Fire crews continue battling a growing wildfire in eastern Alachua County that has reached 400 acres and is about 30 percent contained. The blaze started Wednesday afternoon in the Balu Forest north of State Road 26 east of Gainesville, prompting temporary road closures that have since been lifted. Crews from the Florida Forest Service, Alachua County Fire Rescue, and Windsor Fire Department are working the fire, supported by air tankers and helicopters that have dropped thousands of gallons of water. Officials say mapping efforts are underway to track the fire’s progress as crews work to bring it under control.
EDWARD HISTED
Ed launched his radio career in 1975 and has spent more than five decades in the broadcasting industry. During that time, he has served in a wide range of roles including Air Personality, News Director, Sales Manager, Operations Manager, and General Manager at numerous radio stations in various markets across the country. Beyond on-air and management responsibilities, Ed has also worked extensively on the technical side of broadcasting. His background includes RF engineering and information technology, with particular experience configuring digital automation systems and remote voice-tracking platforms used by stations across the country. Ed was also among a select group of industry professionals invited by Google to its California headquarters following the company’s acquisition of Scott Studios. He was one of just 12 broadcasters nationwide chosen to participate in discussions and provide input during the design and rollout of Google’s digital broadcast automation platform. Although the majority of Ed’s career—spanning roughly four decades—was rooted in music radio, he transitioned into news and information programming in 2012. He says the move into spoken-word broadcasting was a natural evolution after decades of experience in multiple areas of the industry.