WIZE
Encyclopedia
WIZE — branded WIZE AM 1340 — is a commercial radio station
in Springfield, Ohio
owned by Clear Channel Communications
as part of their Dayton
cluster. The station's main format is classic country
targeted towards Springfield, and their transmitter - and former studios - are also located in Springfield.
Prior to April 22, 2011, WIZE operated as a near 24-hour simulcast of WONE
980-AM, most recently, with sports talk programming from Fox Sports Radio
, in addition to The Jim Rome Show
.
In the station's early days, nationally known comedian Jonathan Winters
had a program on WIZE. However, in the mid 1960's, WIZE adopted a Top 40 format, increasing its popularity and revenue. Under the leadership of Station Manager Steve Joos, listenership (and advertising revenues) grew to the point that WIZE was the most profitable station in the Great Trails Broadcasting chain. WING
in Dayton, WCOL in Columbus and WGTZ
, Eaton (formerly WJAI) were also owned by Great Trails.
The station was moved from its downtown location on West High Street to a location on Miracle Mile. In order to comply with zoning regulations, the building had to be set back from the road and had to look like a residence. As a result, WIZE's studios had a country setting while remaining in the city. Among the list of past employees include Jim Baldridge
(later of WHIO-TV
), Duke Rollins, the late John Hall (John Stalder), Johnny Walker (later of WKEF
-TV), Lee Brenner (Lee Aufdenkampe), John King (F. John Damewood), Geoff Davis, Jerry Tritle (currently performing as DJ Jerry T., his on-air persona in the early 80's), and Pat Barry (who achieved more recognition as a TV weatherman in Cincinnati). WIZE was also the home to news and sports director Gerry Allen (Gerry Pavelka) and notable news reporters Karen Anderson and Darryl Bauer (now of WHIO-AM).
In 1982, Joos left WIZE to accept a position in Columbus. He was replaced as General Manager by Joe Taylor who instituted numerous changes in the station. He brought in two new staff members (Sandy Alexander and Dennis Carter) and changed the format to a unique middle-of-the-road type format. This was at a time when FM radio was becoming more popular and AM stations were having problems attracting listeners and advertising revenues. Taylor thus instituted an all-out sales push, selling commercials for as little as a dollar. As a result, the station was oversold, often running as much as 40 minutes of commercial material each hour.
Taylor only lasted a few years as General Manager, and was replaced by George Wymer (son of WING, Dayton, radio legend Jack Wymer) with the intention of purchasing the station from Great Trails. He was unable to make the purchase and left the station.
The next General Manager was Jerry Staggs, who eventually did purchase the station. Under Staggs' watch, WIZE associated with the former WBLY, the predecessor of WULM
as part of a local marketing agreement
with owner RAY (Ronald A. Yontz) Broadcasting. By this time, both stations operated in the same building. Staggs sold the station in 1990 to WONE's then-owner, DKM Broadcasting, which dropped all local programming for a simulcast of WONE, effectively ending any and all relationship with Springfield.
After a stint as a country music
station, WONE/WIZE changed to Adult Standards
on November 29, 1994. It adopted its present sports talk format (as "Sports ONE") on December 8, 2003, competing with Radio One-owned WING. This eventually became a near-total simulcast of then "1360 Homer" in Cincinnati, which continues even as the "Homer" format itself moved from WSAI
to WCKY
1530-AM on July 2006. This simulcast with WCKY would eventually be severed in 2007, when WONE/WIZE would start to air local sports talk in the afternoon, as well as clearing Fox Sports Radio in the morning hours (which eventually led to a clearance of Dayton native Dan Patrick
's late morning show.)
WIZE continued to relay WONE until April 22, 2011, when it broke away to carry a country oldies music format. WULM's usage of the former WIZE studios at the WIZE transmitter site ended in June 2010 (when after being sold to Radio Maria
Inc. as a repeater of originating station KJMJ
in the spring of 2008), the WULM studio equipment was moved to the Father Boyle Center near St. Bernard Parish at 920 Lagonda Avenue which will feed local live programs to originator KJMJ and its repeater network...as a result,the WIZE studio building now sits vacant as WIZE programming is fed from Dayton.
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 Springfield, Ohio
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
owned 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...
as part of their Dayton
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton is the 6th largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, the fifth most populous county in the state. The population was 141,527 at the 2010 census. The Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 841,502 in the 2010 census...
cluster. The station's main format is classic country
Classic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
targeted towards Springfield, and their transmitter - and former studios - are also located in Springfield.
Prior to April 22, 2011, WIZE operated as a near 24-hour simulcast of WONE
WONE (AM)
WONE is an AM radio station in Dayton, Ohio operating on 980 kHz with a Sports Talk format. It carries programming from Fox Sports Radio, as well as the Jim Rome Show and the Dan Patrick Show .-History:The station took the air in 1949, licensed to Skyland Broadcasting Corp...
980-AM, most recently, with sports talk programming from Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
, in addition to The Jim Rome Show
The Jim Rome Show
The Jim Rome Show is a sports radio talk show hosted by Jim Rome. It airs live for three hours each weekday from 9 a.m. to noon Pacific. The show is produced in Los Angeles, California, syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, and can be heard on more than 200 affiliate radio stations in the U.S...
.
