WCWA
Encyclopedia
WCWA is a radio station licensed to and serving Toledo, Ohio
. It is the second-oldest radio station in Toledo, and during AM radio's heyday it was a close second in popularity to WSPD
-AM for many years.
The call letters were changed in 1965, when the two radio stations split from Channel 11. The call sign "WCWA," or "seaway," was meant to pay tribute to the St. Lawrence Seaway, of which Toledo is a major port (and the seaway itself a major boon to the city's economy. The call sign was originally assigned to a merchant ship who gave up to call for a modest payment). By that time, the station had dropped all rock and roll music from rotation and moved into a MOR/adult contemporary music format. In 1982, "Seaway" switched to an adult standards
format in response to ratings having fallen to an all-time low; the move paid off with increased ratings, and in 1985 WCWA was named MOR/Nostalgia station of the year by Billboard magazine.
After two decades playing standards, WCWA changed format to talk radio
in November 2002. The station's ratings subsequently crashed, and the current sports-talk format was adopted in May 2004; although this change also did nothing to help the station's ratings. Along with abysmal ratings, the format change away from music brought much heated protest within the community, specifically from an organization known as CORRAL.
, and is part of that company's Toledo cluster. WCWA (and its predecessor WTOL-AM) was owned by Frazier Reams for many years prior to radio deregulation in 1996. Other stations in the Clear Channel Toledo cluster are: WSPD
1370 AM, WVKS
92.5 FM (KISS FM), WRVF
101.5 FM (The River), WCKY-FM
103.7 FM, and WIOT
104.7 FM.
WCWA transmits at a power of 1,000 watts, from studios located atop the Fort Industry Square building on Summit Street in downtown Toledo. The station's advertising offices are located at Superior and Lafayette. The transmitter is located near the intersection of Hawley & Whittier Streets and can be easily seen from the Anthony Wayne Trail. WCWA also streams its signal and available on the IHeartRadio app
WCWA is the Toledo affiliate of Fox Sports Radio
and The Jim Rome Show
.
baseball, with all regular season games, playoffs and the Triple-A All-Star Game
broadcast. The Cleveland Indians
' weekday (and a few weekend) games are heard on WCWA, with all weeknight and other weekend games on its news-talk sister, WSPD
.
WCWA is also the flagship of the Toledo Walleye
ECHL hockey club, which played its inaugural season in 2009-2010. WCWA also carries University of Toledo
women's basketball (with Rich Hoffer as the "Voice of the Lady Rockets"). There is also a big commitment to local high school football on the station, as WCWA broadcasts Toledo Central Catholic High School
football games. They also carry two local sports talk shows in The Odd Couple Sports Show and B Chap sports.
(named Chief Engineer in 1974) has been the legendary Dennis Moon. WCWA was known for having a clearer, fuller sound than most AM stations that offered music programming. This has been attributed by many who have worked there to Moon's decades-long devotion to WCWA's audio quality. The "Moon-unit" updated WCWA to digital HD Radio (IBOC) in the summer of 2007. With just 7 watts of digital power, the station can be received in hybrid digital all the way to the Michigan border.
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. It is the second-oldest radio station in Toledo, and during AM radio's heyday it was a close second in popularity to WSPD
WSPD
WSPD — branded The Talk of Toledo - 1370 WSPD — is a news-talk radio station licensed to Toledo, Ohio. WSPD broadcasts on a full-time basis with 5,000 watts, including a directional signal pattern at night...
-AM for many years.
History
The station signed on in 1938 as WTOL-AM, founded by former Toledo prosecutor Frazier Reams (whose family would continue to own the station all the way until 1996). Originally licensed for daytime operations only, WTOL was granted authority for around-the-clock operations in 1939 and affiliated with NBC's Blue network (later to become ABC) shortly thereafter. Programming on WTOL until the mid-1960s was a typical full-service hodgepodge of news, information, sports, ABC network programs and various types of music, including pop, country, jazz, and, by the early 1960s, some rock and roll. For many years, WTOL was a family of three broadcast stations which included TV-11 and FM-104.7. Channel 11 remains WTOL to this day and is the most popular television station in Toledo.The call letters were changed in 1965, when the two radio stations split from Channel 11. The call sign "WCWA," or "seaway," was meant to pay tribute to the St. Lawrence Seaway, of which Toledo is a major port (and the seaway itself a major boon to the city's economy. The call sign was originally assigned to a merchant ship who gave up to call for a modest payment). By that time, the station had dropped all rock and roll music from rotation and moved into a MOR/adult contemporary music format. In 1982, "Seaway" switched to an adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
format in response to ratings having fallen to an all-time low; the move paid off with increased ratings, and in 1985 WCWA was named MOR/Nostalgia station of the year by Billboard magazine.
