WIYY
Encyclopedia
WIYY is a radio station
in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
, owned by the Hearst Corporation
. WIYY broadcasts an Mainstream Rock
format
that mixes music popular in the modern rock
, heavy metal
and classic rock
genres. WIYY has broadcast in this format since 1977.
WIYY shares a facility with sister stations WBAL
(1090 AM) and WBAL-TV
(channel 11) on Television Hill in the Woodberry
section of Baltimore, near the transmission tower it shares with WBAL-TV. WIYY and WBAL are the only two radio stations owned by the Hearst Corporation.
, Baltimore's first television station. The first station to use those call letters (and not related to the second WMAR-FM at 106.5, now WWMX), WMAR-FM was a collaborative partner of Transit Rides Inc., developer of a music format designed for public transportation and owned by the Cincinnati
-based Taft family
. After two years on the air, Abell shut down the radio station in June 1950 and turned in its license to the Federal Communications Commission
.
The station remained silent until 1958 when it was reborn as WFDS-FM, a classical music
outlet under the ownership of William S. Cook, a Baltimore native and professional engineer. Cook created WFDS-FM as one of the first radio stations in the United States to experiment with stereo
. The Hearst Corporation purchased the station in April 1960 and retained classical music while renaming it WBAL-FM.
In June 1975 WBAL-FM joined NBC Radio Network's ill-fated 24 hour national "News and Information Service" (NIS), and was the largest affiliate of NIS not to be an NBC Radio owned-and-operated station
. After two years of all-news and low ratings, NBC closed down NIS in late May 1977. But WBAL-FM bailed on the service early, adopting its present elements -- the call letters WIYY, rock music format and the "98 Rock" brand -- on March 28, 1977.
with newsman Josh Spiegel
. Baltimore morning radio presenters Kirk McEwen and Mark Ondayko
left the company and started on WHFS
105.7 FM on February 1, 2007, taking over for the Sports Junkies.
Former Newsman R. Edward Lopez
died of lung cancer on 22 May 2005 at the age of 52. Lopez held the national record for longest tenure for a news man at a rock station. Jon Lieberman
had been filling in for him during his illness. KML, as the morning team was known, has released a number of parody CDs. They are known for their interest in and knowledge of the local area. They briefly called it the "98Rock Morning Show" out of respect for Lopez. On August 22, 2005, the 98Rock Morning Show became "98Rock Morning Radio" and was joined by Spiegel, a former news commentator for Big O and Dukes
and a 20-year radio veteran. Also in 2005, the morning show first broke the story of the Mitch Hedberg
death because he was about give a promo for an appearance at the Baltimore Improv.
Sarah Fleischer follows from 10-3 daily; her shift includes the classic request Hair Ball hour. She is the only personality who has worked at the station from its debut as 98Rock in 1977. Sarah can also be credited with being the first Official Disc Jockey on 98Rock, as it was her that hit the switch under the (then) new rock format to play the very first song "Baba O'Riley
" by the British rock group The Who
. She has also been featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"Stash" (Steve Ash/Smith) is currently the afternoon show DJ, though he has worked just about every shift in his long tenure at 98Rock. He detests motorcycle sidecars and is knowledgeable about the Eastern Shore of Maryland
.
On December 3, 2007, he fell down some stairs at his home, according to DCRTV.com. According to WIYY Program Director Dave Hill speaking to DCRTV.com, Ash suffered a fractured skull, which resulted in bleeding on the brain.
For nearly a year there was no regular night show when Stash moved from nights to the afternoon slot formerly occupied by Mickey and Amelia
. That changed when "Irresponsible Radio with Theo and Joe" debuted September 17, 2007. The show aired for only 10 months from 7PM-Midnight. It featured morning show regular and local comedian Joe Robinson
and former 93.5 'The Rock' Champaign/Urbana, Illinois DJ, Theo. On July 29, 2008 Theo told fans "The powers that be have decided that it's not economically feasible to keep us together. I would like to say on a personal note that working with Joe has been the real highlight of my radio career." "We felt we wanted to rock out at night and not talk as much," WIYY Program Director David Hill told dcrtv.com.
Stash's producer, and Theo and Joe's for the first 7 months of the show, was Stephanie Drummond. She was also formerly with and both the KML and KMS morning shows. Stephanie went to work in television news at WBAL
in mid April 2008.
WIYY currently broadcasts the Baltimore Ravens
games. Stash co-hosts the "Ravens' Last Call" Sunday post-game show with Mike Flynn. Joe Robinson
was the co-host during the inaugural 2007-2008 season.
