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WCIT (AM)
Encyclopedia
WCIT
WCIT (940 AM
, is a commercial broadcast radio station
in Lima, Ohio
, and features a news/talk format. The station, along with FM sister stations WEGE, WWSR and WFGF, share studio facilities on Cable Road in Lima. WCIT must operate with reduced power after local sunset to avoid interference with a Canadian clear channel signal, reserved for Montreal by international treaty (it was held by CINW until that station's shutdown in 2010).
WCIT would find a new studio home February 15, 1968 in downtown Lima. The studios were located on the 9th floor, suite 940 of Cook Tower, which was Lima's tallest building at the time. The move to the current studio location occurred in 1971. It would be known as the "Broadcast House" at 1301 Cable Road. Much of its programming consisted of an hourly local newscast and a Top Forty
format using the branding "Great 94". WCIT became the market leader within a few short years being the most recognized name in the market for news and music. Jim Baldridge
, a Lima native had his start at WCIT in the late 1960s before moving on to WIZE
in Springfield and later at WHIO-TV
in Dayton.
1972 ushered in an era of the small town top 40 radio station with a big city sound. ** Jim Wood(Robert Marquitz), Tommy Judge (Carl David Hamilton), Johnny Williams, Skip Essex, Rick Lane, Chuck Martin (L Harrison), Dave Shannon, Bill Apple, Rob Bromley, Don Sherwood and the late Steve R. Nelson. The late Gordy Price (later of WIMT
) spent part of his career beginnings at WCIT in 1974 as afternoon personality before automating in 1975 as "Rock 94." Price also worked at WMVR, WING
and the former WTOO (now WPKO) before his move to WIMT in 1987. An audioclip of Price's afternoon show on WCIT can be heard on a special tribute page on the station's website.
In 1986 Riggs Broadcasting sold WCIT-AM/WLSR-FM to Allen Broadcasting. Upon taking over the radio station they flipped WCIT-AM to all talk with music during the morning drive from the 1960s and 1970s. While WCIT was always third or fourth in the local ratings, even under talk WCIT still outperformed competitor WIMA-AM who aired a news/talk format all day long.
In 1992, Allen Broadcasting switched the format of sister station WLSR from Adult Contemporary to Urban using the calls WLJM. Then in 1996, WCIT-AM/WLJM-FM were sold to Forever Broadcasting of Pennsylvania who owned WZOQ-FM/WYRX-FM. This would be the end of WCIT as they moved the Urban Format to the AM side and turned WLJM-FM into a Soft Adult Contemporary again.
WLJM's call letters originally referred to its former nickname "Lima's 940 JAMZ" for its urban contemporary and R&B format. 940 JAMZ was the local affiliate of ABC Radio's "Hits and Oldies" satellite R&B format (also known as "The Touch") as well as the Tom Joyner
Morning Show which were both discontinued after the station was sold by Forever Broadcasting to Maverick Media in 2005. Beforehand, 940 JAMZ was locally originating with personalities. It then changed format to "Lima's ESPN 940," carrying the programming of the national sports network ESPN Radio
, in a move that created a large outcry among the African-American community in Lima as WLJM was Lima's only radio station specifically targeting Black listeners. Some local sports programming included "Sports Talk With Koza" hosted by former WLIO
-TV sports director Vince Koza, "Sportsrap with Matt and Matt" and TALK with Ron Williams.
In 2007, the WLJM call letters were replaced with WZOQ, calls that were previously used at 92.1 FM, which became WWSR and is now WFGF
. On June 1, 2009, the sports/talk format was moved to the FM dial on the 93.1 FM facility and taking the WWSR calls. The country format and WFGF calls were then relocated to the 92.1 FM facility, and the 940 facility reverted back to their original WCIT calls and assumed an oldies format.
On January 10, 2011 WCIT changed their format from oldies to news/talk.
WCIT (940 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...
, is a commercial broadcast radio station
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 Lima, Ohio
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....
, and features a news/talk format. The station, along with FM sister stations WEGE, WWSR and WFGF, share studio facilities on Cable Road in Lima. WCIT must operate with reduced power after local sunset to avoid interference with a Canadian clear channel signal, reserved for Montreal by international treaty (it was held by CINW until that station's shutdown in 2010).
