Aunt Eloise gone like a breeze at WTQR, and how your favorite radio personality nearly died

Toby Young the man who played the part of Aunt Eloise at 104.1 WTQR is a Clemson-grad and has always been a huge Clemson Tiger football fan. Maybe AE/Toby Young should update the resume and head on down to Death Valley and get ready to replace Tommy Bowden as the head football coach. Aunt Eloise gone from WTQR from wxii.com and radio-info.com:

GREENSBOROOne of the best-known radio personalities in the Triad is no longer on the air.

After 23 years as the popular morning radio host at country music station WTQR-FM, “Aunt Eloise” was fired from the station.

The man who plays the character told WXII, “I would love to have stayed, but they had other ideas. God bless them, and I hope maybe someday I’ll be back.”

He went on to say that he wanted to thank his fans for their support over the years.

“Aunt Eloise” and the late “Big Paul” Franklin formed the popular hosting team until Franklin’s death in 2002. He was riding with his wife and friends to bike week in Myrtle Beach when he was killed in a crash in Randolph County.

More on the “BIG CHEESE”, Aunt Eloise leaving WTQR from the journalnow.com and the WS Journal:
I wanted to stay, but they have other ideas and want to move in other directions, and I wasn’t a part of it,” said Toby Young, who played Eloise, the bombastic morning-show host on the country-music station.

Aunt Eloise was a popular character on the Triad station for many years, and was teamed up with various morning hosts at the station, including Dale Mitchell, “Big Paul” Franklin (who was killed in a traffic accident in 2002) and “Brother Bill” Dotson. Eloise was nominated for a Country Music Association award several times over the years, including a win in 1998 for Eloise and Big Paul.

Young didn’t want to discuss the details of his dismissal from the station.

“It hurts,” he said. “Speaking personally, God has a plan for everybody, but I don’t know what it is for me.”

For the past several years, Young has been in and out of the hospital.

“I’ve had two hip operations and diverticulitis,” he said. “And I’ve had 10 operations, off and on in the last three years. I’m still paying hospital bills. I almost died during one of the surgeries, but they brought me back.

“I hate what’s happening to me personally, but I just thank God I’m alive.”

Young said he hopes to get back into radio in the Triad market.

But for now, a no-compete clause in his contract will keep him off other radio stations in the market for six months.

“I’ll just sit down and lick my wounds and thank God I’m still here,” he said.

26 thoughts on “Aunt Eloise gone like a breeze at WTQR, and how your favorite radio personality nearly died

  1. Aunt Eloise was a guy???????? Man, I’m glad I didn’t take her, I mean him, up on that offer one evening.

  2. She must come back to WTQR. They can’t survive without her.

    “Big Ben’ Franklin-“Big Paul” Franklin’s brother

  3. I WILL NOT BE LISTENING TO WTQR AGAIN. I ONLY LISTENED TO HEAR ELOISE. I WILL FIND ME ANOTHER RADIO STATION AND IF SHE GOES TO ANOTHER
    STATION I WILL LISTEN TO THAT ONE.

  4. I am glad she or he is gone. She put her political view on the air to much. I was a strong listener until a few years ago. SShe got on her soap box just about every day and I got tired of it.

  5. Barbara Absher must be dreaminfg.Aunt Eliose has not been on her soap box for two years.If she was a listener she would know that .I stop listening to them cause i could care less about the tv showes and Hollywood crap she or he was made to talk about.Did you get paid to e mail these Babs?

  6. I am glad to see “Aunt” Eloise gone too. I have changed stations many times in the a.m. due to her Political comments. I dont want to listen to a country music station and have someone else ranting and raving about politics. And He did that a lot. Not lately, because he hasnt been on air as much due to the illnesses. I am familiar with Jeff Roper – used to listen to him on WSOC – I’m sure he’ll do the mornin show some GOOD!

