WLW
Encyclopedia
WLW is a clear channel talk radio
station located in Cincinnati, Ohio
, run by Clear Channel Communications
. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM
. WLW's studios are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to Interstate 71
in the Kenwood
neighborhood of Sycamore Township
, while its transmitter is located in Mason
, adjacent to the former Voice of America Bethany Relay Station
.
The station frequently uses its nickname, "The Big One". Sister stations WTAM
in Cleveland
and WWVA
in Wheeling
have copied this tagline
. WLW also uses its historical tagline, "The Nation's Station."
(formerly The Truckin' Bozo), a popular nationwide, overnight program especially for truckers; and Live on Sunday Night with Bill Cunningham
. Cunningham also hosts a weekday program on the station. America's Trucking Network is currently syndicated by Sirius XM Radio. Live on Sunday Night with Bill Cunningham
is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks
. In addition to Cunningham and Sommers, local hosts include Jim Scott, Doc Thompson, Scott Sloan, Tracy Jones
, Lance McAlister and Marc Amazon.
WLW is the flagship radio station for the Cincinnati Reds Radio Network
and a co-flagship station for the Cincinnati Bengals
football
team. The station also broadcasts Cincinnati Bearcats
and Xavier Musketeers games. WLW has a 24-hour local news
department and is affiliated with ABC News Radio
and Raycom Media
's WXIX-TV
. WLW was also affiliated with Paul Harvey
until May 2008.
began 20-watt
tests from his College Hill home, broadcasting "Song of India
" continuously under the callsign 8CR. Powell already owned a number of enterprises, including the Crosmobile
and a refrigerator-freezer company, and for many years, he held ownership of the Cincinnati Reds
baseball club. Powell was innovative, personally inventing or funding the development of many then–cutting edge technological advances in his ventures which he placed in the able hands of his younger by two years brother, Lewis Crosley who was a graduate engineer from the University of Cincinnati.
On March 22, 1922, Crosley and his Crosley Broadcasting Corporation
began broadcasting with the new callsign WLW and 50 watts of power. Crosley was a fanatic about the new broadcasting technology, and continually increased his station's capability. The power went up to 500 watts in September 1922, 1000 watts in May 1924, and in January 1925 WLW was the first broadcasting station at the 5000 watt level. On October 4, 1928, the station increased its power to 50 kilowatts. Again it was the first station at this power level, which still is the maximum power currently allowed for any AM
station in the United States.
At 50 kilowatts, WLW was heard easily over a wide area, from New York to Florida. But Crosley still wasn't satisfied. In 1933 he obtained a construction permit from the Federal Radio Commission for a 500 kilowatt superstation, and he spent some $500,000 (at least $17 million in 2010 dollars using a CPI conversion factor of 0.13) building the transmitter and antenna. In January 1934 WLW began broadcasting at the 500 kilowatt level late at night under the experimental callsign W8XO. In April 1934 the station was authorized to operate at 500 kilowatts during regular hours under the WLW call letters. On May 2, 1934, President
Franklin D. Roosevelt
pressed a ceremonial button that officially launched WLW's 500-kilowatt signal. As the first station in the world to broadcast at this strength, WLW received repeated complaints from around the United States and Canada
that it was overpowering other stations as far away as Toronto
. In December 1934 WLW cut back to 50 kilowatts at night to mitigate the interference, and began construction of three 50 ft. tower antennas to be used to reduce signal strength towards Canada. With these three antennas in place, full-time broadcasting at 500 kilowatts resumed in early 1935. However, WLW was continuing to operate under special temporary authority that had to be renewed every six months, and each renewal brought complaints about interference and undue domination of the market by such a high-power station. The FCC was having second thoughts about permitting extremely wide-area broadcasting versus more locally oriented stations, and in 1938, the US Senate adopted the "Wheeler" resolution, expressing it to be the sense of that body that more stations with power in excess of 50 kilowatts are against the public interest
. As a result, in 1939 the 500-kilowatt broadcast authorization was not renewed, bringing an end to the era of the AM radio superstation. Because of the impending war and the possible need for national broadcasting in an emergency, the W8XO experimental license for 500 kilowatts remained in effect until December 29, 1942. In 1962 the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation again applied for a permit to operate at 750 kilowatts, but the FCC denied the application.
The three towers being used to keep the 500 kilowatt signal out of Canada were later sold to Stanley Coning of Eaton, Ohio
, where they were later combined into a single 150 ft. tower used to broadcast Coning's WCTM
92.9FM in 1959, an early adopter and pioneer of FM broadcasting.
