WIOD
Encyclopedia
WIOD is a news
/talk
formatted radio station
in Miami, Florida
. For over 80 years, it has been a major information station in South Florida. It features nationally conservative syndicated programs wrapped around locally produced news, traffic and weather reports, 24/7.
Installed in the spring of 1925 by Carl Graham Fisher, a Miami Beach developer, the station made its formal air debut on the South Florida airwaves on January 19, 1926. Carl Fisher selected the letters WIOD as the call letters signifying “Wonderful Isles of Dreams” to commemorate Collins Island, on which the station was situated. WIOD is Florida’s seventh oldest continuously licensed broadcast radio station.
From 1959 to 1962 the call letters were changed to WCKR - Cox-Knight Broadcasting had once owned the station as well as WCKT television, now WSVN
. Branded Wacker Radio, they attempted a rock & roll format but were unsuccessful against strong competition.
"NewsRadio 610 WIOD" arguably features one of the largest radio news departments in the Southeast United States and has consistently been the most frequent winner in annual Florida Associated Press statewide competitions. 610 WIOD may be best known for its continuous hurricane coverage, particularly Andrew
, Katrina
and Wilma
. Despite the station's class B status, it has strong daytime and nighttime signal. This is due to parts of the tower's guy ground system resting in the brackish mix of fresh and salt waters of Biscayne Bay
.
WIOD, positioned as "South Florida's News, Traffic and Weather Station" is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications
, Inc., the largest U.S. radio owner. WIOD is an affiliate of the Fox News Radio
network. It also is affiliated with The Weather Channel, Dow Jones & Company
(for "The Wall Street Journal
Business Report") and has a news and weather content sharing relationship with WFOR-TV
("CBS 4", former partner was WPLG "Local 10"). 610 WIOD was the radio flagship of the 2006 NBA champions
Miami Heat
from 1996-2008. It is also the "official" broadcast emergency station for the Broward County Commission.
In April 2010, WIOD launched a simulcast on FM
translator W262AN 100.3 MHz.
They also broadcast on WBGG-HD2
, 105.9.
On August 24, 2011, it was announced that Clear Channel Communications purchased W228BY 93.5 FM from WAY-FM Network
for $200,000.
is the host. Nathalie Rodriguez is the news anchor. Wendi Grossman is reporter and Christina Kautz provides updates. Ron Philips & Richard Lewis are the traffic reporters. Weather information is provided by The Weather Channel. Sports updates are provided by Jeremy Marks-Peltz, who also serves as the studio host of the Miami Heat Radio Network.
The rest of the weekday lineup includes syndicated talk programming such as Glenn Beck
, Rush Limbaugh
and Todd Schnitt
's The Schnitt Show, which are aired mid-days and afternoons live. The Schnitt Show originated on WIOD in 2001 before moving to Tampa. Sean Hannity
, Mark Levin
and George Noory's "Coast To Coast AM
" program fill out evenings and overnights. Michael Woulfe is WIOD's afternoon news anchor.
Up until June 2009, weekend programming included mostly syndicated programs. Since then, the station has replaced most of those hosts with infomercials or brokered programming.
, Neil Rogers
, Sally Jessy Raphael
, Ron Bennington
, Mike Reineri, Bill Calder, Alan Burke, Sandy Peyton, Rick and Suds, Hank Goldberg
, Randi Rhodes
, Big Wilson, Chris Baker, Phil Hendrie
, Joey Reynolds
, Tom Gauger, Dave Lamont
, Tom Leykis
, Jack Ellery, and anchor Ron Hersey. Reineri hosted the last music show (Adult Contemporary format) on WIOD from 6 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday from 1974 to 1989. Reineri's traffic reporter, Dave Mitchell
, hosted the show on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the same time slot. Other known traffic reporters on WIOD in the 80's and 90's & 2004-2007 were Joe Brennan (now at Metro Traffic), George Sheldon (now at WLOS TV CH-13 Asheville, NC as their traffic reporter), Don Anthony (aka Agony) is retired, Teri Griffin (has moved out of South Florida),and Trish Anderson has left Clear Channel but still resides in South Florida. Since 1989 WIOD has had an All-News or News/Talk format.
News Radio
News Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format....
/talk
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...
formatted 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 Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. For over 80 years, it has been a major information station in South Florida. It features nationally conservative syndicated programs wrapped around locally produced news, traffic and weather reports, 24/7.
