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Remembering WCLQ
- Thread starter FM 100 Means Music
- Start date
Ah yes...Preview.
What kid in cleveland in the 80's didn't try to watch the scrambled movies after 8 p.m.?
Channel 61 (in it's 2nd life) had a nice little niche as the secondary independent station in Cleveland behind channel 43.
But once channels 19 and 55 joined the party in 1985, WCLQ's goose was cooked.
WOIO quickly became the #2 indy, and WBNX had it's little lot in life with all the oldies and Ernest Angley's 90 and 9 Club.
61 threw in the towel in 1987 to go 24/7 home shopping, then flipping to Univision in 2002.
What kid in cleveland in the 80's didn't try to watch the scrambled movies after 8 p.m.?
Channel 61 (in it's 2nd life) had a nice little niche as the secondary independent station in Cleveland behind channel 43.
But once channels 19 and 55 joined the party in 1985, WCLQ's goose was cooked.
WOIO quickly became the #2 indy, and WBNX had it's little lot in life with all the oldies and Ernest Angley's 90 and 9 Club.
61 threw in the towel in 1987 to go 24/7 home shopping, then flipping to Univision in 2002.
Shortly after it dipped into the home shopping pool, HSN actually bought the station - IIRC, under "Silver King Broadcasting". The handwriting was already on the wall. And of course, Univision came with that company's purchase of all the Silver King stations.
And that's the reason a low-Hispanic density market like Cleveland has a full-power Spanish-language station.
As a red-blooded American male in my late teens/early 20's at the time...well, you make the call.
FYI, the WCLQ calls now reside on a non-comm Christian FM in Wisconsin.
And that's the reason a low-Hispanic density market like Cleveland has a full-power Spanish-language station.
vjm said:
As a red-blooded American male in my late teens/early 20's at the time...well, you make the call.
FYI, the WCLQ calls now reside on a non-comm Christian FM in Wisconsin.
Here's something - before Channel 61 was WCLQ... they were dark for a few years... but before that, they were owned by Kaiser Broadcasting, under the WKBF calls:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WQHS-TV
WKBF would be one of two Kaiser properties that would go dark (the other, of course, being Channel 48 in Philadelphia, then-WKBS, now WGTW).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WQHS-TV
WKBF would be one of two Kaiser properties that would go dark (the other, of course, being Channel 48 in Philadelphia, then-WKBS, now WGTW).
DToTheJ said:
After WKBF shut down, Kaiser took a nominal ownership interest in United Artists' WUAB/43, which ended in 1977 (Kaiser was bought out by Field Communications; UA/Transamerica then sold off WUAB to Gaylord).
Some audio recordings and print ads remain of WKBF, but no video. (Unless a control room guy from another station in the Kaiser chain kept a copy of "The Ghoul" for personal means, but I doubt it.) Forever lost to the ether.
Speaking of which, DToTheJ, did anyone ever recorded WKBS' tragic 1983 closedown on videotape? I heard part of it on an audio recording, but idk if anyone thought to record it... seeing as it took place after a college football game.
Another little nugget...
Channel 61 (in it's 1st incarnation as WKBF) was actually the 1st Cleveland station to try a 10 p.m. newscast in 1968.
It didn't last long however, and the idea wasn't tried again until WUAB started it's "10 O'Clock News" 20 years later (which ultimately morphed/grew into the "19 Action News" we--ahem--know and love today).
These days, what is officially listed as "19 Action News at 10" is Sharon Reed's personal newscast, as she has her own little sandbox to play in as she waits for Denise Dufala to be fired/demoted/retire so she can take over the 6 and 11 p.m. "A Team" anchor chair.
Then after flipping to FOX in 1994, channel 8 joined the 10 p.m. news party, where they've ruled the roost for a decade and a half.
Channel 61 (in it's 1st incarnation as WKBF) was actually the 1st Cleveland station to try a 10 p.m. newscast in 1968.
It didn't last long however, and the idea wasn't tried again until WUAB started it's "10 O'Clock News" 20 years later (which ultimately morphed/grew into the "19 Action News" we--ahem--know and love today).
These days, what is officially listed as "19 Action News at 10" is Sharon Reed's personal newscast, as she has her own little sandbox to play in as she waits for Denise Dufala to be fired/demoted/retire so she can take over the 6 and 11 p.m. "A Team" anchor chair.
Then after flipping to FOX in 1994, channel 8 joined the 10 p.m. news party, where they've ruled the roost for a decade and a half.
IIRC, John Harrington did the short-lived WKBF/61 10 PM newscast. He later went to WKYC/3, where he spent decades...
WOIO had an amazing image when they went on the air. Their lineup was pretty cool too. It would only a matter of time before they would overtake WUAB, especially around 1992 and '93. WCLQ just deteriorated after WOIO and WBNX went on the air.
WBNX was an Akron independent until the CBS/Fox, and they would becoming a big Cleveland station, also overtaking WUAB as well.
WBNX was an Akron independent until the CBS/Fox, and they would becoming a big Cleveland station, also overtaking WUAB as well.
WOIO had the best imaging of a startup Independent I've ever seen..Remember "We're Nineteen, we're beautiful, and we're Yours"?..Worst thing that ever happened..Not so much Fox, but UPN and WB as national networks took away many of the great independent stations..Most are a shell of what they were..
Side thought-WOIO had been 1060AM in Canton from 1968-73..They made a big mistake giving up those call letters..
Side thought-WOIO had been 1060AM in Canton from 1968-73..They made a big mistake giving up those call letters..
CleveFan said:
I might not be remembering this right, but I'm pretty sure WBNX made no active effort to be "an Akron independent" on the air.
What changed the game for them was the move of their stick from Brecksville, to better facilities in the heart of the Parma antenna farm. That allowed them to legitimately target the entire market.
And yes, WCLQ basically had no place in life after "nineteen" came on. You can still see the sign-on, and the "nineteen" imaging, on YouTube. I was transfixed by all of it...smooth, computer-generated imaging!
OhioMediaWatch said:
BNX always identified itself as "Akron-Cleveland", targeting the whole market.
Remember, the original intent of the station was to be primaily an outlet for Rev. Angley to spread the word first and foremost, with all the oldies and whatever else they picked up at the televison "dollar store" the rest of the day as filler.
Once Fox Kids fell into their laps, that is when they decided to actually become a "real" TV station, and everything snowballed from there (acquiring top tier syndicated shows, becoming the WB affiliate, and then the CW).
Their original stick left a little bit to be desired (it was watchable in C-Town, though a bit fuzzy). The new antenna is light years better, but you can have the greatest antenna in the world, if the schedule isn't up to snuff, than in the end it won't matter.
Thus it was scheduling more than stick that gave 55 a permanent seat at the grown ups table.
And WOIO in the early years did have slick imaging. Though it must be said that picking up Fox is what helped it overtake 43 more than anything.
Yep, vjm, I basically agree with all those points.
But if they were still out of Brecksville, they'd still have some trouble with even the upgraded programming. Not so much now in the cable/satellite era, but definitely back then.
WOIO had some pretty moldie oldies when "nineteen" first debuted. I remember seeing "The Adventures of Superman" (B&W) and "Batman" promos at launch.
But the combination of Fox, and better syndie fare, propelled WOIO to being a force in the market.
But if they were still out of Brecksville, they'd still have some trouble with even the upgraded programming. Not so much now in the cable/satellite era, but definitely back then.
WOIO had some pretty moldie oldies when "nineteen" first debuted. I remember seeing "The Adventures of Superman" (B&W) and "Batman" promos at launch.
But the combination of Fox, and better syndie fare, propelled WOIO to being a force in the market.
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