WLEC
Encyclopedia
WLEC is an AM radio station
in Sandusky, Ohio
, USA broadcasting at 1450 kHz. It is owned by BAS Broadcasting. WLEC carries an Adult Contemporary/Adult Standards
format, using Dial Global
Local's satellite-delivered format known as The Lounge
. The station also features local hosts Mark Fogg and Steve Shoffner.
It is also the Erie County
affiliate for broadcasts of the Cleveland Indians
baseball
, Cleveland Browns
football
, Ohio State football and basketball. In addition, WLEC is the home for weekly local high school football and basketball broadcasts, in conjunction with sister station WMJK
.
FM 102.7, to Erie Broadcasting II, Inc., a new company also headed by Embrescia. The format at the time was full-service adult contemporary.
On April 30, 1997, it was announced that Jacor Communications, Inc. agreed to buy WLEC and WCPZ from Erie Broadcasting II, Inc. for $7.65 million
http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/1997/04/28/daily11.html. The sale was approved and the license transferred on June 25. In May 1999, Clear Channel Communications completed its $6.5 billion purchase of Jacor and its 454 stations, including WLEC.
WLEC itself maintained a pop standards/beautiful music
format dubbed "American Music Classics". This was a traditional leaning standards format playing artists like Frank Sinatra
, Barbara Streisand, Nat King Cole
, Neil Diamond
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Tony Bennett
, Carpenters, Ames Brothers
, and others. The station also mixed in small amounts of contemporary artists doing standards such as Rod Stewart
, Michael Bublé
, Diana Krall
, and others. WLEC dropped standards and switched to Fox Sports Radio
on September 8, 2006. Classic rocker WMJK FM 100.9 (licensed to Clyde, Ohio
) also made up the Clear Channel Sandusky cluster with WLEC and WCPZ.
On November 16, 2006, WLEC, WCPZ and WMJK were formally announced for sale as part of Clear Channel's divestiture of almost 450 small and middle-market radio properties in the U.S. The cluster was sold on January 15, 2008 to Fremont, Ohio
based BAS Broadcasting, and BAS took over all three stations on February 1. WLEC then sort of changed back to a standards format on March 3, 2008, using the more classic adult contemporary Timeless
format of soft oldies from the '60s, '70s and '80s from ABC Radio (later Citadel Media).
Following Citadel Media's ending the Timeless format in February 2010, WLEC adopted the "Lounge" format from Dial Global Local (formerly part of the Waitt Radio Networks
umbrella of formats). This format features most of the artists previously mentioned but focuses on baby boomer pop by artists like Elvis Presley
, Beatles, softer Billy Joel
, The 5th Dimension, James Taylor
, and others
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...
in Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky, Ohio
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Erie County. It is located in northern Ohio and is situated on the shores of Lake Erie, almost exactly half-way between Toledo to the west and Cleveland to the east....
, USA broadcasting at 1450 kHz. It is owned by BAS Broadcasting. WLEC carries an Adult Contemporary/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, using Dial Global
Dial Global
Dial Global is a radio syndication company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triton Media Group and is a sister company to Townsquare Media, both of which are owned by Oaktree Capital Management....
Local's satellite-delivered format known as The Lounge
The Lounge (radio network)
The Lounge is a 24-hour music network produced by Dial Global and distributed under their Dial Global Local brand . The network's tag line is Great Songs and Stars...
. The station also features local hosts Mark Fogg and Steve Shoffner.
It is also the Erie County
Erie County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 79,551 people, 31,727 households, and 21,764 families residing in the county. The population density was 312 people per square mile . There were 35,909 housing units at an average density of 141 per square mile...
affiliate for broadcasts of 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...
baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, Ohio State football and basketball. In addition, WLEC is the home for weekly local high school football and basketball broadcasts, in conjunction with sister station WMJK
WMJK
WMJK is a commercial FM radio station, licensed to Clyde, Ohio, serving the Sandusky, Port Clinton, and Lake Erie Islands areas. The station broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 3,000 watts at 100.9 FM and is licensed to Clyde, Ohio; about 15 miles west-southwest of Sandusky. The...