Many reports have surfaced over the years of the power fluctuations from those who lived near the 500 kilowatt transmitter. Residents would see their lights flicker in time to the modulation peaks of the transmitter. It was widely reported that the signal was so overpowering some people picked up WLW radio on the metal coils of mattress and boxed bedsprings, similar to KDKA-AM
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. Arcing
often occurred near the transmission site.
In 1942, WLW moved its studios into the Crosley Square building, a converted Elks
Lodge No. 5 in downtown Cincinnati. WLW's sister television station, WLWT
(then branded WLW-T), was founded in the same building. In 1955, WLW and WLWT became the first radio and television station to own a weather radar
.
In the 1960s, Crosley assumed the name of its parent company, Avco. WLW remained under Avco Broadcasting Corporation until the mid 1970s. From that point until the 1990s, WLW had different owners, including Queen City Communications, Mariner Communications, Seven Hills Broadcasting and Jacor Communications, before Jacor merged with WLW's current owner, Clear Channel.
From the late 1970s to 1989, WLW's studios were located downtown at 3 East 4th Street, now the site of the National City Bank
(now PNC) Tower in downtown Cincinnati. From 1989 to 2005, WLW was located in Mt. Adams
, a trendy neighborhood overlooking downtown. The address remained 1111 St. Gregory Street. WLW was originally on the fourth floor, where it shared studios with sister station WEBN
. In 1992, as Jacor started to consolidate stations, the fifth floor was taken over by the human resources
and traffic departments, along with new studios for 550 WLWA, formerly WKRC-AM
. In 1995, Jacor moved all of its stations into the Mt. Adams facility leasing the entire building.
Along with other Clear Channel talk stations, WLW switched from ABC News Radio
to Fox News Radio
. However, on June 26, 2006, a realignment of network affiliations by Clear Channel's Cincinnati AM stations reunited WLW with ABC News Radio. (WKRC (AM)
picked up Fox News Radio, while WCKY (AM)
took CBS Radio
.) Not included in the rearrangement was ABC Radio commentator Paul Harvey
. WLW continued to carry Harvey's commentaries through all the changes, although after extended absences, Harvey was dropped by WLW in April 2008.
, branded as 55KRC.
In 1997, WLW owner Jacor purchased 700 KFAM in Salt Lake City. As a joke, it changed the call letters to KWLW and began to air programming such as The Truckin' Bozo
on the station. The call letters and format stayed on the station until 1999. That station is now known as KALL
and carries a sports radio
format.
WLW currently broadcasts using 50,000 watt
s of power, the maximum allowed for an AM clear channel broadcaster under current FCC rules.
The high power broadcasts led WLW to call itself "The Nation's Station." WLW also broadcasts using the HD-Radio digital system. For a time in the early 1960's, WLW called itself the world's highest fidelity radio station.
WLW powered up to higher wattage a few times during World War II
in order to send special broadcasts to American troops in Europe
, but has not broadcast regular programming at 500 kW since. The 500 kW transmitting equipment was maintained into the 1960s by site engineers, but it was never operated on-air after 1943.
After sundown, the 50 kW signal can be heard across much of the eastern half of the United States
and Canada
, and as far west as Denver, Colorado
. In 1985 overnight host Dale Sommers
received a call from Hawaii on his overnight program. It is believed WLW can be heard, regularly, in at least 38 U.S. states at night, and the station refers to this in some advertising.
The station's first 50 kW transmitter, made by Western Electric
, is still functional at 83 years of age and sees occasional service, including on December 31, 1999, when it was powered up and helped to bring WLW into the new year on January 1, 2000. The station's unusual diamond-shaped antenna
(designed and erected by Blaw-Knox Tower
company) is one of eight still operational in the United States and is featured on the official seal of the City of Mason.