After two decades playing standards, WCWA changed format to talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
in November 2002. The station's ratings subsequently crashed, and the current sports-talk format was adopted in May 2004; although this change also did nothing to help the station's ratings. Along with abysmal ratings, the format change away from music brought much heated protest within the community, specifically from an organization known as CORRAL.
WCWA today
WCWA is owned by Clear Channel CommunicationsClear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
, and is part of that company's Toledo cluster. WCWA (and its predecessor WTOL-AM) was owned by Frazier Reams for many years prior to radio deregulation in 1996. Other stations in the Clear Channel Toledo cluster are: WSPD
WSPD
WSPD — branded The Talk of Toledo - 1370 WSPD — is a news-talk radio station licensed to Toledo, Ohio. WSPD broadcasts on a full-time basis with 5,000 watts, including a directional signal pattern at night...
1370 AM, WVKS
WVKS
WVKS is a Clear Channel-owned station serving Toledo, Ohio with a Top 40 format; it is the most popular Toledo station in this format.WVKS' studios and offices are located at Superior and Lafayette in downtown Toledo...
92.5 FM (KISS FM), WRVF
WRVF
WRVF is an American soft adult contemporary music formatted radio station in Toledo, Ohio, owned by Clear Channel Communications...
101.5 FM (The River), WCKY-FM
WCKY-FM
WCKY-FM is a radio station licensed to Pemberville, Ohio, serving the Toledo market. It operates a country music format. From its inception until 2008, the station was licensed to Tiffin, Ohio...
103.7 FM, and WIOT
WIOT
WIOT is a FM radio station in Toledo, Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts at 104.7 MHz.WIOT was Toledo's first FM rock station when it went on the air December 25, 1972, replacing a beautiful music/classical format. The call letters stood for "In Our Time"...
104.7 FM.
WCWA transmits at a power of 1,000 watts, from studios located atop the Fort Industry Square building on Summit Street in downtown Toledo. The station's advertising offices are located at Superior and Lafayette. The transmitter is located near the intersection of Hawley & Whittier Streets and can be easily seen from the Anthony Wayne Trail. WCWA also streams its signal and available on the IHeartRadio app
WCWA is the Toledo affiliate of Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
and The Jim Rome Show
Jim Rome
Jim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications....
.
Play by play
WCWA is the flagship station for Toledo Mud HensToledo Mud Hens
The Toledo Mud Hens are a minor league baseball team located in Toledo, Ohio. The Mud Hens play in the International League, and are affiliated with the major league baseball team the Detroit Tigers, based approximately 50 miles to the north of Toledo. The current team is one of several...
baseball, with all regular season games, playoffs and the Triple-A All-Star Game
Triple-A All-Star Game
The Triple-A All-Star Game is a single baseball game held between the two Triple-A leagues in minor league baseball—the International League and the Pacific Coast League...
broadcast. The Cleveland Indians
Cleveland Indians
The Cleveland Indians are a professional baseball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Since , they have played in Progressive Field. The team's spring training facility is in Goodyear, Arizona...
' weekday (and a few weekend) games are heard on WCWA, with all weeknight and other weekend games on its news-talk sister, WSPD
WSPD
WSPD — branded The Talk of Toledo - 1370 WSPD — is a news-talk radio station licensed to Toledo, Ohio. WSPD broadcasts on a full-time basis with 5,000 watts, including a directional signal pattern at night...
.
WCWA is also the flagship of the Toledo Walleye
Toledo Walleye
The Toledo Walleye are a professional ice hockey team based in Toledo, Ohio. The Walleye are members of the North Division of the Eastern Conference of the ECHL...
