• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Frequency with Most Call Letters

J

JohnnyMorganWXJX

Guest
I was intrigued by a post on the Coast to Coast board:

What NE Ohio frequency has the dubious distinction of having the most call letters attached to it during its years of existence?

Extra points to those with more calls in a shorter period of time.

My nominee for Cleveland: 1260 AM

WDOK, WIXY, WMGC, WBBG, WMJI, WRDZ, WMIH, WWMK (55 years existence, 8 calls)

My FM nominee: 92.3

WCUY, WLYT, WRQC, WJMO-FM, WZJM, WXTM


For the record, from what I can tell the only Cleveland station to keep its original calls the ENTIRE length of its existence: WDOK-FM (1950); runner-up is WCRF (1960), and 3rd place is WELW (1965?).
(Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Akron station with longevity of uninterrupted calls would be WAKR; runner-up, WCUE?)
 
> (Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Akron station with
> longevity of uninterrupted calls would be WAKR; runner-up,
> WCUE?)

Sounds about right.

1350, meanwhile, has gone through WHKK, WADC, WSLR (longest, of course), WTOU and now WARF.

640 has sported the WHLO calls for decades.

FM wise - how long as WONE/97.5 had those calls? IIRC they were WAKR-FM originally. And I can't remember what calls WQMX/94.9 had before WDBN... and we all know the story behind the calls on 96.5, and that 100.1 was WKNT-FM before becoming today's WNIR.

-OA<P ID="signature">______________
Ohio Media Watch - <a target="_blank" href=http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com>http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com</a></P>
 
Quite a few on 92.3 in Cleveland; WXTM, WZJM, WJMO, WRQC. etc.

> > (Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Akron station with
> > longevity of uninterrupted calls would be WAKR; runner-up,
>
> > WCUE?)
>
> Sounds about right.
>
> 1350, meanwhile, has gone through WHKK, WADC, WSLR (longest,
> of course), WTOU and now WARF.
>
> 640 has sported the WHLO calls for decades.
>
> FM wise - how long as WONE/97.5 had those calls? IIRC they
> were WAKR-FM originally. And I can't remember what calls
> WQMX/94.9 had before WDBN... and we all know the story
> behind the calls on 96.5, and that 100.1 was WKNT-FM before
> becoming today's WNIR.
>
> -OA
>
 
> > (Correct me if I'm wrong, but the Akron station with
> > longevity of uninterrupted calls would be WAKR; runner-up,
>
> > WCUE?)
>
> Sounds about right.
>
> 1350, meanwhile, has gone through WHKK, WADC, WSLR (longest,
> of course), WTOU and now WARF.
>
> 640 has sported the WHLO calls for decades.

IIRC, WHLO was originally WHKK back in the forties. Yes, it was a sister to WHK in Cleveland. WHKK was part of a station swap between Cleveland, Akron and Columbus by WHK's then-owner, Forest City/The Plain Dealer, that saw WTVN sign on in what was WCLE in Cleveland. Became WHLO "Hello Radio" sometime in the late 50's.

> FM wise - how long as WONE/97.5 had those calls? IIRC they
> were WAKR-FM originally.

Became WAEZ in the 70's, then over to WONE-FM in the mid-80's. Were co-owned with both WONE/980 in Dayton at that same time. WONE-AM's sister held the calls WTUE-FM - and, yes, were promoted as "One" and "Two!"

FYI, both WONE-AM and WTUE-FM are now CC stations.

> And I can't remember what calls
> WQMX/94.9 had before WDBN...

WDBN looks to be 94.9-Medina's original callsign. (What did it stand for, anyway?)

- nate81<P ID="signature">______________
Nathan Obral
University Partership Representative
Student Senate
Lorain County Community College, Elyria, Ohio

LCCC Radio - The Duck</P>
 
> For the record, from what I can tell the only Cleveland
> station to keep its original calls the ENTIRE length of its
> existence: WDOK-FM (1950); runner-up is WCRF (1960), and 3rd
> place is WELW (1965?).

WDOK-FM's original callsign was WEWS-FM before E.W. Scripps (who owned WEWS-TV, of course, and the Cleveland Press) quickly sold 102.1 to Fred Wolfe, taking the WDOK calls from 1260.

Suburbs-wise, WEOL-AM in Elyria has held their original calls in place since 1948. Same with WLEC-Sandusky and WJER-Dover. IIRC, WHBC-AM in Canton dates back to 1939.

- nate81<P ID="signature">______________
Nathan Obral
University Partership Representative
Student Senate
Lorain County Community College, Elyria, Ohio

LCCC Radio - The Duck</P>
 
97.5 Akron and 94.9 Medina-Akron

> 640 has sported the WHLO calls for decades.

I think 640 was also WHKK--I seem to remember some little bit of history about 1420, 640, and 610 all having the same origin in re: owner, and that each sported "WHK" calls: Cleveland had WHK, Akron's 640 had WHKK (the former WCLE), and Columbus' 610 had WHKC.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

> FM wise - how long as WONE/97.5 had those calls? IIRC they
> were WAKR-FM originally.

97.5's call history: WAKR-FM, WAEZ (late 1970s), WONE-FM (in 1985).

From Adam Mark (Rubber City Radio Asst. Chief Engineer), from an Airwaves.com post December 1998

> And I can't remember what calls
> WQMX/94.9 had before WDBN...

Mike Olszewski's Cleveland Broadcast Radio Archives has WDBN on the air with those calls as early as 1961, and in full-time stereo no less. It became WQMX in 1988.

> and we all know the story
> behind the calls on 96.5

Indeed.

