Ed Ripley

Ed Ripley was the programming genius behind WDAE 1250 in the late 60s and early 70s. He had an incredible radio station, one that sounded like it belonged in a much bigger market. Credit Ed Ripley.

Ed earned his degree from Stetson University in Deland, Speech and Radio major. He got his start as an announcer at the college radio station.

His career carried him to stops at WTCN, Twin Cities / KWEB and KRCH-FM Rochester, MN, WDAE, WFLA, WYOU, WSUN, Tampa-St. Petersburg, WDGY (Now KFAN), Minneapolis-St. Paul. Ed also worked in New Orleans as a DJ from 1960-1963. Ed was PD and morning host at WMMR in Jacksonville in 1963 & 64, it was his first job as Program Director and they knocked off the “Big Ape”, WAPE in the Winter 1964 Arbitron.

One of the hilites of Ed’s brilliant career was interview-ing Elvis in Daytona Beach in 1956. Ripley was the first to bring Rock & Roll to FM radio in Tampa Bay when he introduced “The Rock of Tampa Bay, FM 101” in 1972.

Ripley got out of the radio business in 1985 and went to work for Imation, in the Digital Services & Support Division. He is now retired.

Ed is a collector of antique radios, and has been restoring and re-selling them for the last 20 years. Check'em out on www.ebay.com

He can be e-mailed at: edripley@pro-ns.net