WDJO
Encyclopedia
- For the former WQRT in Salamanca, New York, see WQRSWQRSWQRS is a radio station in Salamanca, New York in the Olean, New York broadcasting area. The station broadcasts a country music format and is owned by Pembrook Pines Media Group....
.
WQRT (1160 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 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...
licensed to Florence, Kentucky
Florence, Kentucky
Florence is a city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,951 at the 2010 census.-History:The Florence area was originally known as Crossroads, because of the convergence of several roads from Burlington and Union at Ridge Road...
in the 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...
metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
that carries a conservative talk
Conservative talk
Conservative talk radio is a talk radio format in the United States and Canada devoted to expressing conservative viewpoints of issues, as opposed to progressive talk radio...
format primarily from Talk Radio Network
Talk Radio Network
Talk Radio Network is an American radio network providing talk radio programming, with an emphasis on conservative talk on weekdays and variety/general interest talk radio on weekends. Some of the most recognizable personalities in American radio, such as Laura Ingraham and Michael Savage, are...
.
At 1180 AM
WQRT originally signed on in 1984 as WFKB 1180 AM, a 1000 watt daytime-only station licensed to Florence, Kentucky. WFKB was required to sign off at sunset to protect WHAMWHAM (AM)
WHAM is a clear-channel talk radio station in Rochester, New York, owned by Clear Channel Communications. Its 50,000-watt transmitter is located in Chili, New York, and the station broadcasts on 1180 kHz.The station first went on the air in 1922...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
which was - and is - the clear channel station on that frequency. WFKB was a full service station which served northern Kentucky, and offered news every hour along with Adult Contemporary, or MOR music.
WFKB changed to a country format by 1986, and was paired with WIOK-FM in Falmouth, Kentucky
Falmouth, Kentucky
Falmouth is a small city in Pendleton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 2,058 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Pendleton County and is the meeting point of the South and Main forks of the Licking River.-Geography:...
as an AM-FM combo. In 1987, WFKB was acquired by Amber Broadcasting. The format was changed to Adult Standards or Nostalgia, and the call letters were changed to WMLX to reflect a former station in the market that had done the same format.
In 1989, WMLX was acquired by Hoker Broadcasting, which also owned then-WOFX-FM at 94.9 MHz. The two stations were affiliated until 1992, when WOFX-FM was sold to Heritage Media. WMLX was then a stand-alone station, and was purchased in 1993 by KLM Communications, which was headed by Dr. Kenneth L. McDowell.
Move to 1160
In February 1993, WMLX was granted Special Temporary Authority by the FCC to move to 1160 AM and broadcast 24 hours per day at 1000 watts daytime power and 500 watts at night. Call letters were changed in March 1993 to WBND, to reflect the station's new identity as "The Blend." This format was an attempt to merge the very popular Nostalgia/Standards format with an Urban Adult Contemporary format, which had been KLM's original plan for the station.An early attempt at a Saturday sports talk show was hosted by Cincinnati basketball legend Oscar Robertson. A Sunday jazz show was hosted by local musician Wilbert Longmire. By 1995, WBND had been sold to the owners of WNKR-FM in Dry Ridge, Kentucky
Dry Ridge, Kentucky
Dry Ridge is a city in Grant County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 1,995 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Dry Ridge is located at ....
and the call letters changed to WKYN to reflect an emphasis towards northern Kentucky news and sports.
The station's signal was eventually upgraded to 5000 watts daytime and 990 watts nighttime, with different directional patterns for day and night. From the station's new transmitter site near Union, Kentucky, WKYN was now directing more than 10,000 watts towards downtown Cincinnati during the day. At night, the power directed at Cincinnati was only 1629 watts.
The lower power, coupled with typical nighttime AM skywave interference, caused the post-sunset signal to be listenable in limited areas of the market, mainly northern Kentucky and the western side of Cincinnati. (WQRT still uses this transmitter site with the same signal parameters.)
New owner, new format
Despite the nighttime limitations, the station's new, more powerful signal caught the attention of Chancellor Media, which owned WUBE-AM & FM and WYGY-FM in Cincinnati. In 1995, WUBE-AM - at 1000 watts on 1230 AM - had begun running a sports-talk format known as "1230 The Score."Programming consisted of "Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Cumulus Media Networks , and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network....
," The Fabulous Sports Babe
The Fabulous Sports Babe
Nanci Donnellan, best known by her title of "The Fabulous Sports Babe," is an American sports radio broadcaster, currently broadcasting on WHBO in the Tampa Bay, Florida area. She is best known nationally for being syndicated across the United States on both ESPN Radio and ESPN2, from 1994 until 2001...
, a local afternoon show, and network programming from One-On-One Sports
Sporting News Radio
Yahoo! Sports Radio, formerly Sporting News Radio is a United States sports radio network that broadcasts sports news, talk, scores, and highlights 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On August 1, 2011, it was announced the network would change its name to Yahoo! Sports Radio, effective...
in the evening and on weekends. Chancellor purchased WKYN in 1996 and moved "The Score" to the more powerful WKYN signal.
