaskaskia College, where of which I will be graduating with an Associate in Arts in May. I am actively involved with the Drama Guild and Speech Team there. I hope to get involved in the Music industry after I finish up my education. In other areas of my life, Music and my faith are my biggest passions in life. Without these two very important ingredients of life I couldn’t survive. If you would like to get a hold of me feel free to e-mail at the address above. God bless!

Silly facts about Me:

Perfect Meal: I love salad with Catalina dressing. If you haven't tried Catalina you must 'cause it rocks! I really like Steak...any kind! It's really to hard  to pick the "Perfect Meal", 'cause i really like to eat!

Favorite Movies: Napoleon Dynamite, Dumb and Dumber, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and MARVEL movies.

Favorite TV Shows: Seinfeld is the best show ever created. 'Course its the type of show you either Love or Hate, but I LOVE IT! Other shows I enjoy include WWE Wrestling, Big Brother, Stephens Untitled Rock Show, Home Improvement, King Of Queens and more!

Favorite WJBD Artists: Daughtry, Foreigner, MatchBox Twenty, Plain White T's, David Cook and John Mayer.

Favorite Non-WJBD Artists: I am one of these Hardcore music kind of guys, which means I like the screaming music, haha. Bands such as Underoath, The Devil Wears Prada, and more! In other Genre's of music I like Mayday Parade, Emery, All Time Low, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and more!

Hobby: I love to attend concerts where I am usually the guy with the camera. I am a photographer by trade and I love collecting band signatures. I also write alot of poems and lyrics to songs.

Favorite Sports: Football, Baseball, Basketball, Hockey and Wrestling! (Yes Wrestling is a Sport!)

Favorite Sports Teams: Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Cardinals/Minesota Twins, St. Louis Blues and Los Angeles Lakers. Favorite wrestlers Triple H and CM Punk. (As stated above Wrestling is a sport! haha)

Favorite Books: The Bible, The Last Lecture, Everybody Hurts

Heroes: Jesus, Mom and Dad, Grandparents, Contemporary Christian Artist Jeremy Camp and Chris Dudley Keyboardist of My favorite band Underoath.

Favorite Season: Fall, Summer and Spring! Winter stinks!

I first joined WJBD radio in 1979 as News Director at the age of 23.  As I was growing up, I never was interested in doing anything except being in journalism and radio.  I pestered the editor of a weekly newspaper in suburban St. Louis where I grew up to hire me when I was a freshman in high school.  I wrote sports stories all through high school.  I finally got the opportunity to move to radio when I talked the owner of a St. Louis area Top 40 station to let me work the Sunday morning shift no one else wanted.  I eventually started doing the Sunday morning Public Affairs show and when the news director was in a serious wreck I talked my way into that job and managed to do it while still going to college.

After stops in Bloomington and Centralia, IL I was introduced to the original owner of WJBD radio Bryan Davidson and eventually came to WJBD as News Director.  I had no plans at the time to stay in Salem long-term and was talked into leaving by a Chicago radio executive who had bought his own station in Rockford.  It was there I quickly learned I liked the small town atmosphere much better and the role radio played in smaller communities.  About a year later, I returned to WJBD and have been here ever since.   Overtime, I broadened my skills to include sales, promotions, and engineering.  I became assistant General Manager in 1985 and General Manager in 1991.

I'm proud of the role WJBD plays in Marion County and am pleased with the opportunities I've been given to first split the programming of WJBD AM and FM and then to begin WJBDradio.com that has become the premiere website for local news, sports, photos and weather information.  I've also been privileged to work with a very talented staff over the years that have made WJBD what it is today.  I'm especially proud of being able to help so many young people get their start in radio and grow to enjoy the profession as much as I do.

34 years after first getting in front of a microphone for the first time, I still enjoy my daily routine that begins with gathering the morning news at four each morning.  After all, how many people have the opportunity to have a job that is different every day and can chronicle history as it happens.   I would never want to give up my involvement in all the activities in the area over the years.  It's amazing what can be done when everyone puts their talents together to better the entire community.  There's also special pleasure in working hand in hand with businesses to help them grow through the effective use of WJBD radio.

