Real. Pure. Country.
It's not just pretending to be country music... this is REAL country music from the artists you actually know! Trace Adkins said it best: "it's songs about lovin' and livin', good-hearted women, family and God". We play hard and we pray hard: that's just who we are. With Faith, Family, and Freedom as our central theme, you'll be glad you tuned in to Bryson City's local country music station.
Meet our team
Behind every service we provide is a dedicated team of local professionals, each bringing their unique expertise and enthusiasm to WBSY.
Robert Lowe
General Manager
Robert can trace his love for radio back to a chance encounter in 2005, when he went with his mother to receive a prize from WBHN. "I remember walking in and seeing all of the blinking lights, moving needles, and the singing of the tubes in the old Gates AM transmitter. I thought that I could do this for a living!" Years later, Robert would work for WBHN as a salesman before also working at WRGC in Sylva. During his college days at Western Carolina University, he worked at WWCU 90.5 FM in Cullowhee. After he received his Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Communications, he designed, built, and managed Swain County's first FM station: WTIJ 100.7 FM. Later, Robert would work in sales for WKRK in Murphy, before spending several years working for the Cherokee Broadcasting Company's three stations: WCVP 95.9 FM in Robbinsville, WCVP 600 AM in Murphy, and WCNG 102.7 FM in Murphy (101.3 FM in Blairsville).
A Bryson City native, Robert is very involved in the local community, where he lives with his wife and two daughters. He lends his voice to a lot of the announcements that you hear on Y 98.5 and is the contact for business sponsorships.
Tony Bono
Operations Manager
The son of Sicilian immigrants, Tony has lived much of his life in Texas and Tennessee, as well as Colombia (South America). With degrees in Journalism and Bible History, he studied at the University of Missouri Columbia (Missouri), Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, and Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. Tony taught radio classes at Abilene Christian University for three years at a college level.
Semi-retired, he can’t stop working! He was literally born into the business and first entered a radio station at two weeks old. His father was chief engineer and part-owner of WOKZ AM/FM in the St. Louis market. Tony began working for his father at the age of 14 in audio production and engineering. He was on the air professionally by age 15. By age 21, he was a morning show host on a 100,000 watt rock station in St. Louis, which is now KSD-FM. Tony was chief engineer for KSBJ in Houston, and his voice has been heard on national ads. Tony has voiced many TV ads, even appearing on camera. He was also one of the main announcers on the Christian music network that would become Salem Networks. Tony produced and wrote TV ads and industrial videos. He also worked as Marketing Director for a 24-track recording studio in Abilene, Texas.
Tony was heavily involved in media consolidation in the 1990s, buying and selling stations, working with CEOs of large media companies. He was engineer of expansion for Superior Broadcasting/Marathon Media Chicago, mainly working in St. Louis, Chicago, Houston, Omaha, and Chattanooga. He owned his first station at age 40 in Tulsa, Oklahoma (now owned by iHeart), which he engineered and helped to construct, including the tall tower. He has experience with antenna design and test ranges. We have only listed a little of his experience!
Why Bryson City? Beyond working in large markets, he loves smaller markets and loves local radio the most. He has always enjoyed Bryson City and has generally lived in smaller communities, even when working in the larger markets. Wherever he goes, he creates radio stations. Tony is a familiar face in Bryson City and enjoys the Smoky Mountains and the local railroad. He is a major train collector and is an avid train aficionado.
Anthony Bono, the main voice of Y 98.5, has been in the media business professionally for 56 years in all aspects. He is the chief engineer, produces all of the recorded material, and manages the technical operation of WBSY. All of the music that you hear is from his personal collection and recording studio. He is also the Program Director.