WDBZ
Encyclopedia
WDBZ is an Urban Talk and Urban Gospel hybrid formatted radio station
serving Cincinnati, Ohio
broadcasting on 1230 AM. WDBZ is branded as "Your Community & Inspiration Station." The station plays Gospel music except for weekdays between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, during which time The Lincoln Ware Show talk show airs. Saturday mornings and afternoons also feature talk shows.
, Channel 9. The call letters stood for Cincinnati Post Organization. WCPO was Cincinnati's first Top 40 Rock station, and was in the format from 1956 until it was sold in 1966; however, the station had a brief flip to an all-folk music
format in 1963, during the folk boom of the early 1960s. WCPO encountered serious competition from the stronger WSAI-AM 1360 when that station entered the Top 40 format in July, 1961. WSAI broadcast with 5000 watts day and night, while WCPO broadcast with 1000 watts during the day and only 250 watts at night. Some of the DJs on WCPO in the 1960s, included Shad O'Shea, Mike Gavin, Bob Keith, Mark Edwards, Gary Allyn, Steve Young and Gary Cory. Scripps-Howard sold the station to Kaye-Smith Broadcasting whose principals were Danny Kaye
(the entertainer) and business associate Lester Smith, in January 1966. Starting on January 15, 1966 the station call letters were changed to WUBE-AM, and almost the entire air staff was replaced. After another three year run as a Top-40 station, known as 1-2-3-W-B it became a country music
formatted station in April, 1969. They operated the station along with a sister FM at 105.1 MHz until the late 70s when they sold all their radio properties to Plough Broadcasting, then a part of the pharmaceutical company, Schering-Plough
.
After partially simulcasting with its FM sister station WUBE-FM
(105.1) for years, the station changed from its long-running country format to a Big Band
/Nostalgia
format in 1981 using Al Hamm's syndicated "Music of Your Life
" service and changed the call letters to WMLX
. (WMLX was rumored to mean "MUSIC of your LIFE and TIMES.")
In 1984, Schering-Plough divested its radio division and sold the 1230 AM and 105.1 FM signals (along with its other 7 stations around the country) to DKM Broadcasting headed by former Cox Radio
executive, James Wesley, and formed with the backing of investment firm DKM (Dyson Kissner-Moran), for the initial purpose of acquiring the Plough Broadcasting radio properties. On January 1, 1985, the call letters changed again to WDJO
and the station adopted a "oldies rock 'n' roll" format. In 1986, both stations were sold to American Media Inc.
In 1990, the station's format changed to a simulcast of sister country station WUBE-FM. The station held on to the WDJO call letters until March 16, 1990 in order to keep them from going to another broadcaster who may have wanted to do an FM oldies format. (An FM Oldies station did emerge in January, 1990 as WGRR-FM 103.5.) The WUBE-AM call letters appeared on 1230 AM for the first time in almost ten years on March 16, 1990. During this time the station aired a few seasons of Cincinnati Cyclones
minor league hockey and some other weekend sports programming separate from the FM. In 1991, American Media sold the stations to National Radio Partners, which eventually changed its name to Chancellor Media and was later known as AMFM Inc. AMFM eventually merged with Clear Channel in 2000.
In 1995, 1230 AM became All-Sports "The Score." It swapped programming with sister All Sports station WKYN-AM 1160 (later WBOB) in 1996, and the two stations became a sports combo at one point, simulcasting some programs to make up for individual signal deficiencies. The stronger 1160 AM was known as "BOB", while 1230 AM was known as "BOB 2", similar to the ESPN and ESPN2 cable networks. (See the WDJO page for more on this relationship). Some Bengals play-by-play aired on 1230 AM at that time, as WUBE-FM and WBOB were the official Bengals stations from 1997-1999. A "modern standards" based music format called Retro-Radio occupied the 1230 AM dial position in 1998, but was dropped in favor of returning to the sports combo format. The station was eventually sold to Blue Chip Broadcasting in 2000 as part of the AMFM/Clear Channel merger. Sister WUBE-FM was sold to Infinity Broadcasting. Blue Chip then launched the "BUZZ" format in August 2000. The format was changed to "Community and Inspiration" - a mix of the talk format and gospel music - in late 2008. The "BUZZ" moniker was dropped in favor of the WDBZ call letters. After a long LMA, Radio One took official ownership of WDBZ in 2007.
Until December 15, 1984, the 1230 AM frequency broadcast at 1000 watts during the day and 250 watts at night, which made its nighttime audience reach extremely limited. On this date the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) granted DKM the ability to broadcast the 1230 frequency at 1000 watts 24 hours a day. Incidentally, for many years the 1230 frequency broadcast from a tower located on top of a 5-story building on the eastern edge of downtown Cincinnati and was partially inhibited by the hillside of Mount Adams, Ohio
which rose right behind and to the east of the building. The current tower site is in Eden Park on a former Cincinnati Police communications tower.
Two sets of heritage call letters originated on 1230 AM: WCPO (now the city's ABC affiliate on Channel 9) and WUBE (the city's heritage FM Country music station, B-105).
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
serving Cincinnati, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
broadcasting on 1230 AM. WDBZ is branded as "Your Community & Inspiration Station." The station plays Gospel music except for weekdays between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, during which time The Lincoln Ware Show talk show airs. Saturday mornings and afternoons also feature talk shows.
History
WDBZ broadcasts on one of the oldest radio frequencies in Cincinnati. The AM license was originally granted in 1927 and broadcast as WFBE-AM 1200, later moving to 1230 and eventually becoming WCPO-AM in the 1940s. Scripps-Howard Broadcasting owned the station along with The Cincinnati Post and WCPO-TVWCPO-TV
WCPO-TV, virtual channel 9 , is an ABC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio. WCPO's studio is located in the Mount Adams neighborhood of Cincinnati, just outside of Eden Park. Its transmitter is located along Symmes Street, just south of East McMillan Street in Cincinnati.The station...
, Channel 9. The call letters stood for Cincinnati Post Organization. WCPO was Cincinnati's first Top 40 Rock station, and was in the format from 1956 until it was sold in 1966; however, the station had a brief flip to an all-folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
format in 1963, during the folk boom of the early 1960s. WCPO encountered serious competition from the stronger WSAI-AM 1360 when that station entered the Top 40 format in July, 1961. WSAI broadcast with 5000 watts day and night, while WCPO broadcast with 1000 watts during the day and only 250 watts at night. Some of the DJs on WCPO in the 1960s, included Shad O'Shea, Mike Gavin, Bob Keith, Mark Edwards, Gary Allyn, Steve Young and Gary Cory. Scripps-Howard sold the station to Kaye-Smith Broadcasting whose principals were Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye
Danny Kaye was a celebrated American actor, singer, dancer, and comedian...
(the entertainer) and business associate Lester Smith, in January 1966. Starting on January 15, 1966 the station call letters were changed to WUBE-AM, and almost the entire air staff was replaced. After another three year run as a Top-40 station, known as 1-2-3-W-B it became a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
formatted station in April, 1969. They operated the station along with a sister FM at 105.1 MHz until the late 70s when they sold all their radio properties to Plough Broadcasting, then a part of the pharmaceutical company, Schering-Plough
Schering-Plough
Schering-Plough Corporation was a United States-based pharmaceutical company. It was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering as Schering AG in Germany. In 1971, the Schering Corporation merged with Plough to form Schering-Plough. On November 4, 2009 Merck & Co...
.
After partially simulcasting with its FM sister station WUBE-FM
WUBE-FM
WUBE-FM is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, the station serves the Cincinnati area. The station is currently owned by Bonneville Holding Company. The station is also broadcast on HD radio....
(105.1) for years, the station changed from its long-running country format to a Big Band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
/Nostalgia
Nostalgia
The term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
format in 1981 using Al Hamm's syndicated "Music of Your Life
Music of Your Life
Music of Your Life is a satellite-delivered radio network featuring the Adult Standards music format. Created by record executive and jingle writer Al Ham, and now under the direction of Marc Angell, Music of Your Life has more than 50 AM, FM and HD-2 radio station affiliates, and has been in...