WLW carries games of the Cincinnati Reds
, which makes it among the last of the clear channel AM radio stations to carry live Major League Baseball
games. Over the years, WLW has also carried Cincinnati Bengals games, University of Cincinnati football & basketball games, Xavier University basketball games and the games of the Cincinnati Royals of the National Basketball Association.
channel 173. This broadcast was delay-free, and gave the station a signal that reached the continental United States. Excluded from the simulcast were Cincinnati Reds and Bengals play-by-play coverage, which the station did not own the rights to broadcast nationally. However, college sport play-by-play from the Xavier Musketeers and the Cincinnati Bearcats were broadcast on XM. The station was placed on the satellites by at-the-time Clear Channel programming executive Sean Compton
(brother of WLW personality Steve Sommers), who claimed WLW was his favorite radio station. Compton left the company in 2008 for Tribune Company
, and shortly after WLW was removed. The channel remained empty for several months by simulcasting Talk Radio 165
, until December 2009, when Bollywood & Beyond
debuted on XM 173. Non-locals are encouraged to use Clear Channel's iheartradio
smart phone application, which carries internet streams of Clear Channel radio stations including WLW. After things settled down, WLW's 12am to 5 am overnight programming of America's Trucking network featuring Steve Sommers and Eric 'Bubba Bo' Boulanger is simulcast on XM 152 Extreme talk.
, Doris Day
, Rosemary Clooney
, Ruth Lyons, Bob Braun
, Wally Phillips
, NBC
sportscasters Cris Collinsworth
and Al Michaels
, longtime "Sportstalk" hosts Bob Trumpy
and Andy Furman, former morning host Bill Wills (now with WTAM
), Dale Sommers
(better known as the "Truckin' Bozo"), J. R. Gach
(who was fired for referring to Japanese as "yellow monkeys"), Mike McConnell (late-morning/midday host from 1985 until 2010), Gary Burbank
(comedy talk host, impressionist, and creator of the nationally syndicated Earl Pitts
monologues) and former Clear Channel
radio CEO Randy Michaels
. Rod Serling
, the creator of the classic TV series The Twilight Zone
, worked for WLW from 1947-48"Serling, Rod" Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2010. Document Number: H1000089528 producing historical documentaries, community profiles and commercials, before leaving to pursue other opportunities in the broadcasting industry.
Randy Michaels
is credited for developing WLW from an MOR music signal into a successful all-local talk/adult contemporary music station in the early 1980s; music remained a regular part of WLW's broadcast day until the mid-1990s. In 2010 Michaels and McConnell were together at Tribune's WGN Chicago until Michaels resigned in October. Much of WLW's lineup has remained intact for several years. 700 WLW today is one of a select few radio stations left in the United States with original 24 hour locally produced programming, making it unique and refreshingly creative. 700 WLW personalities (talk hosts) are stars in the Queen City, including Jim Scott, Bill Cunningham
, Scott Sloan, Steve Sommers
, Marc Amazon and former Cincinnati Red Tracy Jones. Program Director Darryl Parks fills in and hosts a Saturday morning show. WLW Radio has even made mini-stars out of select callers to its local talk shows.
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...
station located in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, run 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...
. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
. WLW's studios are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to Interstate 71
Interstate 71
Interstate 71 is an Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 and Interstate 65 in Louisville, Kentucky. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 in Cleveland,...
in the Kenwood
Kenwood, Ohio
Kenwood is a census-designated place in Sycamore Township, Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,423 at the 2000 census...
neighborhood of Sycamore Township
Sycamore Township, Hamilton County, Ohio
Sycamore Township is one of the twelve townships of Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 19,675 people in the township.-Geography:...
, while its transmitter is located in Mason
Mason, Ohio
Mason is an affluent city in southwestern Warren County, Ohio, United States, 22 miles away from Cincinnati . As of the 2010 census, Mason's population was 30,712. Mason has experienced fast growth, with its historic Main Street remaining at the center of the community...
, adjacent to the former Voice of America Bethany Relay Station
Voice of America Bethany Relay Station
The Voice of America's Bethany Relay Station was located in Butler County, Ohio's Union Township about 25 miles north of Cincinnati, adjacent to the transmitter site of WLW. Starting in 1944 during World War II it transmitted American radio programming abroad on shortwave frequencies, using...
.
The station frequently uses its nickname, "The Big One". Sister stations WTAM
WTAM
WTAM — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts primarily a news/talk format...
in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
and WWVA
WWVA (AM)
WWVA is an AM radio station that broadcasts on a frequency of 1170 kHz with studios in Wheeling, West Virginia, USA, and towers formerly located in St. Clairsville, Ohio, before they were destroyed in an August 2010 storm...
in Wheeling
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
have copied this tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
. WLW also uses its historical tagline, "The Nation's Station."
Programming
WLW airs a nearly entirely locally-produced talk format, and is the flagship station for the nationally syndicated shows America's Trucking NetworkAmerica's Trucking Network
"Steve Sommers" redirects here. Not to be confused with Steve Somers, a New York radio host.America's Trucking Network is a nightly terrestrial and satellite radio broadcast based in Cincinnati, Ohio that was formerly syndicated across the United States...