> and that 100.1 was WKNT-FM before
> becoming today's WNIR.
>
> -OA
>
 
Re: 97.5 Akron and 94.9 Medina-Akron

> > 640 has sported the WHLO calls for decades.
>
> I think 640 was also WHKK--I seem to remember some little
> bit of history about 1420, 640, and 610 all having the same
> origin in re: owner, and that each sported "WHK" calls:
> Cleveland had WHK, Akron's 640 had WHKK (the former WCLE),
> and Columbus' 610 had WHKC.
>
> Correct me if I'm wrong.

No need to.

> > FM wise - how long as WONE/97.5 had those calls? IIRC
> they
> > were WAKR-FM originally.
>
> 97.5's call history: WAKR-FM, WAEZ (late 1970s), WONE-FM (in
> 1985).
>
> From Adam Mark (Rubber City Radio Asst. Chief Engineer),
> from an Airwaves.com post December 1998
>

I didn't know Group W owned 1590/97.5 way back! Learn something new every day, I guess...

- nate81<P ID="signature">______________
Nathan Obral
University Partership Representative
Student Senate
Lorain County Community College, Elyria, Ohio

LCCC Radio - The Duck</P>
 
How about 107.9
WENZ
WPHR (?)
WELW-FM
WNOB

am i missing any?<P ID="signature">______________
Henry Aaron hit 755 career home runs. How many of these were of the "inside the park" variety ?</P>
 
Re: 107.9

Only one more I could think of:

WDMT

> How about 107.9
> WENZ
> WPHR (?)
> WELW-FM
> WNOB
>
> am i missing any?
>
 
Re: 97.5 Akron and 94.9 Medina-Akron

Are you sure you're not thinking Group One rather than Group W?<P ID="signature">______________
Soon to set the world record for recieving Nigerian scam and phising e-mails!</P>
 
107.9 - The call than never was...

> Only one more I could think of:
>
> WDMT
>
> > How about 107.9
> > WENZ
> > WPHR (?)
> > WELW-FM
> > WNOB
> >
> > am i missing any?

Sounds right - though Radio One nearly changed WENZ's calls back in 1999 to fit the inital positioner of "Kiss 107.9..." Then CC - WENZ's previous owner - flipped WZLE-FM to "Kiss 104.9", and fought Radio One for the the Kiss label.

Radio One blinked, and WENZ became "Z-1079." Whatever calls they wanted are lost forever.

- nate81<P ID="signature">______________
Nathan Obral
University Partership Representative
Student Senate
Lorain County Community College, Elyria, Ohio

LCCC Radio - The Duck</P>
 
Re: 107.9

Bingo! (Oops thats a small market AM Radio station game)<P ID="signature">______________
Henry Aaron hit 755 career home runs. How many of these were of the "inside the park" variety ?</P>
 
Re: 97.5 Akron and 94.9 Medina-Akron

> Are you sure you're not thinking Group One rather than Group
> W?
>

That was MY thought as well.

I don't remember Group W/Westinghouse Broadcasting Corp. owning anything in Ohio after the reversal of the Cleveland-Philadelphia/NBC-Westinghouse deal in 1965.

But I DO know that Group One (hence, W"ONE") had stations in Dayton and Akron--which just happened to be the stations at issue here.

I think Rubber City's engineer, in his haste or as a clerical error, meant Group One, but erroneously typed the monolith Group W.
 
> > For the record, from what I can tell the only Cleveland
> > station to keep its original calls the ENTIRE length of
> its
> > existence: WDOK-FM (1950); runner-up is WCRF (1960), and
> 3rd
> > place is WELW (1965?).
>
> WDOK-FM's original callsign was WEWS-FM before E.W. Scripps
> (who owned WEWS-TV, of course, and the Cleveland Press)
> quickly sold 102.1 to Fred Wolfe, taking the WDOK calls from
> 1260.
>

Damnit, one mistake.

I thought I was spot on with that one--I guess not.

Of course, whoever would have imagined that the FM was around BEFORE the AM???
 
Re: 97.5 Akron and 94.9 Medina-Akron

> From Adam Mark (Rubber City Radio Asst. Chief Engineer),
> from an Airwaves.com post December 1998
>

Oh dear Lord...I have to clarify this, Adam was never the Asst. Chief Engineer, he worked in the engineering dept.

It was owned by Group One, hence the W(ONE)...Am in Dayton and FM in Akron.
 
Re: 97.5 Akron and 94.9 Medina-Akron

> > From Adam Mark (Rubber City Radio Asst. Chief Engineer),
> > from an Airwaves.com post December 1998
> >
>
> Oh dear Lord...I have to clarify this, Adam was never the
> Asst. Chief Engineer, he worked in the engineering dept.
>
> It was owned by Group One, hence the W(ONE)...Am in Dayton
> and FM in Akron.
>

Thanks for the clarification.

I took his title directly from his signature line on the Airwaves.com post.

And I figured the Group W thing was inaccurate.
 
Re: 97.5 Akron and 94.9 Medina-Akron

> Thanks for the clarification.
>
> I took his title directly from his signature line on the
> Airwaves.com post.
>
> And I figured the Group W thing was inaccurate.
>


Yeah I know, he liked to say he was the asst. chief....lol
 
Re: 97.5 Akron and 94.9 Medina-Akron

Group W wouldn't have messed with anything in a market the size of Akron unless it was a 50,000 Watt AM blowtorch, like WOWO.

Speaking of WDBN, I once heard it as a beautiful music station in the late 70s, it seems that it had an ID liner that went on forever, something like "we take you (various places..probably said something about relaxiation)....and all the way back again, WDBN, Medina. <P ID="signature">______________
Soon to set the world record for recieving Nigerian scam and phising e-mails!</P>
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom