WERT
Encyclopedia
WERT is a radio station
broadcasting an Oldies
/Adult Standards
featuring soft oldies chiefly from the 1940s through today. Licensed to Van Wert, Ohio
, USA, the station serves Van Wert primarily but is considered part of the Lima market. The station is currently owned by First Family Broadcasting and broadcasts from its studios on the Lincoln Highway
(County Highway 418) just east of Van Wert.
in 1963. The original owners also built and launched WERT-FM 98.9 in 1962, giving Van Wert its own FM service.
WERT AM and FM were then sold to a California company in 1967 for $160,000, according to an article in that years Van Wert Times Bulletin newspaper. The west coast firm would absentee own and operate the stations for the next four years.
Ray Livesay, from Matoon, Il. then purchased the local AM/FM combo in 1971 and operated it throughout much of the 1970s and 80s, boosting the power of WERT-FM to 50,000 watts in 1984.
1988 saw another change in ownership when Atlantic Resources, based in Cincinnati, Ohio bought the stations for a reported 1 million dollars with intentions to move the high power WERT-FM to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, where it remains today as 98.9 The Bear. WERT-AM was then paired with a new FM station licensed to Paulding, Ohio at 99.7 on the dial and sold to Community Broadcasting of Van Wert in 1991.
In 1994 Chris Roberts (previously with WOWO
in Fort Wayne) purchased the local stations after forming First Family Broadcasting, Inc.
/sports radio
station WKSD
99.7 FM in Paulding
(formerly WERT-FM; the original WERT-FM, at 98.9, is now WBYR
serving the Fort Wayne
market, and is no longer co-owned with WERT-AM).
For many years WERT aired programming from ABC Radio's (now Citadel Media) "Timeless Favorites
" format. After "Timeless Favorites" was discontinued in February 2010, the station opted to return to locally originating programming.
A powerful windstorm powered by the remnants of Hurricane Ike
caused damage to its transmitting tower on Sunday September 14, 2008. According to a WLIO-TV news story dated September 15, 2008, engineers from the Fort Wayne area along with Chief Engineer Chris Roberts, also the principal owner, worked feverishly to bring the station back on the air. In the interim, WERT continued to operate with reduced power by means of a temporary antenna and an internet audiostream until Friday September 19, 2008 when the new tower was finished. The station returned to full power late in the afternoon on that day as reported by the Van Wert Independent newspaper.
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...
broadcasting an Oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
/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...
featuring soft oldies chiefly from the 1940s through today. Licensed to Van Wert, Ohio
Van Wert, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,690 people, 4,556 households, and 2,947 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,803.8 people per square mile . There were 4,927 housing units at an average density of 831.4 per square mile...
, USA, the station serves Van Wert primarily but is considered part of the Lima market. The station is currently owned by First Family Broadcasting and broadcasts from its studios on the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
(County Highway 418) just east of Van Wert.
History
From its first day of broadcasting on Thanksgiving Day in November 1958, WERT-AM 1220, then owned by its local founder The Van Wert Broadcasting Company, has traditionally been a middle of the road formated music station. WERT's original design engineer was also instrumental in the founding of WMVR in SidneySidney, Ohio
Sidney is a city in Shelby County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,211 at the 2000 census. It is named after English poet Sir Phillip Sidney and is the county seat of Shelby County.Sidney was the recipient of the 1964 All-America City Award...
in 1963. The original owners also built and launched WERT-FM 98.9 in 1962, giving Van Wert its own FM service.
WERT AM and FM were then sold to a California company in 1967 for $160,000, according to an article in that years Van Wert Times Bulletin newspaper. The west coast firm would absentee own and operate the stations for the next four years.
Ray Livesay, from Matoon, Il. then purchased the local AM/FM combo in 1971 and operated it throughout much of the 1970s and 80s, boosting the power of WERT-FM to 50,000 watts in 1984.
1988 saw another change in ownership when Atlantic Resources, based in Cincinnati, Ohio bought the stations for a reported 1 million dollars with intentions to move the high power WERT-FM to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, where it remains today as 98.9 The Bear. WERT-AM was then paired with a new FM station licensed to Paulding, Ohio at 99.7 on the dial and sold to Community Broadcasting of Van Wert in 1991.
In 1994 Chris Roberts (previously with WOWO
WOWO
Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, WOWO is an independent news/talk radio station transmitting on 1190 kHz at 50,000 watts during the daylight hours and 9,800 watts during the nighttime hours. An application is on file with the Federal Communications Commission to add a fourth tower to the three...
in Fort Wayne) purchased the local stations after forming First Family Broadcasting, Inc.
Programming
WERT broadcasts a mix of adult standards from the '40s through today from its studios along historic Lincoln Highway. It is the heritage station serving the Van Wert area, and is co-owned with oldiesOldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
/sports radio
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
station WKSD
WKSD
WKSD is a radio station broadcasting a locally produced Classic Hits format. Licensed to Paulding, Ohio, USA. The station is currently owned by First Family Broadcasting and features news programing from...
99.7 FM in Paulding
Paulding, Ohio
Paulding is a village in and the county seat of Paulding County, Ohio, United States. It is located predominantly in Paulding Township. The population was 3,595 at the 2000 census.-History:...
(formerly WERT-FM; the original WERT-FM, at 98.9, is now WBYR
WBYR
WBYR, branded as 98.9 The Bear, is a radio station licensed to Woodburn, Indiana with studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The station broadcasts an active rock format at 98.9 on the FM dial. WBYR is owned by Federated Media.-History:...
serving the Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
market, and is no longer co-owned with WERT-AM).
For many years WERT aired programming from ABC Radio's (now Citadel Media) "Timeless Favorites
Timeless (radio network)
Timeless was a 24-hour satellite music service of Citadel Media . It has distributed a mix of soft oldies and adult standards to radio stations around the USA...
" format. After "Timeless Favorites" was discontinued in February 2010, the station opted to return to locally originating programming.
A powerful windstorm powered by the remnants of Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike
Hurricane Ike was the second-costliest hurricane ever to make landfall in the United States, the costliest hurricane ever to impact Cuba and the second most active hurricane to reach the Canadian mainland in the Great Lakes Region after Hurricane Hazel in 1954...
caused damage to its transmitting tower on Sunday September 14, 2008. According to a WLIO-TV news story dated September 15, 2008, engineers from the Fort Wayne area along with Chief Engineer Chris Roberts, also the principal owner, worked feverishly to bring the station back on the air. In the interim, WERT continued to operate with reduced power by means of a temporary antenna and an internet audiostream until Friday September 19, 2008 when the new tower was finished. The station returned to full power late in the afternoon on that day as reported by the Van Wert Independent newspaper.
Station Ownership
- 1958 - 1967 Van Wert Radio
- 1967 - 1971 California Radio
- 1971 - 1988 Livesay Broadcasting
- 1988 - 1991 Atlantic Resources
- 1991 - 1994 Community Broadcasting
- 1994 - Pres First Family Broadcasting, Inc.