Installed in the spring of 1925 by Carl Graham Fisher, a Miami Beach developer, the station made its formal air debut on the South Florida airwaves on January 19, 1926. Carl Fisher selected the letters WIOD as the call letters signifying “Wonderful Isles of Dreams” to commemorate Collins Island, on which the station was situated. WIOD is Florida’s seventh oldest continuously licensed broadcast radio station.
From 1959 to 1962 the call letters were changed to WCKR - Cox-Knight Broadcasting had once owned the station as well as WCKT television, now WSVN
WSVN
WSVN, channel 7, is a television station located in Miami, Florida, USA. WSVN is owned by Sunbeam Television, and is an affiliate of the Fox Broadcasting Company. The station has its studio facilities located in North Bay Village and transmitter based in north Miami-Dade County.WSVN operates a Key...
. Branded Wacker Radio, they attempted a rock & roll format but were unsuccessful against strong competition.
"NewsRadio 610 WIOD" arguably features one of the largest radio news departments in the Southeast United States and has consistently been the most frequent winner in annual Florida Associated Press statewide competitions. 610 WIOD may be best known for its continuous hurricane coverage, particularly Andrew
Hurricane Andrew
Hurricane Andrew was the third Category 5 hurricane to make landfall in the United States, after the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Hurricane Camille in 1969. Andrew was the first named storm and only major hurricane of the otherwise inactive 1992 Atlantic hurricane season...
, Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
and Wilma
Hurricane Wilma
Hurricane Wilma was the most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. Wilma was the twenty-second storm , thirteenth hurricane, sixth major hurricane, and fourth Category 5 hurricane of the record-breaking 2005 season...
. Despite the station's class B status, it has strong daytime and nighttime signal. This is due to parts of the tower's guy ground system resting in the brackish mix of fresh and salt waters of Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay
Biscayne Bay is a lagoon that is approximately 35 miles long and up to 8 miles wide located on the Atlantic coast of South Florida, United States. It is usually divided for purposes of discussion and analysis into three parts: North Bay, Central Bay, and South Bay. Its area is...
.
WIOD, positioned as "South Florida's News, Traffic and Weather Station" is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
, Inc., the largest U.S. radio owner. WIOD is an affiliate of the 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...
network. It also is affiliated with The Weather Channel, Dow Jones & Company
Dow Jones & Company
Dow Jones & Company is an American publishing and financial information firm.The company was founded in 1882 by three reporters: Charles Dow, Edward Jones, and Charles Bergstresser. Like The New York Times and the Washington Post, the company was in recent years publicly traded but privately...
(for "The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
Business Report") and has a news and weather content sharing relationship with WFOR-TV
WFOR-TV
WFOR-TV, virtual channel 4.1 , is the CBS owned-and-operated station in Miami, Florida. WFOR shares its TV studio facilities with sister station WBFS-TV in Doral, near Miami International Airport, and its transmitter is located in Miramar.WFOR-TV also previously had two translator stations in the...
("CBS 4", former partner was WPLG "Local 10"). 610 WIOD was the radio flagship of the 2006 NBA champions
2005-06 NBA season
The 2005–06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. It began on November 1, 2005 and ran through April 19, 2006...
Miami Heat
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
from 1996-2008. It is also the "official" broadcast emergency station for the Broward County Commission.
In April 2010, WIOD launched a simulcast on FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
translator W262AN 100.3 MHz.
They also broadcast on WBGG-HD2
WBGG-FM
WBGG-FM, branded as Big 105.9, is a classic rock radio station licensed to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and serving the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station is licensed for HD Radio and carries WIOD 610 AM on HD2....
, 105.9.
On August 24, 2011, it was announced that Clear Channel Communications purchased W228BY 93.5 FM from WAY-FM Network
WAY-FM Network
The WAY-FM Network is a national, non-profit radio broadcasting network in the United States that primarily plays Contemporary Christian music operating in 25 states . It is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, while most programming originates in Franklin, Tennessee.-Origins in Fort Myers:WAY-FM...
for $200,000.
Current Hosts & Reporters
The show airs syndicated programming outside of weekday mornings. "South Florida's First News" is the morning news/talk program from 5am to 9am. Jimmy CefaloJimmy Cefalo
James Carmen Cefalo, , is an American sportscaster, game show host and former professional American football wide receiver.-High school:Cefalo attended Pittston Area High School in Pittston, Pennsylvania...
is the host. Nathalie Rodriguez is the news anchor. Wendi Grossman is reporter and Christina Kautz provides updates. Ron Philips & Richard Lewis are the traffic reporters. Weather information is provided by The Weather Channel. Sports updates are provided by Jeremy Marks-Peltz, who also serves as the studio host of the Miami Heat Radio Network.