Additionally, other DJs will often invite local artists (and comedians) into the studio to chat about their music, upcoming shows or just to talk about whatever they want to (politics, religion, food, etc.). Kelly Bell of the Baltimore-based Kelly Bell Band was a frequent guest on the KML/98 Rock Morning Show and now can be heard on the former afternoon-drive, current morning drive "Mickey and Amelia" show. Local artist Mary Prankster
has also been a featured guest.
Matt Davis also hosts on XM Satellite Radio
's Boneyard channel 41 during the weekends.
under the name "Classic 98Rock" and HD3 offers independent rock under the name "Indie 97.9". Web streams for the HD channels are available on their respective websites. 98Rock has recently added a simulcast of News/Talk 1090 WBAL
on HD4.
Active Rock
station of the year in a top 25 market award . Other nominees included WAAF
in Boston, KBPI
in Denver, WRIF
in Detroit, WMMR
in Philadelphia, and KISW in Seattle.
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 Baltimore, Maryland, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, owned by the Hearst Corporation
Hearst Corporation
The Hearst Corporation is an American media conglomerate based in the Hearst Tower, Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by William Randolph Hearst as an owner of newspapers, the company's holdings now include a wide variety of media...
. WIYY broadcasts an Mainstream Rock
Mainstream rock
Mainstream rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.-Format background:...
format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
that mixes music popular in the modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
, heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
and classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
genres. WIYY has broadcast in this format since 1977.
WIYY shares a facility with sister stations WBAL
WBAL (AM)
WBAL is a news-talk radio station located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. WBAL broadcasts on a clear channel frequency with 50 kilowatts of power. Owned by the Hearst Corporation, WBAL's tri-mast transmitters are located in Randallstown, Maryland...
(1090 AM) and WBAL-TV
WBAL-TV
WBAL-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station in Baltimore, Maryland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11. It is one of the flagship stations of Hearst Television, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation, which also owns sister radio stations WBAL and...
(channel 11) on Television Hill in the Woodberry
Woodberry, Baltimore
Woodberry is a neighborhood located in the north-central area of Baltimore, Maryland, USA. A largely residential, middle-class area, Woodberry is a historic community bordered on the north by Cold Spring Lane, on the south by Druid Hill Park, on the west by Greenspring Avenue, and on the east by...
section of Baltimore, near the transmission tower it shares with WBAL-TV. WIYY and WBAL are the only two radio stations owned by the Hearst Corporation.
History
The 97.9 frequency in Baltimore began in 1948 as WMAR-FM, owned by the A.S. Abell Company, publishers of the Baltimore Sun and founders of WMAR-TVWMAR-TV
WMAR-TV, channel 2, is the ABC affiliate television station in Baltimore, Maryland, owned by the broadcasting division of the E.W. Scripps Company...
, Baltimore's first television station. The first station to use those call letters (and not related to the second WMAR-FM at 106.5, now WWMX), WMAR-FM was a collaborative partner of Transit Rides Inc., developer of a music format designed for public transportation and owned by the Cincinnati
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...
-based Taft family
Taft family
The Taft family of the United States hails from Cincinnati, Ohio, with historic origins in Massachusetts; its members have served Ohio, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Utah, and the United States in various positions, such as Governor of Ohio, Governor of Rhode Island, U.S. Senator , U.S...
. After two years on the air, Abell shut down the radio station in June 1950 and turned in its license to the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
.
The station remained silent until 1958 when it was reborn as WFDS-FM, a classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
outlet under the ownership of William S. Cook, a Baltimore native and professional engineer. Cook created WFDS-FM as one of the first radio stations in the United States to experiment with stereo
STEREO
STEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
. The Hearst Corporation purchased the station in April 1960 and retained classical music while renaming it WBAL-FM.
In June 1975 WBAL-FM joined NBC Radio Network's ill-fated 24 hour national "News and Information Service" (NIS), and was the largest affiliate of NIS not to be an NBC Radio owned-and-operated station
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
. After two years of all-news and low ratings, NBC closed down NIS in late May 1977. But WBAL-FM bailed on the service early, adopting its present elements -- the call letters WIYY, rock music format and the "98 Rock" brand -- on March 28, 1977.