While the new "Score" was much more powerful during the day, WKYN's nighttime signal was lacking (as noted above) in areas north of the Ohio River and east of downtown Cincinnati where WUBE-AM had provided a strong signal.
The home of the Bengals
At the conclusion of the 1996 NFL season, WKYN stunned the local radio and sports communities by winning the rights to be the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals for three seasons. The games would also be simulcast on powerhouse sister station WUBE-FM, the city's dominant Country station.On Cincinnati Reds opening day in 1997, the station changed call letters to WBOB and became known as "1160 BOB." The station eventually dropped syndicated programming during the day, and ran a live and local sports talk format from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM each weekday. There were also various live weekend shows. During this time, WUBE and WBOB became a sports combo, simulcasting some programs to make up for individual signal deficiencies. The stronger 1160 AM was known as "BOB", while 1230 AM was known as "BOB 2", similar to the ESPN and ESPN2 cable networks.
In 1999, WBOB's parent company - by then known as AMFM, Inc. - merged with Clear Channel Communications. Because Clear Channel already owned the maximum number of stations allowed in the Cincinnati market, WBOB was spun off to Salem Communications, along with sister station WYGY-FM (now WFTK and owned by Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
). WUBE-AM (now WDBZ) was sold to Blue Chip Broadcasting, while WUBE-FM was sold to Infinity Broadcasting.
Bengals play-by-play then shifted to competing all-sports station "1360 Homer" WCKY
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...
and "92.5 The Fox" WOFX-FM
WOFX-FM
WOFX-FM is an American radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The station plays a classic rock format. The station is owned and operated by Cumulus Media. It broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 16,000 watts...
, both of which were owned by Clear Channel. In addition, WLW
WLW
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...
would also carry the games once the Reds season ended, giving the network three flagship stations. Most of the WBOB hosts also made the transition to WCKY at this time, which is still the arrangement, even though WCKY now broadcasts at 1530 AM. As of September 2008, the FM simulcast for Bengals games was moved to WEBN-FM 102.7. Due to the privatization of Clear Channel, the company is required by the FCC to divest WOFX-FM.
The Salem years
In August 2000, WBOB was officially acquired by Salem Communications. Salem kept WBOB's sports talk format, but changed the emphasis from local sports to an ESPN RadioESPN 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...
format. There was a local show in the afternoon featuring WBOB Program Director Doug Kidd and reporter Gregg Waddell. This show would eventually be cancelled in favor of ESPN programming.
A local midday program was introduced featuring WLWT-TV sportscaster Ken Broo and Waddell, but that show would also be short-lived. Another local program featured Cincinnati Business Courier columnist Andy Hemmer talking about the business of sports during his show, "The SportsTicker with Andy Hemmer."
In late 2003, Salem dropped ESPN from WBOB and flipped it to a news/talk format. It was programmed like most other Salem-owned talk stations, using the Salem Radio Network
Salem Radio Network
Salem Radio Network is a United States-based radio network that specializes in syndicated Christian talk, music, and secular news/talk programming...
of talent such as Dennis Prager
Dennis Prager
Dennis Prager is an American syndicated radio talk show host, syndicated columnist, author, and public speaker. He is noted for his conservative political and social views emanating from conservative Judeo-Christian values. He holds that there is an "American Trinity" of essential principles,...
, Michael Medved
Michael Medved
Michael Medved is an American radio host, author, political commentator and film critic. His Seattle, Washington-based nationally syndicated talk show, The Michael Medved Show, airs throughout the U.S...
, Hugh Hewitt
Hugh Hewitt
Hugh Hewitt is an American radio talk show host with the Salem Radio Network, lawyer, academic, and author. An outspoken Republican, evangelical Christian, he comments on society, politics, and media bias in the United States. Hewitt is also a law professor at Chapman University School of Law.-...
, Bill Bennett
Bill Bennett
William Richards Bennett, PC, OBC , commonly known as Bill Bennett, was the 27th Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia 1975–1986. He is a son of the former Premier, W. A. C. Bennett. He was a 3rd cousin, twice removed, of R.B...
and Mike Gallagher
Mike Gallagher
Mike Gallagheris an American radio host and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Mike Gallagher Show, a nationally-syndicated radio program that airs throughout the United States on Salem Radio Network and is also a FOX News Channel Contributor and guest host...
. In addition, other syndicated hosts aired on WBOB including Laura Ingraham
Laura Ingraham
Laura Anne Ingraham is an American radio host, author, and conservative political commentator. Her nationally syndicated talk show, The Laura Ingraham Show, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
and Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
.
In February 2006, Salem sold WBOB to Christian Broadcasting System and exited the market altogether in exchange for a station in Detroit, Michigan. At that time, Alchemy Broadcasting became the lease holder of WBOB and changed the format to Oldies and the call letters to WDJO.