(formerly The Truckin' Bozo), a popular nationwide, overnight program especially for truckers; and Live on Sunday Night with Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham is an American talk radio host. His full-time job is hosting The Big Show with Bill Cunningham, a local show on 700 WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cunningham now hosts Live on Sunday Night, it's Bill Cunningham, which is syndicated to over 300 stations by Premiere Radio Networks. He is...
. Cunningham also hosts a weekday program on the station. America's Trucking Network is currently syndicated by Sirius XM Radio. Live on Sunday Night with Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham is an American talk radio host. His full-time job is hosting The Big Show with Bill Cunningham, a local show on 700 WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cunningham now hosts Live on Sunday Night, it's Bill Cunningham, which is syndicated to over 300 stations by Premiere Radio Networks. He is...
is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
. In addition to Cunningham and Sommers, local hosts include Jim Scott, Doc Thompson, Scott Sloan, Tracy Jones
Tracy Jones
Tracy Donald Jones , is a former professional baseball player who played in the Major Leagues primarily as an outfielder from 1986-1991. Jones was drafted by the New York Mets in the 4th round of the 1982 amateur draft, but did not sign...
, Lance McAlister and Marc Amazon.
WLW is the flagship radio station for the Cincinnati Reds Radio Network
Cincinnati Reds Radio Network
The Cincinnati Bell Reds Radio Network consists of 68 stations in 7 states that air Cincinnati Reds games and related programming.. The announcers are Marty Brennaman, Thom Brennaman, and Jeff Brantley. In 2010 the longtime voice of the Louisville Redbirds/Louisville Bats, Jim Kelch, was hired by...
and a co-flagship station for the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
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...
team. The station also broadcasts Cincinnati Bearcats
Cincinnati Bearcats
The Cincinnati Bearcats are the NCAA athletic teams representing the University of Cincinnati. Since July 1, 2005, the school's athletic teams have been members of the Big East Conference....
and Xavier Musketeers games. WLW has a 24-hour local news
Local news
In journalism, local news refers to news coverage of events in a local context which would not normally be of interest to those of other localities, or otherwise be of national or international scope.-Television:...
department and is affiliated with ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio is the radio service of ABC News, a division of the ABC Television Network. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Cumulus Media Networks, newscasts on the hour to its more than 2,000 affiliates...
and Raycom Media
Raycom Media
- History :Although Raycom Media dates its birth to 1996, the core of the company was formed in 1992 when Atlanta native Bert Ellis formed Ellis Communications. He eventually controlled 13 television stations and two radio stations....
's WXIX-TV
WXIX-TV
WXIX-TV channel 19 is the Fox Broadcasting Company affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio. The station's city of license is Newport, Kentucky, across the Ohio River...
. WLW was also affiliated with Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
until May 2008.
History
In July 1921, radio manufacturer Powel Crosley Jr.Powel Crosley Jr.
Powel Crosley, Jr. was an American inventor, industrialist, and entrepreneur. He and his brother Lewis were responsible for many "firsts" in consumer products and broadcasting. He was the builder of the Crosley automobiles. He was the owner of the Cincinnati Reds major league baseball team for...
began 20-watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
tests from his College Hill home, broadcasting "Song of India
Song of India
Song of India may refer to:* Dracaena reflexa, a popular ornamental plant* Song of India , a 1949 film starring Sabu Dastagir* "Song of India", aria in 1896 opera Sadko...
" continuously under the callsign 8CR. Powell already owned a number of enterprises, including the Crosmobile
Crosmobile
Crosmobile was an automobile and truck marque built for overseas export by Crosley Motors, Inc. of Cincinnati, Ohio until 1952. Crosmobiles were "badge-engineered" Crosleys, and were identical to standard Crosley models except for having Crosmobile-lettered hood and rear badges and hubcaps and...
and a refrigerator-freezer company, and for many years, he held ownership of the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
baseball club. Powell was innovative, personally inventing or funding the development of many then–cutting edge technological advances in his ventures which he placed in the able hands of his younger by two years brother, Lewis Crosley who was a graduate engineer from the University of Cincinnati.
