Way Fullington

Photo Courtesy of Indiana Broadcast Pioneers

M. Wayland Fullington was a journalist, advertising professional, and radio executive who served as the president of the Ozarks Advertising Agency in Springfield, Missouri. He later worked as a Program Director at WIRE Radio in Indianapolis and spent 18 years as a field representative for Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI).

Born on May 31, 1912, in Birch Tree, Missouri, Fullington grew up in Springfield and attended Drury College and Southwest Missouri State Teachers’ College before earning a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri in 1933. Fullington was also recognized academically, earning the John W. Jewell Award for journalism and was a member of Alpha Delta Sigma, a national professional advertising fraternity.

In 1933 he was also appointed the first exchange student from the Missouri School of Journalism to the University of Hawaii, Honolulu. He became the Promotional Advertising Manager for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin Community Hour in 1934 over Station KGBM.

Fullington’s early career included creating ad copy and layouts for the Long Beach Press-Telegram in California and working for the Ozarks’ Journal upon returning to Springfield in 1935. In 1936, he became the Publicity Director for Wentworth Military Academy in Lexington, Missouri. He returned to Springfield in 1937 to serve as a clerk for the Springfield Court of Appeals, a position he held until 1941.

In 1941, Fullington joined the Continuity Staff at Springfield radio stations KWTO and KGBX, becoming their Promotional Director in 1942. He later became Program Director at WIRE Radio in Indianapolis, a role he held from 1949 to 1957. His career culminated in his work as a field representative for BMI, where he supported numerous radio stations across the country.

He retired in 1974 and passed away on August 18, 1988, at the age of 76. He is buried in Maple Park Cemetery in Springfield, Missouri.

January 2025

Katherine Maners

Indiana Broadcast Pioneers