R.I.P.: Jamie McKibben, Longtime MI Personality, Station Owner

Jamie McKibben

Longtime Jackson, MI radio personality and station owner Jamie McKibben has died in a boating accident in Ohio.

According to mlive.com, McKibben and another man, 63-year-old James Miller, were found dead in Clendening Lake, OH on Monday, Nov. 16th.  According to Adria Bergeron, Muskingum Watershed Conservancy Distrect of marking and communication, both men likely died from drowning.

Officials think they were crossing the lake, which is located in Harrison County on the far eastern side of the state, to reach a hunting area, Bergeron said.

McKibbin, 43, known as “The Big Dog,” worked as a morning show host on Country WKHM K105.3 for 18 years before buying Jackson Radio Works last October.  Jackson Radio Works operates Newstalk WKHM 970 AM / W268CA 101.5 FM, WKHM K105.3 FM, WIBM 95.9 FM The Power Cow and Sports W270CJ 101.9 FM, WKHM-HD2.

“I wish we had a better outcome," Bergeron said. "Our hearts go out to the community that we know is going to miss these guys.”

The men were last seen on security footage at Clendening Lake Marina around 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 15, and were reported missing around midnight by friends who had arrived later in the day Sunday, according to a news release.

There’s a chance weather was a factor in the incident because the area had high winds on Sunday, Bergeron said. Gusts in the area reached 48 mph Sunday, per the National Weather Service.

“It seems like they were avid outdoorsmen so I’m sure there’s a lot of question marks as to what happened and a lot of people probably want to know,” Bergeron said. “The only thing I can tell you is the weather here on Sunday – we had really high winds.”