Tim Jones is awake by 4:30 every morning to prepare for his workday. It’s early, for sure, but Jones is living out his dream job.
Jones, a former Missouri House Speaker, started as the new host of the Morning Line on KWTO in Springfield this week. He’s on-air from 5:30-9 a.m. every weekday, breaking down the news as listeners commute to work, alongside co-host Bonnie Bell.
“I have been involved in the radio industry as a host and contributor for about 10 years. It’s always been my dream to eventually have a daily show as more of a full-time job,” Jones told The Missouri Times in an interview.
The nearly four-hour show focuses on national and breaking news as well as state and local goings-on, Jones said. Guests range from national to local experts as Jones seeks to explain how even a national news story is relevant to peoples’ lives in southwest Missouri, he said.
“I hope [listeners] find me to be an excellent communicator as someone who takes large, national, complicated issues and breaks them down for people who are on the move and busy with their daily lives,” Jones said.
Prior to taking over the mornings for KWTO — part of Zimmer Communications — Jones worked as the chief communications officer for First Rule and hosted a show on NewsTalk 97.1 FM in St. Louis. He also served in the legislature until 2015.
Earlier this month, Jones launched Elevation Strategies, a strategic political consulting and communications company for conservative candidates and causes. He also serves as an advisor to members of the General Assembly.
Additionally, Jones is a senior fellow for external affairs at Americans for Tax Reform, chairman of the board for Missouri Club for Growth, and senior policy fellow at the Hammond Institute.
The Morning Line airs on Springfield’s 93.3 FM and AM 560.
Kaitlyn Schallhorn was the editor in chief of The Missouri Times from 2020-2022. She joined the newspaper in early 2019 after working as a reporter for Fox News in New York City.
Throughout her career, Kaitlyn has covered political campaigns across the U.S., including the 2016 presidential election, and humanitarian aid efforts in Africa and the Middle East.
She is a native of Missouri who studied journalism at Winthrop University in South Carolina. She is also an alumna of the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C.
Contact Kaitlyn at kaitlyn@themissouritimes.com.