History of the WDJO call sign
The WDJO call signCall sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
was previously used by another 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....
station on 1230 AM from 1985 to 1990 in the Cincinnati area which is now urban talker WDBZ
WDBZ
WDBZ is an Urban Talk and Urban Gospel hybrid formatted radio station serving Cincinnati, Ohio broadcasting on 1230 AM. WDBZ is branded as "Your Community & Inspiration Station." The station plays Gospel music except for weekdays between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm, during which time The Lincoln Ware...
.
The WDJO call sign was also used by 106.5 FM in Greenville, Ohio
Greenville, Ohio
Greenville is a city in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,227 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Darke County.-History:Greenville is the historic location of Fort Greene Ville,Greenville is a city in Darke County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,227 at...
(Dayton market) when it aired a Jammin' Oldies format. That station is now WDSJ
WDSJ
WDSJ is a radio station licensed to Greenville, Ohio and is based in the Dayton metropolitan area. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications.- Early history :...
.
1160 and 1230 connections
The WMLX call letters and nostalgia format were originally on 1230 AM between 1981 and 1985. Those call letters and format would later appear in 1987 on 1180 AM, the predecessor to 1160 AM. The "Score" sports talk format was launched on 1230 AM in 1995, then moved to 1160 in 1996.The WDJO call letters and Oldies format originally appeared on 1230 AM between 1985 and 1990. Those call letters and format are currently on 1160 AM. Alchemy Broadcasting operates the station which is leased to them by its current owner Michigan-based Christian Broadcasting Systems Ltd.
WDJO Moves to AM 1480
On Monday May 18, 2009. WDJOWDJO
WQRT is a radio station licensed to Florence, Kentucky in the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area that carries a conservative talk format primarily from Talk Radio Network.-At 1180 AM:...
announced a move to 1480 AM, the former WCIN which previously aired a smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
format. As part of the move,both 1160 and 1480 began simulcasting the transition asking listeners by way of on-air promotional announcements by Charlie Van Dyke
Charlie Van Dyke
Charlie Van Dyke is a former radio disc jockey who is best known for the voice work he has done for numerous radio and television stations....
and the station's website to switch to 1480.
On Saturday May 23, 2009 WDJO commenced its new branding "Oldies 1480."
Until May 28, messages interrupted oldies music on the 1160 frequency, directing people to the 1480 frequency.
Throughout May 28, a 30-minute infomercial for a dietary supplement was run over and over.
On May 29, Christian programming and music was heard. Content is coming from Alchemy.
On May 26, 2009, Christian Broadcasting System, LTD filed a request for the WQRT call letters for their Florence, KY station on 1160 AM.
On June 3, 2009, The Cincinnati Enquirer's John Kiesewetter reported that conservative talk featuring Laura Ingraham, Neil Boortz, and Dr. Laura Schlesinger would debut on 1160 AM on June 15, 2009. Financial talker Dave Ramsey will also join the lineup. Coincidentally, 1160 AM was the original Cincinnati home of Laura Ingraham and Dave Ramsey when it was News/Talk WBOB in 2003.http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=PluckPersona&U=5c49394b12564ab6832411d82ad3a991&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3a5c49394b12564ab6832411d82ad3a991Post%3a9567badd-bcfa-4dd6-bed2-31e7f0aa9d34&sid=sitelife.cincinnati.com
WQRT Real Talk 1160
On June 15, 2009 the station's call letters changed to WQRT and debuted a conservative talk format. The station was briefly known as "Q1160" and even registered a web address at www.q1160.com. After several hours on the air, the station's management realized that any use of the letter Q in radio was servicemarked by WKRQ-FM, which has been known as "Q102" for over 30 years. By the afternoon on June 15, the station had edited out the "Q1160" reference in all imaging and had registered the new web domain www.realtalk1160.com. The station's primary image line is now "Cincinnati's Real Talk 1160." The station's lineup is primarily from the 24-hour satellite feed of Talk Radio NetworkTalk Radio Network
Talk Radio Network is an American radio network providing talk radio programming, with an emphasis on conservative talk on weekdays and variety/general interest talk radio on weekends. Some of the most recognizable personalities in American radio, such as Laura Ingraham and Michael Savage, are...
, as part of TRN's initiative to distribute its programming in bulk. It is also the home of former WLW
WLW
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...
host Andy Furman, who has been on in late afternoons.
On December 10, 2010 it was announced that Furman's show would be moving to mornings, clearing from 7-9 AM.
As of December 13, 2010, WQRT clears Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, sports commentator, and television and radio personality. He is known for his critical assessments laced with pop culture references...
, which replaced Dr. Laura Schlessinger, with the latter's move to Sirius XM Satellite Radio in 2011. WQRT is one of several stations that dumped the show early, before it ends terrestrial radio distribution.