ECHL hockey club, which played its inaugural season in 2009-2010. WCWA also carries University of Toledo
University of Toledo
The University of Toledo is a public university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. The Carnegie Foundation classified the university as "Doctoral/Research Extensive."-National recognition:...
women's basketball (with Rich Hoffer as the "Voice of the Lady Rockets"). There is also a big commitment to local high school football on the station, as WCWA broadcasts Toledo Central Catholic High School
Central Catholic High School (Toledo, Ohio)
Central Catholic High School , is a Catholic, co-educational, college prep secondary school in Toledo, Ohio. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Toledo and is the largest Catholic high school in the area. CCHS was founded as Cathedral High School in 1919, with its name change in 1920...
football games. They also carry two local sports talk shows in The Odd Couple Sports Show and B Chap sports.
Signal strength
Since 1967, the station engineer at WCWA and WIOTWIOT
WIOT is a FM radio station in Toledo, Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts at 104.7 MHz.WIOT was Toledo's first FM rock station when it went on the air December 25, 1972, replacing a beautiful music/classical format. The call letters stood for "In Our Time"...
(named Chief Engineer in 1974) has been the legendary Dennis Moon. WCWA was known for having a clearer, fuller sound than most AM stations that offered music programming. This has been attributed by many who have worked there to Moon's decades-long devotion to WCWA's audio quality. The "Moon-unit" updated WCWA to digital HD Radio (IBOC) in the summer of 2007. With just 7 watts of digital power, the station can be received in hybrid digital all the way to the Michigan border.
Specialty shows
WCWA has also featured a large schedule of ethnic and religious programming for most of its history. This includes shows devoted entirely to Polish, German, Mexican, and Irish music, as well as immensely popular Polka, Jazz, and Gospel programs. In addition to these specialty music programs, WCWA is also the home of several spoken-word religious shows covering many different faiths. Some of these religious shows have been on WCWA since its inception. All or most of these programs survived the format switch, and can mainly be heard on weekends.Former on-air staff
- Terry (Gottschalk) Shaw
- Bill Charles
- Bill Stewart
- Rich Hoffer
- Dennis Williams
- Bill Thomas (Niederman)
- Michael Drew Shaw
- Bob Martz
- Bob Kelley
- Lou Hebert
- Dennis Staples
- Bob Malik
- Larry Weseman
- Jay Richards
- Larry Fletcher
- Cliff Jeffries
- Suzanne Carroll
- Duane Stacker
- Don Edwards - longtime newscaster
- Gary Siegel
- Bruce Wild
- Jim Cayce
- Jim Carney
- Tom Waniewski
- Don King (Saturday Morning LIVE)(The Scoreboard Show)
- David Domanski (Saturday Morning LIVE)
- Joe Zalewski (Polka Spotlight Show)
- Bob Earl Jr. (Polka Spotlight Show)
- Janet Gawle (Melodies of Poland)(STILL ON THE AIR)
- Denny Kutylowski (Melodies of Poland)
- Lyn Casye
- Pete Petersen (German/American Hour)(STILL ON THE AIR)
- Kate Preston
- Fr. Raphael Biernacki (Melodies of Poland)(Orthodox Hour)
- John Connelly (Echoes of Ireland) (STILL ON THE AIR)
- Sylvester Duran
- Mike Morrin
- Sir Bernard J. Quayle
- Mike Cook
- Lee Fowler
- Bob Brown
- Paul W. SmithPaul W. SmithPaul W. Smith is the morning drive-time host at Detroit, Michigan's WJR radio. As a clear-channel station on 760 AM, WJR can be heard throughout the Midwest, and Smith's program is known throughout the region...
- later at KYW-AM Philadelphia and WJRWJRWJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
Detroit. - Jim "Uncle Felty" Felton also at WKYC and CKLWCKLWCKLW is a 50,000 watt AM radio station broadcasting on 800 kHz and located in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and serving Windsor and Detroit. Additionally, its signal can be heard as far west as Belding, Michigan; as far east as Batavia, New York; as far south as Edgewood, Kentucky; and as far...
- Charley Frederick
- Bill Gill