Personalities
Since October 30, 2006, mornings feature Mickey and AmeliaMickey and Amelia
Mickey, Amelia & Spiegel is a local radio show that broadcasts out of Baltimore, Maryland, on WIYY, 98Rock . The morning show runs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM-10AM, starring Mickey Cucchiella, Amelia Ryerse and Josh Spiegel with their producer Scott Reardon.-Personalities:*Mickey Cucchiella:...
with newsman Josh Spiegel
Josh Spiegel
Josh Spiegel is an American radio personality based in Baltimore, Maryland. He is a radio newscaster and a self-proclaimed "news genius".He lives in Owings Mills, Maryland.-Career:...
. Baltimore morning radio presenters Kirk McEwen and Mark Ondayko
Mark Ondayko
Michael "Mark" Ondayko is a former American radio broadcaster and co-host of the Kirk and Mark morning show on Baltimore's radio station WHFS .Ondayko is a native of Middletown, Pennsylvania, and had worked in radio since 1978...
left the company and started on WHFS
WHFS
WHFS was the call sign for three different FM stations in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Maryland markets on various frequencies for nearly 50 years. The first and longest run was a progressive rock station and was usually, and affectionately, referred to as 'HFS...
105.7 FM on February 1, 2007, taking over for the Sports Junkies.
Former Newsman R. Edward Lopez
R. Edward Lopez
R. Edward "Bob" Lopez was a newsman and morning radio personality on Baltimore's 98Rock. Joining the station in 1978, Lopez participated in 13 morning radio shows during his 27 years at the station. He was known for his humor, thoughtful opinions, and dogged liberal views.In the late 1980s, he...
died of lung cancer on 22 May 2005 at the age of 52. Lopez held the national record for longest tenure for a news man at a rock station. Jon Lieberman
Jon Lieberman
Jon Leiberman has been a correspondent and producer of America's Most Wanted. He has been a reporter for WBFF in Baltimore and the newsman at WIYY 98 Rock radio in Baltimore. He has also worked as a reporter in New Mexico and Kansas...
had been filling in for him during his illness. KML, as the morning team was known, has released a number of parody CDs. They are known for their interest in and knowledge of the local area. They briefly called it the "98Rock Morning Show" out of respect for Lopez. On August 22, 2005, the 98Rock Morning Show became "98Rock Morning Radio" and was joined by Spiegel, a former news commentator for Big O and Dukes
Chad Dukes (radio personality)
Chad Dukes is a radio personality co-host of the "The LaVar Arrington show with Chad Dukes" and formerly a co-host of the Big O and Dukes Show on WJFK-FM in Washington, D.C.-Early life:...
and a 20-year radio veteran. Also in 2005, the morning show first broke the story of the Mitch Hedberg
Mitch Hedberg
Mitchell Lee "Mitch" Hedberg was an American stand-up comedian known for his surreal humor and unconventional comedic delivery. His comedy typically featured short, sometimes one-line jokes, mixed with absurd elements and non sequiturs...
death because he was about give a promo for an appearance at the Baltimore Improv.
Sarah Fleischer follows from 10-3 daily; her shift includes the classic request Hair Ball hour. She is the only personality who has worked at the station from its debut as 98Rock in 1977. Sarah can also be credited with being the first Official Disc Jockey on 98Rock, as it was her that hit the switch under the (then) new rock format to play the very first song "Baba O'Riley
Baba O'Riley
"Baba O'Riley" is a song written by Pete Townshend for the English rock band The Who. Roger Daltrey sings most of the song, with Pete Townshend singing the middle eight: "Don't cry/don't raise your eye/it's only teenaged wasteland"...
" by the British rock group The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
. She has also been featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
"Stash" (Steve Ash/Smith) is currently the afternoon show DJ, though he has worked just about every shift in his long tenure at 98Rock. He detests motorcycle sidecars and is knowledgeable about the Eastern Shore of Maryland
Eastern Shore of Maryland
The Eastern Shore of Maryland is a territorial part of the U.S. state of Maryland that lies predominately on the east side of the Chesapeake Bay and consists of nine counties. The origin of term Eastern Shore was derived to distinguish a territorial part of the State of Maryland from the Western...
.
On December 3, 2007, he fell down some stairs at his home, according to DCRTV.com. According to WIYY Program Director Dave Hill speaking to DCRTV.com, Ash suffered a fractured skull, which resulted in bleeding on the brain.
For nearly a year there was no regular night show when Stash moved from nights to the afternoon slot formerly occupied by Mickey and Amelia
Mickey and Amelia
Mickey, Amelia & Spiegel is a local radio show that broadcasts out of Baltimore, Maryland, on WIYY, 98Rock . The morning show runs Monday through Friday from 5:30AM-10AM, starring Mickey Cucchiella, Amelia Ryerse and Josh Spiegel with their producer Scott Reardon.-Personalities:*Mickey Cucchiella:...