If you have any news item to share, have a comment or suggestion about our programming, or have an interest in getting into the radio field, feel free to send me an e-mail at the above address.  I'd love to hear from you!!!

Full Name:  Carla Renae Linder

How long have you worked at WJBD?  11 years and counting!

How long have you lived in the area?  23 years

Do you have a family?  I have 2 kids that are now adults who have outgrown my little home nest, I live in a 3-bedroom home with plants and no pets.

Favorite past time?  To play and create music, perform in concerts along with just now learning to play the guitar.

Favorite music choice?  All music is appreciated but some more tolerable than others.

Favorite place to eat?  Anyplace that takes care of the dishes!

What would you do with a Million dollars?  Give to the needy and buy a world wide round trip ticket for me and a special friend.

What do you like most about your job?  Being a part of the community, helping local businesses reach their goals and never knowing what's next I suppose.

Welcome to my little corner of WJBDRadio.com.

Radio has taken me from Centralia (I was on a microphone at Kaskaskia College) to St Louis where I went to and graduated from the Broadcast Center while interning on the KEZK morning show, to Chadron, Nebraska (still the preferred choice for Voice of the Cardinals), down to Cape Girardeau. It was there that my disdain for mornings outweighed my willingness to be gainfully employed.

A little about the man you think you know:

Favorite WJBD Artist/Group: U2, Edwin McCain, Journey, Rod Stewart
Favorite NON-WJBD Bands/Artists: Revis, Mudvayne, Toby Keith, Johnny Cash, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood (stop looking at me like that... she has a phenomenal voice!)
Favorite TV Show(s): Smallville, WWE Monday Night Raw, Warriors with Terry Schappert, Grey's Anatomy, House, and others.  
Celebrity I'd Like to Have Dinner With: Giada De Laurentiis, Rachael Ray, Alton Brown, Bobby Flay
Current Obsession: none at the moment
Perfect Invention for the Future: Real Television... NOT Reality television. Bring back the American sitcom. Put Survivor on the shelf.
Special Ability: Time travel (I hold stock in flux capacitors)

I'm an avid St Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers* fan. There's no place like Nebraska for college football (though I respect the University of Illinois).

I love spending time with my beautiful wife. We just bought a house right here in Salem and it wouldn't be possible without the great people who've helped us along the way. If you're reading this S and E, you know who you are and we thank you so much! You won't be getting rid of me anytime soon......

I DJ on party buses (free plug: http://www.ultimatepartybusrentals.com) on the weekends (get a bus and ask for "Hooch" to DJ). I watch wrestling with my friends every week and play video games. I also love to sit on my patio with a book and my iPod and read. I'm also the President of the Mount Vernon Jaycees. So I basically have no free time.

*Note - This is what a city looks like after their team just wins the Super Bowl! Six-burgh, baby!

I removed the lame bio and will put up a better one sometime soon.

Hello everyone,

Most people are calling me JP after my first day.  I recently graduated from Eastern Illinois University and now working to bring you great ideas and great web stuff. 

What consists of Web Stuff?

• Web Advertising
• Promotional Advertising on WJBDradio.com
• Content Input
• and even video reports

I also do production work, and an On-Air shift on the weekend.

I grew up DJing on two turntables and currently still do the same thing I've been doing for around 10+ years. 

Check back on the website for exciting new features in the future!

It's an honor for me to help bring you the Saturday Sports Showcase.  We get a lot of fun feedback about the song parodies that open the show weekly, and I enjoy putting them together for the show.  This will be my 12th season on the Showcase, and at last count their were 178 different Showcase Opens.  Spending my Saturday mornings with Bill & Toby is something I enjoy dearly!  Music is a big part of my life as I have sang in many area rock bands, and now am Branching out to singing in weddings.  I belong to the Salem Lutheran Church, have 2 cool son's in Kegan and Griffin, and have a wiener dog that i'm most fond of.

Favorite WJBD Artist:  U2, Niel Diamond

Favorite non-WJBD Artist:  R.E.M., The Smith's, Pink Floyd

Favorite Movie:  Schindler's List, Kingpin, Fargo, Hoosiers

Favorite Pro Teams:  Cubs, Blackhawks, Steelers, Lakers