On March 22, 1922, Crosley and his Crosley Broadcasting Corporation
Crosley Broadcasting Corporation
The Crosley Broadcasting Corporation was a radio and television broadcaster founded by radio manufacturing pioneer Powel Crosley, Jr.. The company was an early operator of radio stations in the United States. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio, Crosley's flagship station was WLW...
began broadcasting with the new callsign WLW and 50 watts of power. Crosley was a fanatic about the new broadcasting technology, and continually increased his station's capability. The power went up to 500 watts in September 1922, 1000 watts in May 1924, and in January 1925 WLW was the first broadcasting station at the 5000 watt level. On October 4, 1928, the station increased its power to 50 kilowatts. Again it was the first station at this power level, which still is the maximum power currently allowed for any AM
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
station in the United States.
At 50 kilowatts, WLW was heard easily over a wide area, from New York to Florida. But Crosley still wasn't satisfied. In 1933 he obtained a construction permit from the Federal Radio Commission for a 500 kilowatt superstation, and he spent some $500,000 (at least $17 million in 2010 dollars using a CPI conversion factor of 0.13) building the transmitter and antenna. In January 1934 WLW began broadcasting at the 500 kilowatt level late at night under the experimental callsign W8XO. In April 1934 the station was authorized to operate at 500 kilowatts during regular hours under the WLW call letters. On May 2, 1934, President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
pressed a ceremonial button that officially launched WLW's 500-kilowatt signal. As the first station in the world to broadcast at this strength, WLW received repeated complaints from around the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that it was overpowering other stations as far away as Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. In December 1934 WLW cut back to 50 kilowatts at night to mitigate the interference, and began construction of three 50 ft. tower antennas to be used to reduce signal strength towards Canada. With these three antennas in place, full-time broadcasting at 500 kilowatts resumed in early 1935. However, WLW was continuing to operate under special temporary authority that had to be renewed every six months, and each renewal brought complaints about interference and undue domination of the market by such a high-power station. The FCC was having second thoughts about permitting extremely wide-area broadcasting versus more locally oriented stations, and in 1938, the US Senate adopted the "Wheeler" resolution, expressing it to be the sense of that body that more stations with power in excess of 50 kilowatts are against the public interest
Public interest
The public interest refers to the "common well-being" or "general welfare." The public interest is central to policy debates, politics, democracy and the nature of government itself...
. As a result, in 1939 the 500-kilowatt broadcast authorization was not renewed, bringing an end to the era of the AM radio superstation. Because of the impending war and the possible need for national broadcasting in an emergency, the W8XO experimental license for 500 kilowatts remained in effect until December 29, 1942. In 1962 the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation again applied for a permit to operate at 750 kilowatts, but the FCC denied the application.
The three towers being used to keep the 500 kilowatt signal out of Canada were later sold to Stanley Coning of Eaton, Ohio
Eaton, Ohio
Eaton is a city in and the county seat of Preble County, Ohio, United States. The population was 8,407 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, where they were later combined into a single 150 ft. tower used to broadcast Coning's WCTM
WCTM
WCTM were the call letters assigned to an FM radio station, and later an AM station, both licensed to Eaton, Preble County, Ohio, U.S.A.-WCTM-FM:...
92.9FM in 1959, an early adopter and pioneer of FM broadcasting.
Many reports have surfaced over the years of the power fluctuations from those who lived near the 500 kilowatt transmitter. Residents would see their lights flicker in time to the modulation peaks of the transmitter. It was widely reported that the signal was so overpowering some people picked up WLW radio on the metal coils of mattress and boxed bedsprings, similar to KDKA-AM
KDKA (AM)
KDKA is a radio station licensed to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Created by the Westinghouse Electric Corporation on November 2, 1920, it is one of the world's first modern radio stations , a distinction that has also been challenged by other stations, although it has claimed to be the first in...
in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. Arcing
Electric arc
An electric arc is an electrical breakdown of a gas which produces an ongoing plasma discharge, resulting from a current flowing through normally nonconductive media such as air. A synonym is arc discharge. An arc discharge is characterized by a lower voltage than a glow discharge, and relies on...
often occurred near the transmission site.
In 1942, WLW moved its studios into the Crosley Square building, a converted Elks
Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks is an American fraternal order and social club founded in 1868...
Lodge No. 5 in downtown Cincinnati. WLW's sister television station, WLWT
WLWT
WLWT, virtual channel 5 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, the station is owned by Hearst Television...
(then branded WLW-T), was founded in the same building. In 1955, WLW and WLWT became the first radio and television station to own a weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
.
In the 1960s, Crosley assumed the name of its parent company, Avco. WLW remained under Avco Broadcasting Corporation until the mid 1970s. From that point until the 1990s, WLW had different owners, including Queen City Communications, Mariner Communications, Seven Hills Broadcasting and Jacor Communications, before Jacor merged with WLW's current owner, Clear Channel.