. That changed when "Irresponsible Radio with Theo and Joe" debuted September 17, 2007. The show aired for only 10 months from 7PM-Midnight. It featured morning show regular and local comedian Joe Robinson
Joe Robinson (radio personality)
Joe Robinson is an American comedian and former radio host on "Irresponsible Radio with Theo & Joe" that was broadcast 7PM-Midnight on WIYY, 98Rock in Baltimore, Maryland, from September 2007-July 2008....
and former 93.5 'The Rock' Champaign/Urbana, Illinois DJ, Theo. On July 29, 2008 Theo told fans "The powers that be have decided that it's not economically feasible to keep us together. I would like to say on a personal note that working with Joe has been the real highlight of my radio career." "We felt we wanted to rock out at night and not talk as much," WIYY Program Director David Hill told dcrtv.com.
Stash's producer, and Theo and Joe's for the first 7 months of the show, was Stephanie Drummond. She was also formerly with and both the KML and KMS morning shows. Stephanie went to work in television news at WBAL
WBAL-TV
WBAL-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station in Baltimore, Maryland. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 11. It is one of the flagship stations of Hearst Television, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation, which also owns sister radio stations WBAL and...
in mid April 2008.
WIYY currently broadcasts the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
games. Stash co-hosts the "Ravens' Last Call" Sunday post-game show with Mike Flynn. Joe Robinson
Joe Robinson (radio personality)
Joe Robinson is an American comedian and former radio host on "Irresponsible Radio with Theo & Joe" that was broadcast 7PM-Midnight on WIYY, 98Rock in Baltimore, Maryland, from September 2007-July 2008....
was the co-host during the inaugural 2007-2008 season.
Local music
98Rock supports local musical acts. Every Sunday from 11pm to midnight, the station broadcasts a show called "Noise In The Basement" which bills itself as providing air-time to the best performers in the Baltimore area. Noise in the Basement is hosted by Matt Davis. Matt also has local artists come into studio to promote the "Noise In The Basement" live show every Monday night at a Baltimore night club called the Quarter (until recently this was formerly held at Fletchers Night Club).Additionally, other DJs will often invite local artists (and comedians) into the studio to chat about their music, upcoming shows or just to talk about whatever they want to (politics, religion, food, etc.). Kelly Bell of the Baltimore-based Kelly Bell Band was a frequent guest on the KML/98 Rock Morning Show and now can be heard on the former afternoon-drive, current morning drive "Mickey and Amelia" show. Local artist Mary Prankster
Mary Prankster
Mary Prankster was the moniker for a U.S. singer-songwriter primarily associated with Baltimore who played a blend of alternative/indie music with extremely frank lyrics. The name is a reference to Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters...
has also been a featured guest.
Matt Davis also hosts on XM Satellite Radio
XM 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...
's Boneyard channel 41 during the weekends.
HD Radio
98Rock offers three separate HD channels. HD2 offers classic rockClassic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
under the name "Classic 98Rock" and HD3 offers independent rock under the name "Indie 97.9". Web streams for the HD channels are available on their respective websites. 98Rock has recently added a simulcast of News/Talk 1090 WBAL
WBAL (AM)
WBAL is a news-talk radio station located in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. WBAL broadcasts on a clear channel frequency with 50 kilowatts of power. Owned by the Hearst Corporation, WBAL's tri-mast transmitters are located in Randallstown, Maryland...
on HD4.
Awards
In 2007, the station was nominated for the Radio & Records magazineRadio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
Active Rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
station of the year in a top 25 market award . Other nominees included WAAF
WAAF (FM)
WAAF is a Boston, Massachusetts, area commercial Album Oriented Rock/Active rock radio station that mixes music that is popular in the modern rock, heavy metal and classic rock genres....
in Boston, KBPI
KBPI
KBPI is an active rock radio station based in Denver, Colorado. The Clear Channel Communications outlet broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 100 kW and has a transmitter in Boulder, Colorado...
in Denver, WRIF
WRIF
WRIF — branded 101 WRIF: The RIFF — is a commercial active rock radio station licensed by the FCC to operate in Detroit, Michigan serving surrounding Metro Detroit. The station is currently owned by Greater Boston Radio, Inc. WRIF is a grandfathered Class B station with a signal equivalent to...
in Detroit, WMMR
WMMR
WMMR is an active rock radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, broadcasting at 93.3 MHz FM. The station is owned by Greater Media....
in Philadelphia, and KISW in Seattle.