One of Country radio’s most successful air personalities has called it quits.
Billy “Dex” Poindexter, half of the Dex and Mo Show on Entercom-owned WUSY-FM “US101” in Chattanooga, Tenn., is retiring from the station, ending a 25-year career.
Poindexter plans to focus on his health, his family and travel. Poindexter’s last day at WUSY is today (4/26) — just weeks after Entercom agreed to obtain WUSY as part of a four-market station swap with iHeartMedia.
However, the change in ownership may not have been directly related to Poindexter’s decision to leave WUSY. As reported by AllAccess.com, Poindexter spent several weeks off the air in early 2016 to recover from “a serious leg infection.”
Dex and Mo airs from 2pm-7pm on WUSY; Poindexter also served as the station’s Music Director.
“It’s been a great 25 years and it has truly been my pleasure serving this community,” Poindexter said. “US101 has the greatest listeners on earth; they are open and always so giving. From our annual efforts to support St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to various disaster relief efforts through the years, the US101 listeners have always stepped up. I am proud of all that we have accomplished together and US101 will always be my home.”
On-air partner Melissa “Mo” Turner added, “When it comes to wit, personality, comedy, and a genuine love for the business, there is no one greater than Dex. I am so thankful for the opportunity I was given to learn from such an iconic figure and I cannot thank him enough for all that he has taught me about this business. He will be greatly missed, but I wish him the best in retirement following his hall of fame career.”
Entercom/Chattanooga SVP/Programming Justin Cole said, “Dex has impacted the careers of countless country artists over the years and there has been an outpouring of support from artists and listeners. Superstars like Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean and Garth Brooks have called and sent videos to congratulate Dex — an integral part of making US101 the No. 1 station in Chattanooga. He has an open invitation to come sit in on the show anytime. While we are going to miss having him in the building, we wish him all of the best in this next chapter.”
During his tenure at US101, Dex was inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Radio Hall of Fame. He was honored with five Country Music Association (CMA) and two Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards for Radio Personality of The Year. The well respected broadcaster has been a part of more than twenty CMA awards, including station of the year trophies.
A public celebration and thank you for Dex will be conducted on air at US101.
RBR+TVBR OBSERVATION: It’s not often that we run a news story about an air personality. But, as anyone in the country music and Country radio world knows, this is Dex. This is an individual who hosted the afternoon drive shift on the former WFLI-1070, a big Top 40 station known as “Jet FLI” in the 1960s and 1970s. He became a top radio promoter, and then joined US101 — a Country legend — in early 1994. On Dec. 22, 2012, his wife of 41 years, Shiela, died suddenly of an aneurysm at age 58, leading Dex into bouts of depression and time off the air. Station staff rallied behind Dex, and he was soon back to his old self. Dex is a veteran who ranks up there with Don Imus, Scott Shannon, and Ron Chapman in terms of his legacy, in particular in a market few know about aside from that famous station brand: US101. We salute Dex and wish him well on his next journey. And, we thank Entercom, iHeartMedia, Cumulus Media and Colonial Broadcasting for their efforts to make US101 a true example of why radio beats all other media as a community connector, community builder, and community entertainment source like no other.