From the late 1970s to 1989, WLW's studios were located downtown at 3 East 4th Street, now the site of the National City Bank
National City Corp.
National City Corporation was a regional bank holding company based in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, founded in 1845; it was once one of the ten largest banks in America in terms of deposits, mortgages and home equity lines of credit. Subsidiary National City Mortgage is credited for doing the first...
(now PNC) Tower in downtown Cincinnati. From 1989 to 2005, WLW was located in Mt. Adams
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....
, a trendy neighborhood overlooking downtown. The address remained 1111 St. Gregory Street. WLW was originally on the fourth floor, where it shared studios with sister station WEBN
WEBN
WEBN is a commercial radio station serving Greater Cincinnati, airing an album-oriented rock format. The station pioneered the concept of album-oriented rock, and is in fact the longest running AOR-formatted station in the United States, first airing this format in 1967. The station is owned...
. In 1992, as Jacor started to consolidate stations, the fifth floor was taken over by the human resources
Human resources
Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
and traffic departments, along with new studios for 550 WLWA, formerly WKRC-AM
WKRC (AM)
WKRC is a radio station based in Cincinnati, Ohio that is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 550 kHz. Broadcasting under the branding of 55KRC, the station is a news/talk outlet featuring a local morning show and national hosts like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean...
. In 1995, Jacor moved all of its stations into the Mt. Adams facility leasing the entire building.
Along with other Clear Channel talk stations, WLW switched from ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio is the radio service of ABC News, a division of the ABC Television Network. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Cumulus Media Networks, newscasts on the hour to its more than 2,000 affiliates...
to Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio is an American radio network programmed by Fox News Channel.- History :In 2003, Fox News began syndicating one minute radio updates to radio stations via syndication service Westwood One. On June 1, 2005, Fox News Radio employed 60 people and provided five minute newscasts at the top...
. However, on June 26, 2006, a realignment of network affiliations by Clear Channel's Cincinnati AM stations reunited WLW with ABC News Radio. (WKRC (AM)
WKRC (AM)
WKRC is a radio station based in Cincinnati, Ohio that is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 550 kHz. Broadcasting under the branding of 55KRC, the station is a news/talk outlet featuring a local morning show and national hosts like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean...
picked up Fox News Radio, while WCKY (AM)
WCKY (AM)
WCKY is an AM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, broadcasting at 1530 kHz with 50,000 watts, and its transmitter is located in nearby Villa Hills, Kentucky. It is a class A clear channel station, sharing the frequency with KFBK in Sacramento, and can be heard, particularly at night, over most...
took CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
.) Not included in the rearrangement was ABC Radio commentator Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
. WLW continued to carry Harvey's commentaries through all the changes, although after extended absences, Harvey was dropped by WLW in April 2008.
WLW clones
A short-lived attempt at a WLW clone was WLWA, airing on the 550 frequency in Cincinnati, from 1992 to 1994. This frequency is now used for WKRCWKRC (AM)
WKRC is a radio station based in Cincinnati, Ohio that is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 550 kHz. Broadcasting under the branding of 55KRC, the station is a news/talk outlet featuring a local morning show and national hosts like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean...
, branded as 55KRC.
In 1997, WLW owner Jacor purchased 700 KFAM in Salt Lake City. As a joke, it changed the call letters to KWLW and began to air programming such as The Truckin' Bozo
Dale Sommers
Bruce Dale Sommers , known by his nickname "The Truckin' Bozo", is an American radio personality, best known for his long-running country music show geared toward truck drivers...
on the station. The call letters and format stayed on the station until 1999. That station is now known as KALL
KALL
KALL, "ESPN 700", is an all-sports radio station in the Salt Lake City, Utah area. The listed owner is Utah Radio Acquisitions, LLC.Program highlights include live play-by-play of University of Utah football and basketball and Real Salt Lake soccer, Mike and Mike in the Morning, The Herd with...
and carries a 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...
format.
"The Nation's Station"
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of power, the maximum allowed for an AM clear channel broadcaster under current FCC rules.
The high power broadcasts led WLW to call itself "The Nation's Station." WLW also broadcasts using the HD-Radio digital system. For a time in the early 1960's, WLW called itself the world's highest fidelity radio station.
WLW powered up to higher wattage a few times during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in order to send special broadcasts to American troops in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, but has not broadcast regular programming at 500 kW since. The 500 kW transmitting equipment was maintained into the 1960s by site engineers, but it was never operated on-air after 1943.
