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WIMA (AM)
Encyclopedia
WIMA "The Talk Station" is a commercial AM broadcasting station operating at 1150 kHz in Lima, Ohio
owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications
which also operates FM sister stations WIMT
, WLWD, WZRX-FM
and WMLX
from its studio and office location on West Market Street. Its transmitter is located on McClain Road in Fort Shawnee.
It is Lima's first and oldest commercial radio station. The call letters, when spoken like a word rhymes with the city of Lima, which is pronounced with a long "i" sound, unlike the capital city of Peru.
started at WLOK while a student at Bluffton University
in nearby Bluffton, Ohio
. Long time Lima broadcast legend Easter Straker was program director for many years in addition to hosting "Easter's Parade" a live mid-day program on WIMA and on Channel 35
.'"Easter's Parade" was a midday show similar to the popular Ruth Lyons show out of Cincinnati.Talk and topics were aimed at the women, mothers and children that were the early watchers of the 1950s. Straker would discuss national, stateand local issues with the Lima woman in mind.She instituted the "Teddy Bear Fund" with the local hospitals. This was to provide funds for Teddy Bears to every child admitted to Lima hospitals. One way to raise funds was to invite children to come down to the studion to be interviewed by Easter while sitting in her "birthday chair." While they were being questioned she would ask if they brought any tax stamps for the Teddy Bear.The tax stamps were then used to buy Teddy bears for sick children. In return children were offered the chance to help themselves to pennies in a giant glass jar. The handful of pennies to a young person was a thrill.
It switched to the WIMA call sign in 1955. Its then-owner Lloyd A. Pixley, a former Ohio State football legend later founded WLOK-TV (later WIMA-TV now WLIO
) and WIMA-FM (now WIMT
) which was later sold to George Hamilton and Robert Mack's company Northwestern Ohio Broadcasting in 1964.
For much of its early years WIMA was a daytime station which eventually was granted an FM station in the late 1950s. WIMA-AM was granted a 24 hour license in 1970. WIMA-FM switched to a pre-recorded country music
format in 1974, while WIMA-AM continued its "middle-of-the-road" format, with discjockeys Alan DeBoer "Ace Alan", Tom Francis, Joe Jansen "J.J.", G. Arthur Versnick "Versnick on the Radio", and Andy Wetherall, under program director and deejay Jack Stower "J.S.", and station manager Les Rau. Around that time WIMA-AM's MOR format evolved from traditional "old-line" MOR to a more contemporary flavor, the forerunner of today's adult contemporary music format.
In April 1974, Jack Stower moved from WIMA-AM, to WIMA-FM (Country Lovin'), to become that station's first manager. Mr. Stower was succeeded by Joe Jansen as WIMA-AM program director. WIMA-FM is now known as WIMT
"T-102". The former WIMA-TV (now WLIO
) was sold off in 1972 to Lima Communications Corporation, a division of Toledo-based Block Communications
,owners of the Toledo Blade newspaper.
The WBLY call sign later moved to an AM station in Springfield, Ohio
where it resided from 1954 to 2002 which is now WULM.
WIMA along with four other Clear Channel Lima radio stations were initially sold to Florida based GoodRadio.TV LLC
in May 2007, but the deal soon collapsed prior to FCC approval. The most recent proposed deal was to banker American Securities under the new name Frequency Licensing Partners LLC, but it has yet to be completed or approved. As of 2009, these stations (except WBUK
) remain in Clear Channel's hands.
with Fox Sports Radio
programming in addition to local sports programming.