.
History
In July 1986 the station was sold by Miller Broadcasting, headed by Richard H. Miller of Cleveland, to Erie Broadcasting Co., owned by Cleveland's Jim Embrescia. After a brief period in the hands of Signal One Communications from October 1987 to May 1990, it passed, along with WCPZWCPZ
WCPZ is a radio station in Sandusky, Ohio.The station began as WLEC-FM in 1968 and was the FM sister to AM station WLEC. It became WCPZ on May 19, 1980, dubbed "Leisure 103" with a soft adult contemporary format...
FM 102.7, to Erie Broadcasting II, Inc., a new company also headed by Embrescia. The format at the time was full-service adult contemporary.
On April 30, 1997, it was announced that Jacor Communications, Inc. agreed to buy WLEC and WCPZ from Erie Broadcasting II, Inc. for $7.65 million
http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/1997/04/28/daily11.html. The sale was approved and the license transferred on June 25. In May 1999, Clear Channel Communications completed its $6.5 billion purchase of Jacor and its 454 stations, including WLEC.
WLEC itself maintained a pop standards/beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
format dubbed "American Music Classics". This was a traditional leaning standards format playing artists like Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Barbara Streisand, Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
, Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett is an American singer of popular music, standards, show tunes, and jazz....
, Carpenters, Ames Brothers
Ames Brothers
The Ames Brothers were a singing quartet from Malden, Massachusetts, who were particularly famous in the 1950s for their traditional pop music hits.-Biography:The Ames Brothers got their beginning in Malden, where all four were born...
, and others. The station also mixed in small amounts of contemporary artists doing standards such as Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Michael Bublé
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé is a Canadian singer. He has won several awards, including three Grammy Awards and multiple Juno Awards. His first album reached the top ten in Canada and the UK. He found worldwide commercial success with his 2005 album It's Time, and his 2007 album Call Me Irresponsible was...
, Diana Krall
Diana Krall
Diana Jean Krall, OC, OBC is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer, known for her contralto vocals. She has sold more than 6 million albums in the US and over 15 million worldwide; altogether, she has sold more albums than any other female jazz artist during the 1990s and 2000s...
, and others. WLEC dropped standards and switched to 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...
on September 8, 2006. Classic rocker WMJK FM 100.9 (licensed to Clyde, Ohio
Clyde, Ohio
Clyde is a city in Sandusky County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,064 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Clyde as a Tree City USA....
) also made up the Clear Channel Sandusky cluster with WLEC and WCPZ.
On November 16, 2006, WLEC, WCPZ and WMJK were formally announced for sale as part of Clear Channel's divestiture of almost 450 small and middle-market radio properties in the U.S. The cluster was sold on January 15, 2008 to Fremont, Ohio
Fremont, Ohio
Fremont Public Schools enroll 4,450 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers 9 public schools including seven elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, Fremont Ross. In addition, the city is home to one private catholic high school, Saint Joseph...
based BAS Broadcasting, and BAS took over all three stations on February 1. WLEC then sort of changed back to a standards format on March 3, 2008, using the more classic adult contemporary Timeless
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 of soft oldies from the '60s, '70s and '80s from ABC Radio (later Citadel Media).
Following Citadel Media's ending the Timeless format in February 2010, WLEC adopted the "Lounge" format from Dial Global Local (formerly part of the Waitt Radio Networks
Waitt Radio Networks
Dial Global Local is a national radio network based in Omaha, Nebraska, formerly owned by NRG Media and purchased in April 2008 by Triton Radio Networks...
umbrella of formats). This format features most of the artists previously mentioned but focuses on baby boomer pop by artists like Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, Beatles, softer Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, The 5th Dimension, James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
, and others