History
Originally broadcasting only during the daytime hours, WCIT was founded in 1959 by the owners of The Lima Citizen. The Citizen folded in 1964, shortly thereafter, WCIT was sold off by the now-former newspaper's owners to Riggs Broadcasting, who also owned a combination AM/FM combination in Lansing, Michigan. Riggs Broadcasting owners were Richard Riggs, his wife Nora Riggs, Sales Manager Tom Rice and Chief Engineer Ray Allen.WCIT would find a new studio home February 15, 1968 in downtown Lima. The studios were located on the 9th floor, suite 940 of Cook Tower, which was Lima's tallest building at the time. The move to the current studio location occurred in 1971. It would be known as the "Broadcast House" at 1301 Cable Road. Much of its programming consisted of an hourly local newscast and a Top Forty
Top Forty
The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. When used without qualification, it typically refers to the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music songs of the previous week...
format using the branding "Great 94". WCIT became the market leader within a few short years being the most recognized name in the market for news and music. Jim Baldridge
Jim Baldridge
Jim Baldridge is a former American newscaster and former co-anchor for WHIO-TV's Newscenter 7 in Dayton, Ohio.-Biography:Baldridge was raised in Lima, Ohio. He attended Shawnee High School, and is a graduate of Wright State University and Sinclair Community College.Baldridge began covering news at...
, a Lima native had his start at WCIT in the late 1960s before moving on to WIZE
WIZE
WIZE — branded WIZE AM 1340 — is a commercial radio station in Springfield, Ohio owned by Clear Channel Communications as part of their Dayton cluster...
in Springfield and later at WHIO-TV
WHIO-TV
WHIO-TV, virtual channel 7, is the CBS-affiliated television station licensed to Dayton, Ohio, serving that state's Miami Valley area. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 41 from its transmitter on Germantown Street in western Dayton....
in Dayton.
1972 ushered in an era of the small town top 40 radio station with a big city sound. ** Jim Wood(Robert Marquitz), Tommy Judge (Carl David Hamilton), Johnny Williams, Skip Essex, Rick Lane, Chuck Martin (L Harrison), Dave Shannon, Bill Apple, Rob Bromley, Don Sherwood and the late Steve R. Nelson. The late Gordy Price (later of 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...
) spent part of his career beginnings at WCIT in 1974 as afternoon personality before automating in 1975 as "Rock 94." Price also worked at WMVR, WING
WING
WING "ESPN 1410" is a commercial AM radio station in Dayton, Ohio operating with 5,000 watts at 1410 kHz with studios, offices and transmitter located on David Road in Kettering. It is the first full-time commercial radio station in Dayton...
and the former WTOO (now WPKO) before his move to WIMT in 1987. An audioclip of Price's afternoon show on WCIT can be heard on a special tribute page on the station's website.
In 1986 Riggs Broadcasting sold WCIT-AM/WLSR-FM to Allen Broadcasting. Upon taking over the radio station they flipped WCIT-AM to all talk with music during the morning drive from the 1960s and 1970s. While WCIT was always third or fourth in the local ratings, even under talk WCIT still outperformed competitor WIMA-AM who aired a news/talk format all day long.
In 1992, Allen Broadcasting switched the format of sister station WLSR from Adult Contemporary to Urban using the calls WLJM. Then in 1996, WCIT-AM/WLJM-FM were sold to Forever Broadcasting of Pennsylvania who owned WZOQ-FM/WYRX-FM. This would be the end of WCIT as they moved the Urban Format to the AM side and turned WLJM-FM into a Soft Adult Contemporary again.
Tom Joyner
Thomas "Tom" Joyner is an American radio host, host of the nationally syndicated The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and also founder of REACH Media Inc., the Tom Joyner Foundation, and BlackAmericaWeb.com.-Early life:...
Morning Show which were both discontinued after the station was sold by Forever Broadcasting to Maverick Media in 2005. Beforehand, 940 JAMZ was locally originating with personalities. It then changed format to "Lima's ESPN 940," carrying the programming of the national sports network ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
, in a move that created a large outcry among the African-American community in Lima as WLJM was Lima's only radio station specifically targeting Black listeners. Some local sports programming included "Sports Talk With Koza" hosted by former 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...
-TV sports director Vince Koza, "Sportsrap with Matt and Matt" and TALK with Ron Williams.
WFGF
WFGF is a commercial radio station based in Wapakoneta, Ohio, broadcasting a country music format. Its studios are located in Lima, Ohio, with their transmitter located in Cridersville, Ohio, between Wapakoneta and Lima....
. On June 1, 2009, the sports/talk format was moved to the FM dial on the 93.1 FM facility and taking the WWSR calls. The country format and WFGF calls were then relocated to the 92.1 FM facility, and the 940 facility reverted back to their original WCIT calls and assumed an oldies format.
On January 10, 2011 WCIT changed their format from oldies to news/talk.