1954 - 1964 OHIO STATE BROADCASTING -- also owned WIMA-FM in Lima
1964 - 1980 NORTHWEST OHIO BROADCASTING -- co-owned WIMT-FM / WLOK-TV Lima, WNDH-AM / WNDH-FM Napoleon
1980 - 1986 OHIO BROADCASTING LLC -- co-owned WSOM-AM / WSOM-FM Youngstown, WSTK-AM / WSTK-FM Canton
1986 - 1998 LIMA TELECASTING -- bought or purchased WMLX-FM and WBUK-FM Lima
1998 - 1999 JACOR COMMUNICATIONS -- owned multiple markets across the country
1999 - CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS -- owns 800+ radio stations across the country
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications
Clear 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...
which also operates FM sister stations WIMT
WIMT
WIMT is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Lima, Ohio, operating at 102.1 MHz with a Country format. Its studios and offices are located on West Market Street in Lima, with its transmitter located just outside of Buckland, between Wapakoneta and Lima.-Early history:Originally WIMA-FM was a...
, WLWD, WZRX-FM
WZRX-FM
WZRX-FM is a commercial radio station broadcasting an active rock format. Licensed to Fort Shawnee, Ohio, USA, the station serves the Lima area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications...
and 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...
from its studio and office location on West Market Street. Its transmitter is located on McClain Road in Fort Shawnee.
Fort Shawnee, Ohio
Fort Shawnee is a village in Allen County, Ohio, United States with a population of 3,855 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is included in the Lima, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area...
It is Lima's first and oldest commercial radio station. The call letters, when spoken like a word rhymes with the city of Lima, which is pronounced with a long "i" sound, unlike the capital city of Peru.
Early history
Originally WBLY (at 1240 on the AM dial) which aired traditional middle of the road programming in the early 1930s then switching the call letters to WLOK in the early 1940s. Veteran broadcaster Hugh DownsHugh Downs
Hugh Malcolm Downs is a long time American broadcaster, television host, news anchor, TV producer, author, game show host, and music composer; and is perhaps best known for his role as co-host the NBC News program Today from 1962 to 1971, host of the Concentration game show from 1958 to 1969, and...
started at WLOK while a student at Bluffton University
Bluffton University
Bluffton University, located in Bluffton, Ohio, United States, is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.It was founded in 1899 as Central Mennonite College and became Bluffton College in 1913...
in nearby Bluffton, Ohio
Bluffton, Ohio
Bluffton is a village in Allen and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It had a population of 3,896 at the 2000 census. Bluffton is home to Bluffton University, a four-year educational institution affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. Bluffton is served by the Bluffton general aviation...
. Long time Lima broadcast legend Easter Straker was program director for many years in addition to hosting "Easter's Parade" a live mid-day program on WIMA and on Channel 35
WLIO
WLIO is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northwest Ohio licensed to Lima. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter at its studios on Rice Avenue in the city. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 5 and in high definition on...
.'"Easter's Parade" was a midday show similar to the popular Ruth Lyons show out of Cincinnati.Talk and topics were aimed at the women, mothers and children that were the early watchers of the 1950s. Straker would discuss national, stateand local issues with the Lima woman in mind.She instituted the "Teddy Bear Fund" with the local hospitals. This was to provide funds for Teddy Bears to every child admitted to Lima hospitals. One way to raise funds was to invite children to come down to the studion to be interviewed by Easter while sitting in her "birthday chair." While they were being questioned she would ask if they brought any tax stamps for the Teddy Bear.The tax stamps were then used to buy Teddy bears for sick children. In return children were offered the chance to help themselves to pennies in a giant glass jar. The handful of pennies to a young person was a thrill.
It switched to the WIMA call sign in 1955. Its then-owner Lloyd A. Pixley, a former Ohio State football legend later founded WLOK-TV (later WIMA-TV now WLIO
WLIO
WLIO is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northwest Ohio licensed to Lima. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter at its studios on Rice Avenue in the city. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 5 and in high definition on...
) and WIMA-FM (now WIMT
WIMT
WIMT is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Lima, Ohio, operating at 102.1 MHz with a Country format. Its studios and offices are located on West Market Street in Lima, with its transmitter located just outside of Buckland, between Wapakoneta and Lima.-Early history:Originally WIMA-FM was a...
) which was later sold to George Hamilton and Robert Mack's company Northwestern Ohio Broadcasting in 1964.