  7. I miss Aunt Eloise and the show he and his various host did. I have not been interested in listening since he has been gone. I loved hearing his views and laughed alot on my way into work. Sorry this has happened to him but someone will pick him up quickly at the end of his 6 months. I will follow him too if he has the same type of show. There are alot of morning shows that are embarrasing to listen to and his was clean and addressed moral issues that I agreed with but most of all I loved the laughter.

  8. I have enjoyed the many years that “Aunt Eloise” (Toby Young) was a part of the morning show of WTQR. I enjoyed her banter, her love of God and Country, and her honest ‘outspokeness” that many of us wish we could get away with but never do. Her refreshing way of “telling it like it is” made my day…sometimes I laughed and many times I cried, but I always enjoyed it. She may have gotten carried away at times with her views of politics, but I admired her for that. She stood up for her principals and beliefs, and though many may say she abused her status as a radio personality, I commend her for having the “guts” to do so! I also appreciated WTQR for allowing her to be “herself” and I miss her character very very much. I am like Peggy, Bob and the others who have made the comment that they will NOT be listening to WTQR anymore….I was upset when Brother Bill moved from the morning show…he and Aunt Eloise made the best team since Big Paul. Angie is good, but Angie’s voice is rather irritating first thing in the morning. Jeff seems to have a great radio voice, but I’m sorry, he and Angie can’t and will never be able to fill Aunt Eloise and Brother Bills shoes! WTQR has forced me to listen to another radio station…and believe me, I have been a fan of WTQR for many many years. Sorry, but you not only have lost the best feature of your station, but you have lost many loyal listeners, which I would think is critical for a radio station! To Toby I would say, hang in there, keep the faith, and many thanks for your years of dedicated service to a seemingly unappreciative station. Change is good, but not always better! I will miss the laughter and love you always portrayed … you are truly missed. Hope to hear you again someday soon. God Bless You always.

  9. I miss Aunt Eloise and Brother Bill.
    It just isn’t the same without Aunt Eloise and
    Brother Bill in the morning.
    I can’t tell if I am on 93.1 or 104.1

  10. One team that we failed to mention was the team of Billy Buck and Aunt Eloise….That might have been the first rendition of the dynamic duos.

    The big question now is “will Aunt Eloise(Toby Young) join 93.1 the Wolf when the no-compete clause expires in 60 days”?

  11. When I moved to PA , I streamed Aunt Eloise. Now after a long abscence I’m back in the area and no Aunt Eloise. No WTQR for me without her. Hope she comes back on another station.

  12. I have been listening to 104.1 since the days of Aunt Eloise and Dale and was sorry to hear of the firing of Aunt Eloise. Because of my working hrs. I only listen to the morning show on my days off and happened to catch it recently. I have 1 word for you BORING!!!!!!. Thank goodness we have choices no more WTQR for me 93.1 will get my listenership from now on and hopefully Toby will stay in the area and go to work for them.

  13. Aunt Eloise made the WTQR morning show what it was. That was the main reason I listened to the station. It will be hard to turn it on now that she won’t be on there. I attend college and am not able to hear the morning show often. When I came home, I was shocked to find Aunt Eloise off the show. WTQR won’t be the same without her. And for all those who didn’t like her, you definitely didn’t have to listen.

  14. I don’t miss Aunt Eloise that much but I sure as heck miss Big Paul. I met him in person several times and he was the nicest, kindest gentleman I have ever come into contact with from the media. I am sure “Big Ben” misses him too as does the rest of his family. Yea, I know, there is no way to bring him back. He was very good with Aunt Eloise as he was able to keep her in check somewhat. Mornings have not been the same since Big Paul went to that big radio station in the sky.

  15. Wow, I wondered what happened to Aunt Eloise. I loved to hear her because she was different from all that other blah, blah, blah out there. Now they sound like any other morning radio couple and I just want to say, Angie, stop that incessant laughing in the morning. NOTHING is that funny at 6 a.m. Nothing.

  16. Well, I’ve listened for years. I would go away for a while, but would always come back.

    Just because of Eloise–when I recently tuned back in, it was like listening to “dead air”
    As soon as I figured out AE was gone, I thought I would give it a chance–that didn’t last long. I switched back to another station and will not be tuning in again.