History
The station took the air on November 1, 1940, and was very active in the community.In the station's early days, nationally known comedian Jonathan Winters
Jonathan Winters
-Early life:Winters was born in Bellbrook, Ohio, the son of Alice Kilgore , a radio personality, and Jonathan Harshman Winters II, an investment broker. He is a descendant of Valentine Winters, founder of the Winters National Bank in Dayton, Ohio...
had a program on WIZE. However, in the mid 1960's, WIZE adopted a Top 40 format, increasing its popularity and revenue. Under the leadership of Station Manager Steve Joos, listenership (and advertising revenues) grew to the point that WIZE was the most profitable station in the Great Trails Broadcasting chain. 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...
in Dayton, WCOL in Columbus and WGTZ
WGTZ
WGTZ "Fly 92.9" is a commercial FM station licensed in Eaton, Ohio at 92.9 MHz serving the Dayton and Springfield market area with an Adult Hits format. The previous CHR/Pop format commenced Sunday, March 15, 1984 at Noon when Dayton-based Great Trails Broadcasting owned the station at the time...
, Eaton (formerly WJAI) were also owned by Great Trails.
The station was moved from its downtown location on West High Street to a location on Miracle Mile. In order to comply with zoning regulations, the building had to be set back from the road and had to look like a residence. As a result, WIZE's studios had a country setting while remaining in the city. Among the list of past employees include 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...
(later of 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....
), Duke Rollins, the late John Hall (John Stalder), Johnny Walker (later of WKEF
WKEF
WKEF, virtual channel 22, is the ABC-affiliated television station for the Miami Valley area of Ohio, which is licensed to Dayton. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 51 from a transmitter at their Broadcast Plaza studios near the New Chicago section of the city...
-TV), Lee Brenner (Lee Aufdenkampe), John King (F. John Damewood), Geoff Davis, Jerry Tritle (currently performing as DJ Jerry T., his on-air persona in the early 80's), and Pat Barry (who achieved more recognition as a TV weatherman in Cincinnati). WIZE was also the home to news and sports director Gerry Allen (Gerry Pavelka) and notable news reporters Karen Anderson and Darryl Bauer (now of WHIO-AM).
In 1982, Joos left WIZE to accept a position in Columbus. He was replaced as General Manager by Joe Taylor who instituted numerous changes in the station. He brought in two new staff members (Sandy Alexander and Dennis Carter) and changed the format to a unique middle-of-the-road type format. This was at a time when FM radio was becoming more popular and AM stations were having problems attracting listeners and advertising revenues. Taylor thus instituted an all-out sales push, selling commercials for as little as a dollar. As a result, the station was oversold, often running as much as 40 minutes of commercial material each hour.
Taylor only lasted a few years as General Manager, and was replaced by George Wymer (son of WING, Dayton, radio legend Jack Wymer) with the intention of purchasing the station from Great Trails. He was unable to make the purchase and left the station.
The next General Manager was Jerry Staggs, who eventually did purchase the station. Under Staggs' watch, WIZE associated with the former WBLY, the predecessor of WULM
WULM-AM
WULM "Radio Maria" 1600-AM is an American non-commercial AM radio station licensed in Springfield, Ohio serving the Springfield and Dayton area with Catholic insprational programming . It operates at 1600 kHz with a power output of 1,000 watts daytime and with a reduced power of 34 watts...
as part of a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
with owner RAY (Ronald A. Yontz) Broadcasting. By this time, both stations operated in the same building. Staggs sold the station in 1990 to WONE's then-owner, DKM Broadcasting, which dropped all local programming for a simulcast of WONE, effectively ending any and all relationship with Springfield.
After a stint as a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station, WONE/WIZE changed to Adult Standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
on November 29, 1994. It adopted its present sports talk format (as "Sports ONE") on December 8, 2003, competing with Radio One-owned WING. This eventually became a near-total simulcast of then "1360 Homer" in Cincinnati, which continues even as the "Homer" format itself moved from WSAI
WSAI
WSAI is an AM radio station broadcasting out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Its studios are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to I-71 in the Kenwood section of Sycamore Township and its transmitter is located in Mount Healthy.WSAI is known as "Fox Sports 1360," including The Dan Patrick Show and The...
to 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...
1530-AM on July 2006. This simulcast with WCKY would eventually be severed in 2007, when WONE/WIZE would start to air local sports talk in the afternoon, as well as clearing Fox Sports Radio in the morning hours (which eventually led to a clearance of Dayton native Dan Patrick
Dan Patrick
Daniel Patrick Pugh , professionally known as Dan Patrick, is an American sportscaster, radio personality, and actor from Mason, Ohio...
's late morning show.)
WIZE continued to relay WONE until April 22, 2011, when it broke away to carry a country oldies music format. WULM's usage of the former WIZE studios at the WIZE transmitter site ended in June 2010 (when after being sold to Radio Maria
Radio Maria
Radio Maria is an international Catholic radio broadcasting service founded in Erba, province of Como, in the diocese of Milan in 1983. The World Family of Radio Maria was formed in 1998 and today has branches in 55 countries around the world...
Inc. as a repeater of originating station KJMJ
KJMJ
KJMJ "Radio Maria" is an American AM radio broadcasting stationin Alexandria, Louisiana where the Diocese of Alexandria in Louisiana is also headquartered and is the originating English language station of Radio Maria USA airing Catholic programming.-History:Originally founded in 1935 as KALB ,...
in the spring of 2008), the WULM studio equipment was moved to the Father Boyle Center near St. Bernard Parish at 920 Lagonda Avenue which will feed local live programs to originator KJMJ and its repeater network...as a result,the WIZE studio building now sits vacant as WIZE programming is fed from Dayton.