For much of its early years WIMA was a daytime station which eventually was granted an FM station in the late 1950s. WIMA-AM was granted a 24 hour license in 1970. WIMA-FM switched to a pre-recorded 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...
format in 1974, while WIMA-AM continued its "middle-of-the-road" format, with discjockeys Alan DeBoer "Ace Alan", Tom Francis, Joe Jansen "J.J.", G. Arthur Versnick "Versnick on the Radio", and Andy Wetherall, under program director and deejay Jack Stower "J.S.", and station manager Les Rau. Around that time WIMA-AM's MOR format evolved from traditional "old-line" MOR to a more contemporary flavor, the forerunner of today's adult contemporary music format.
In April 1974, Jack Stower moved from WIMA-AM, to WIMA-FM (Country Lovin'), to become that station's first manager. Mr. Stower was succeeded by Joe Jansen as WIMA-AM program director. WIMA-FM is now known as WIMT
WIMT
WIMT is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Lima, Ohio, operating at 102.1 MHz with a Country format. Its studios and offices are located on West Market Street in Lima, with its transmitter located just outside of Buckland, between Wapakoneta and Lima.-Early history:Originally WIMA-FM was a...
"T-102". The former WIMA-TV (now WLIO
WLIO
WLIO is the NBC-affiliated television station for Northwest Ohio licensed to Lima. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 8 from a transmitter at its studios on Rice Avenue in the city. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 5 and in high definition on...
) was sold off in 1972 to Lima Communications Corporation, a division of Toledo-based Block Communications
Block Communications
Block Communications is a privately held holding company of various assets, mainly in the print and broadcast media, based in Toledo, Ohio. The company was founded in 1900 in New York City when Paul Block, a German immigrant who came to the United States fifteen years prior, formed an ad...
,owners of the Toledo Blade newspaper.
The WBLY call sign later moved to an AM station in Springfield, Ohio
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
where it resided from 1954 to 2002 which is now WULM.
WIMA along with four other Clear Channel Lima radio stations were initially sold to Florida based GoodRadio.TV LLC
GoodRadio.TV LLC
Good Radio Networks LLC is a West Palm Beach, Florida based radio ownership group headed by former Pax president Dean Goodman. Partners in this venture include former NAB Chairman Eddie Fritz, and former founder of NextMedia, Carl Hirsch.GoodRadio was established in late 2006 with the purchase of...
in May 2007, but the deal soon collapsed prior to FCC approval. The most recent proposed deal was to banker American Securities under the new name Frequency Licensing Partners LLC, but it has yet to be completed or approved. As of 2009, these stations (except WBUK
WBUK
WBUK "106.3 The Fox" is a commercial classic rock FM station at 106.3 MHz licensed to Ottawa, Ohio with studios in Lima and transmitter located near Pandora in southeastern Putnam County north of Bluffton which borders in Allen and Hancock counties....
) remain in Clear Channel's hands.
WIMA Today
WIMA airs a mix of talk and sports programs including Rush LimbaughRush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
with 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...
programming in addition to local sports programming.
Station Ownership
1935 - 1954 THE LIMA NEWS -- owned no other radio properties1954 - 1964 OHIO STATE BROADCASTING -- also owned WIMA-FM in Lima
1964 - 1980 NORTHWEST OHIO BROADCASTING -- co-owned WIMT-FM / WLOK-TV Lima, WNDH-AM / WNDH-FM Napoleon
1980 - 1986 OHIO BROADCASTING LLC -- co-owned WSOM-AM / WSOM-FM Youngstown, WSTK-AM / WSTK-FM Canton
1986 - 1998 LIMA TELECASTING -- bought or purchased WMLX-FM and WBUK-FM Lima
1998 - 1999 JACOR COMMUNICATIONS -- owned multiple markets across the country
1999 - CLEAR CHANNEL COMMUNICATIONS -- owns 800+ radio stations across the country