After sundown, the 50 kW signal can be heard across much of the eastern half of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and as far west as Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
. In 1985 overnight host Dale Sommers
Dale Sommers
Bruce Dale Sommers , known by his nickname "The Truckin' Bozo", is an American radio personality, best known for his long-running country music show geared toward truck drivers...
received a call from Hawaii on his overnight program. It is believed WLW can be heard, regularly, in at least 38 U.S. states at night, and the station refers to this in some advertising.
The station's first 50 kW transmitter, made by Western Electric
Western Electric
Western Electric Company was an American electrical engineering company, the manufacturing arm of AT&T from 1881 to 1995. It was the scene of a number of technological innovations and also some seminal developments in industrial management...
, is still functional at 83 years of age and sees occasional service, including on December 31, 1999, when it was powered up and helped to bring WLW into the new year on January 1, 2000. The station's unusual diamond-shaped antenna
Radio masts and towers
Radio masts and towers are, typically, tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. They are among the tallest man-made structures...
(designed and erected by Blaw-Knox Tower
Blaw-Knox Tower
The Blaw-Knox company was a manufacturer of steel structures and construction equipment based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The company is today best known for its radio towers, most of which were constructed during the 1930s in the United States...
company) is one of eight still operational in the United States and is featured on the official seal of the City of Mason.
WLW carries games of the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....
, which makes it among the last of the clear channel AM radio stations to carry live Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
games. Over the years, WLW has also carried Cincinnati Bengals games, University of Cincinnati football & basketball games, Xavier University basketball games and the games of the Cincinnati Royals of the National Basketball Association.
XM Radio simulcast
From March 1, 2006 to March 6, 2009 WLW was simulcast live on XM Satellite RadioXM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
channel 173. This broadcast was delay-free, and gave the station a signal that reached the continental United States. Excluded from the simulcast were Cincinnati Reds and Bengals play-by-play coverage, which the station did not own the rights to broadcast nationally. However, college sport play-by-play from the Xavier Musketeers and the Cincinnati Bearcats were broadcast on XM. The station was placed on the satellites by at-the-time Clear Channel programming executive Sean Compton
Sean Compton
Sean Compton is an American radio and television executive. He currently serves as President of Programming and Entertainment for Chicago based Tribune Company. Compton oversees programming for 41 television stations which includes a program services arrangement with LocalTV llc...
(brother of WLW personality Steve Sommers), who claimed WLW was his favorite radio station. Compton left the company in 2008 for Tribune Company
Tribune Company
The Tribune Company is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids including Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida...
, and shortly after WLW was removed. The channel remained empty for several months by simulcasting Talk Radio 165
Talk Radio (XM)
Talk Radio, often branded on-air as Talk Radio 165 , is a talk channel on XM Satellite Radio featuring terrestrial radio show simulcasts from around the country, most of which come from Premiere Radio Networks...
, until December 2009, when Bollywood & Beyond
Bollywood & Beyond
Bollywood & Beyond was a commercial radio channel on XM Satellite Radio, located at channel 163 and playing a mix of Bollywood and music from across India. The channel is produced by NRI Media, Inc. Premiere Radio syndicates the station for broadcast on XM. The channel was programmed out of...
debuted on XM 173. Non-locals are encouraged to use Clear Channel's iheartradio
Iheartradio
iHeartRadio is a Clear Channel Radio network to aggregate local radio brands, personalities and on-demand content. It is best known as a mobile application...
smart phone application, which carries internet streams of Clear Channel radio stations including WLW. After things settled down, WLW's 12am to 5 am overnight programming of America's Trucking network featuring Steve Sommers and Eric 'Bubba Bo' Boulanger is simulcast on XM 152 Extreme talk.
Former on-air staff
The station claims many well-known alumni, including Merle TravisMerle Travis
Merle Robert Travis was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and musician born in Rosewood, Kentucky. His lyrics often discussed the life and exploitation of coal miners. Among his many well-known songs are "Sixteen Tons", "Re-Enlistment Blues" and "Dark as a Dungeon"...
, Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
, Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney
Rosemary Clooney was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the novelty hit "Come On-a My House" written by William Saroyan and his cousin Ross Bagdasarian , which was followed by other pop numbers such as "Botch-a-Me" Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 –...
, Ruth Lyons, Bob Braun
Bob Braun
Bob Braun was a local television and radio personality in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was born in Ludlow, Kentucky....