The rest of the weekday lineup includes syndicated talk programming such as Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
, Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
and Todd Schnitt
Todd Schnitt
Todd Andrew Schnitt is an American radio personality. Schnitt hosts two different shows daily from the Clear Channel Broadcast complex in Tampa, Florida...
's The Schnitt Show, which are aired mid-days and afternoons live. The Schnitt Show originated on WIOD in 2001 before moving to Tampa. Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
, Mark Levin
Mark Levin
Mark Reed Levin is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show. Levin served in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese...
and George Noory's "Coast To Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
" program fill out evenings and overnights. Michael Woulfe is WIOD's afternoon news anchor.
Up until June 2009, weekend programming included mostly syndicated programs. Since then, the station has replaced most of those hosts with infomercials or brokered programming.
Former Hosts & Reporters
WIOD boasts some big names along its alumni including Larry KingLarry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
, Neil Rogers
Neil Rogers
Neil Rogers was an American talk radio personality. Until his retirement on June 22, 2009, "The Neil Rogers Show" aired weekdays from 10am-2pm on 560 WQAM. It was consistently the top rated show in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale media market and had been since his Miami debut in 1976...
, Sally Jessy Raphael
Sally Jessy Raphaël
Sally Lowenthal , better known as Sally Jessy Raphael, is an American talk show host, known for the eponymous Sally talk show she hosted for two decades.-Early years:...
, Ron Bennington
Ron Bennington
Ron Bennington born January 9th,1959, is an American radio personality and comedian. He is the primary voice of The Ron and Fez Show, and a stand-up comic...
, Mike Reineri, Bill Calder, Alan Burke, Sandy Peyton, Rick and Suds, Hank Goldberg
Hank Goldberg
Hank Goldberg , aka Eggs Goldberg is an American sports radio and television personality based in Miami, Florida.-Biography:...
, Randi Rhodes
Randi Rhodes
Randi Rhodes is an American progressive talk radio personality, formerly featured on Air America Radio and Nova M Radio and now on Premiere Radio Networks. Her eponymous program, The Randi Rhodes Show, airs live Monday through Friday from 3 pm to 6 pm Eastern Time.-Early life:Rhodes was born in...
, Big Wilson, Chris Baker, Phil Hendrie
Phil Hendrie
Philip Stephen Hendrie is an American radio personality. He is best known as the host of The Phil Hendrie Show, a comedy talk radio program that is syndicated throughout North America on Talk Radio Network...
, Joey Reynolds
Joey Reynolds
Joey Reynolds is the pseudonym of Joey Pinto, host of the U.S. radio program The Joey Reynolds Show via the WOR Radio Network. Reynolds' broadcasting career started on TV- in Buffalo at WGR TV 2...
, Tom Gauger, Dave Lamont
Dave Lamont
Dave Lamont is an American sports commentator. He formerly hosted South Florida's First News weekday mornings from 5 to 9 on WIOD . He was the ringleader of SFFN and does everything from reporting to getting interactive with listeners. Lamont currently calls college football for ESPN and ABC.Lamont...
, Tom Leykis
Tom Leykis
Thomas Joseph Leykis is an American radio personality. He currently hosts The Tasting Room with Tom Leykis, a weekly lifestyle program dealing with fine food and drink, airing weekends mainly in West Coast markets...
, Jack Ellery, and anchor Ron Hersey. Reineri hosted the last music show (Adult Contemporary format) on WIOD from 6 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday from 1974 to 1989. Reineri's traffic reporter, Dave Mitchell
Dave Mitchell
James David Mitchell better known as "Dave Mitchell" is an American radio personality, producer, engineer, voice-over artist and former broadcast executive who has appeared on over 100 radio stations in Texas, Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina, and South Carolina, and on Sirius Satellite Radio...
, hosted the show on Saturday and Sunday mornings in the same time slot. Other known traffic reporters on WIOD in the 80's and 90's & 2004-2007 were Joe Brennan (now at Metro Traffic), George Sheldon (now at WLOS TV CH-13 Asheville, NC as their traffic reporter), Don Anthony (aka Agony) is retired, Teri Griffin (has moved out of South Florida),and Trish Anderson has left Clear Channel but still resides in South Florida. Since 1989 WIOD has had an All-News or News/Talk format.