" service and changed the call letters to WMLX
WMLX
WMLX is a commercial FM radio station licensed to St. Marys, Ohio, operating at 103.3 MHz with currently a Mainstream AC format. Its studios and offices are located on West Market Street in Lima, Ohio with its transmitter located just outside Buckland, Ohio.The station began broadcasting in...
. (WMLX was rumored to mean "MUSIC of your LIFE and TIMES.")
In 1984, Schering-Plough divested its radio division and sold the 1230 AM and 105.1 FM signals (along with its other 7 stations around the country) to DKM Broadcasting headed by former Cox Radio
Cox Radio
Cox Radio, Inc. is a division of Cox Enterprises that holds a number of radio stations. Cox Radio is headquartered at 6205 Peachtree Dunwoody Road in Sandy Springs, Georgia....
executive, James Wesley, and formed with the backing of investment firm DKM (Dyson Kissner-Moran), for the initial purpose of acquiring the Plough Broadcasting radio properties. On January 1, 1985, the call letters changed again to WDJO
WDJO
WQRT is a radio station licensed to Florence, Kentucky in the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area that carries a conservative talk format primarily from Talk Radio Network.-At 1180 AM:...
and the station adopted a "oldies rock 'n' roll" format. In 1986, both stations were sold to American Media Inc.
In 1990, the station's format changed to a simulcast of sister country station WUBE-FM. The station held on to the WDJO call letters until March 16, 1990 in order to keep them from going to another broadcaster who may have wanted to do an FM oldies format. (An FM Oldies station did emerge in January, 1990 as WGRR-FM 103.5.) The WUBE-AM call letters appeared on 1230 AM for the first time in almost ten years on March 16, 1990. During this time the station aired a few seasons of Cincinnati Cyclones
Cincinnati Cyclones
The Cincinnati Cyclones are a professional hockey team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The team is a member of the ECHL. Founded in 1990, the team first played their games in the Cincinnati Gardens and now play at U.S. Bank Arena....
minor league hockey and some other weekend sports programming separate from the FM. In 1991, American Media sold the stations to National Radio Partners, which eventually changed its name to Chancellor Media and was later known as AMFM Inc. AMFM eventually merged with Clear Channel in 2000.
In 1995, 1230 AM became All-Sports "The Score." It swapped programming with sister All Sports station WKYN-AM 1160 (later WBOB) in 1996, and the two stations became a sports combo at one point, simulcasting some programs to make up for individual signal deficiencies. The stronger 1160 AM was known as "BOB", while 1230 AM was known as "BOB 2", similar to the ESPN and ESPN2 cable networks. (See the WDJO page for more on this relationship). Some Bengals play-by-play aired on 1230 AM at that time, as WUBE-FM and WBOB were the official Bengals stations from 1997-1999. A "modern standards" based music format called Retro-Radio occupied the 1230 AM dial position in 1998, but was dropped in favor of returning to the sports combo format. The station was eventually sold to Blue Chip Broadcasting in 2000 as part of the AMFM/Clear Channel merger. Sister WUBE-FM was sold to Infinity Broadcasting. Blue Chip then launched the "BUZZ" format in August 2000. The format was changed to "Community and Inspiration" - a mix of the talk format and gospel music - in late 2008. The "BUZZ" moniker was dropped in favor of the WDBZ call letters. After a long LMA, Radio One took official ownership of WDBZ in 2007.
Until December 15, 1984, the 1230 AM frequency broadcast at 1000 watts during the day and 250 watts at night, which made its nighttime audience reach extremely limited. On this date the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) granted DKM the ability to broadcast the 1230 frequency at 1000 watts 24 hours a day. Incidentally, for many years the 1230 frequency broadcast from a tower located on top of a 5-story building on the eastern edge of downtown Cincinnati and was partially inhibited by the hillside of Mount Adams, Ohio
Mount Adams, Ohio
Mt. Adams is a geographic landmark and residential neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio, located directly east of downtown Cincinnati, south of Walnut Hills, south-west of East Walnut Hills, and west of the East End....
which rose right behind and to the east of the building. The current tower site is in Eden Park on a former Cincinnati Police communications tower.
Two sets of heritage call letters originated on 1230 AM: WCPO (now the city's ABC affiliate on Channel 9) and WUBE (the city's heritage FM Country music station, B-105).