, Wally Phillips
Wally Phillips
Walter Phillips was an American radio personality best known for hosting WGN's morning radio show from Chicago for 21 years from January 1965 until July 1986, and was number one in the morning slot from 1968 until he left for an afternoon radio slot in 1986.Phillips was a pioneer of the radio...
, NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sportscasters Cris Collinsworth
Cris Collinsworth
Anthony Cris Collinsworth is a former American college and professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s. He played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played his entire professional career for...
and Al Michaels
Al Michaels
Alan Richard "Al" Michaels is an American television sportscaster. Now employed by NBC Sports after nearly three decades with ABC Sports, Michaels is one of the most prominent members of his profession...
, longtime "Sportstalk" hosts Bob Trumpy
Bob Trumpy
Bob Trumpy is a former professional American Football tight end who played for the American Football League's Cincinnati Bengals from 1968 to 1969, and for the NFL Bengals from 1970 through 1977...
and Andy Furman, former morning host Bill Wills (now with WTAM
WTAM
WTAM — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts primarily a news/talk format...
), Dale Sommers
Dale Sommers
Bruce Dale Sommers , known by his nickname "The Truckin' Bozo", is an American radio personality, best known for his long-running country music show geared toward truck drivers...
(better known as the "Truckin' Bozo"), J. R. Gach
J. R. Gach
Jay Robert "J.R." Gach is a controversial talk radio host and shock jock from Schenectady, New York.Gach was born in 1952 to Joseph Harry Gach , a retired army colonel, and Dorothy Louise Shive...
(who was fired for referring to Japanese as "yellow monkeys"), Mike McConnell (late-morning/midday host from 1985 until 2010), Gary Burbank
Gary Burbank
Gary Burbank is an American radio personality. He was heard daily on WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio, from June 15, 1981 until December 21, 2007, when he signed off for the last time.-Career in Radio:...
(comedy talk host, impressionist, and creator of the nationally syndicated Earl Pitts
Earl Pitts (radio character)
Earl Pitts is a fictional character performed by Gary Burbank, a radio personality from Cincinnati, Ohio.Pitts, who is almost always referred to as "Earl Pitts, Uhmerikun" is a stereotype of a redneck from the Southern United States...
monologues) and former Clear Channel
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...
radio CEO Randy Michaels
Randy Michaels
Randy Michaels is an American broadcasting executive and a member of the National Association of Broadcasters TV Board.Randy Michaels has been involved in large market radio broadcasting since the early 1970s, first in front of the mike as evening personality at adult contemporary WGR in Buffalo...
. Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
, the creator of the classic TV series The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
, worked for WLW from 1947-48"Serling, Rod" Contemporary Authors Online, Gale, 2010. Document Number: H1000089528 producing historical documentaries, community profiles and commercials, before leaving to pursue other opportunities in the broadcasting industry.
Randy Michaels
Randy Michaels
Randy Michaels is an American broadcasting executive and a member of the National Association of Broadcasters TV Board.Randy Michaels has been involved in large market radio broadcasting since the early 1970s, first in front of the mike as evening personality at adult contemporary WGR in Buffalo...
is credited for developing WLW from an MOR music signal into a successful all-local talk/adult contemporary music station in the early 1980s; music remained a regular part of WLW's broadcast day until the mid-1990s. In 2010 Michaels and McConnell were together at Tribune's WGN Chicago until Michaels resigned in October. Much of WLW's lineup has remained intact for several years. 700 WLW today is one of a select few radio stations left in the United States with original 24 hour locally produced programming, making it unique and refreshingly creative. 700 WLW personalities (talk hosts) are stars in the Queen City, including Jim Scott, Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham is an American talk radio host. His full-time job is hosting The Big Show with Bill Cunningham, a local show on 700 WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. Cunningham now hosts Live on Sunday Night, it's Bill Cunningham, which is syndicated to over 300 stations by Premiere Radio Networks. He is...
, Scott Sloan, Steve Sommers
America's Trucking Network
"Steve Sommers" redirects here. Not to be confused with Steve Somers, a New York radio host.America's Trucking Network is a nightly terrestrial and satellite radio broadcast based in Cincinnati, Ohio that was formerly syndicated across the United States...
, Marc Amazon and former Cincinnati Red Tracy Jones. Program Director Darryl Parks fills in and hosts a Saturday morning show. WLW Radio has even made mini-stars out of select callers to its local talk shows.
External links
- Official station website (with streaming audio)
- Not Just a Sound: the Story of WLW
- WLW Transmitter Page
- WLW Transmitter History