    Sorry, your loss WTQR–you might not always agree with Eloise’s comments, but at least it was thought provoking, and the humor was great.

  17. What I do not understand is if your fired then does that not void any agreement you have with them. In overwords screw 104.1. I too hope that Aunt Eloise (Toby) will move over to 93.1 and do a show. But I would not to replace the current morning show on 93.1.

  18. IF YOU WANNA KNOW WHY THEY FIRED AUNT ELOISE CHECK THE COURT HOUSE RECORDS ON SUSAN FULLER,S LAW SUIT AGAINEST CLEAR CHANNLE FOR HER HUSBAND BIG PAUL..ITS ON THE WEB AND PUBLIC RECORD THAT TOBY TOLD THE TRUTH AND THOSE THAT LIED ARE ON THE MORNING SHOW OR OPERATIONS MANGER THERE,THIS DUDE GOT SCREWED NO MATTER WHAT YOU BELIVE.I WAS IN COURT AND HEARD THE LIES…AND THE SUPREAM COURT AGREED….

  19. Paul(or anybody- I can’t find the court house records online. I have looked for about an hour. Can you tell us anything else about the Susan Fuller lawsuit and Aunt Eloise or maybe ad a link or something?
    I am so curious. It’s driving me insane that I cant find it online.
    Thanks,Tracy

  20. I am the widow of Big Paul Franklin. I miss him with every fiber of my being as does our 6 children. We are going to be fine as is our much beloved “Aunt Eloise”………….God does have a plan for each of us, and I’m sure Eloise has been set sail or soon will be on her new course. “When a door closes, a window opens”………. As for her support of this family and our dearest Paul, YES, she stood firm on the truth the day we were in court. She has integrity and loyalty. I read what was written about her firing being potentially linked to her testimony and in all honesty, I cannot support this theory. Thank you to each of you who still express missing hearing Paul on the radio. I miss hearing him and now suffer the loss of the familiar, jovial, albeit at times “soap boxy”, Eloise Loise Cotton”………..Love you Eloise…………..ALWAYS!!!

  21. I miss Eloise, too. I enjoyed listening to WTQR because of the humor and the music. Now the current hosts talk too much and play less music. I agree with the comment above–the incessant laughing is a little much. Eloise and Brother Bill had the right mix.

    I also think that Eloise should not have been fired from the station because he had to testify regarding the accident with Big Paul. He would have perjured himself not to tell the truth!

    I am switching to the Wolf!

  22. Well I missed the switch over on the morning show with a change in my work schedule along with listening to different stations. Man you could knocked me over with a feather now that I Googled WTQR and found out that Toby was let go. That hurts because I was let go with a layoff at one of my favorite jobs.
    No wonder now that WTQR is not the same when I put it on and Brother Bill and Angie are on at weird times. It seems that they are being slapped in the face as well and I don’t think that Jeff Roper is all that.
    Times change but what goes around comes around and you might could get bit in the ass.
    Y’all listening WTQR?

  23. wow, look at all the support my daddy had. I didn’t even knew my own mother got on these websites. hi mom. Aunt Eloise, i miss you terribly.

    i haven’t listened to WTQR in ages..

    i’m looking for an internship there, hopefully i can bring back some of what you and my daddy had.

    big paul and aunt eloise</3
    miss you daddy miss you AE.

  24. I started listing to 98.1 when Aunt Eloise moved to that station. No more WTQR for me. I really liked hearing Angie Ward but when she was paired with Jeff — no way! Bye forever WTQR. 98.1 has a new listener in me; they are a terrific station.

  25. Hey I’m big pauls daughter Landon fuller I’m the youngest of 6. I want to thank everyone for all the nice things said.. It’s nice to be able to know how good he was since I was little when he passed and don’t remember much. But I miss mr.Toby a lot in the mornings I also miss my daddy calling the house to put us on radio ! Well god bless you all

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