WKKI
Encyclopedia
WKKI is a radio station
broadcasting a Classic hits
format. Licensed to Celina, Ohio
, USA, the station serves the Lima area. The station is currently owned by The Sonshine Communications Corporation.
In December 2006, the station changed to the current classic hits format from its former adult contemporary format.
, making it the county's first commercial radio station, transmitting with only 740 watts from its studios located above The Celina Music Store at 128 West Fayette Street in downtown Celina. The music store's owner at the time was also the original owner of WMER. As the weak signal and short transmitting tower in back of the music store barely covered Mercer County with neighboring Auglaize County being the fringe area, there was a demand for a more powerful station, hence WCSM AM
and FM
later emerged as a competitor in 1964 along with the former WERM located west of Wapakoneta at Moulton (which is now WFGF
"The Frog" with studios in Lima.) The Fayette Street studios remain in use today.
The station changed ownership several different times during the 1970s; it was a sister station to WDRK in Greenville (now WDSJ
) from 1968 until 1972 under the ownership of Lee Rutherford and Ron Rumley airing Drake-Chenault
's "Hitparade" adult contemporary automation tapes. Later in that same year, the station was later owned by the Hildebrand family (as WMER Incorporated) and played Top 40 music. Scott Hillebrand (air name: Scott Allen) managed the station and was chief DJ. Despite the owner's good intentions, it fell into receivership
in 1973 (possibly due to financial problems coupled with its then-low power signal and limited coverage area), prompting a sale. A group of area business people formed a partnership called Grand Lake Broadcasting in an effort to purchase the station and tentatively move it to a newer building on State Route 703 near Grand Lake St. Marys and apply for a power increase with a more efficient tower but the deal fell through with the partnership quickly dissolved. By the spring of 1974 it was finally sold, with the new owners Keith and Jackie Balfour (previously with WCSM) flipping the format to adult standards
. 1978 brought another ownership change, this time being Michigan-based Mid-America Radio Inc. with another format change (to country music
), and a change in calls to WKKI. The "K-94" nickname was first used for the country format until 1979, which brought yet another format change, to a soft AC daytime/album oriented rock nighttime mix. In 1979 the station was finally upgraded to a much more powerful 3,000 watts and the transmitter moved to a higher tower near the West Ohio Branch Campus of Wright State University
at Grand Lake St. Marys (which is also the transmitting tower of W17AA, the Celina translator of Dayton's public television station WPTD
). Joe Hill, now of Tucson, Arizona, was the morning announcer when John Lennon was killed and produced a three-hour tribute with no preparation prior to airtime.
The station switched to a full-time album-oriented rock format in 1980 by a new owner, Cage Media, headed up by Chris Cage, a former WING
"Lively Guy" and University of Dayton
graduate. The station was heavily involved with bringing concerts to the Ohio Theater in Lima. The format also gave the station opportunities to promote major concerts at other venues. Branded as "94-KKI", the AOR format lasted until early 1983 when the K-94 branding was revived and used once again, this time as the local affiliate of Transtar, one of the first satellite format programming services, once again airing Adult Contemporary music. The K-94 branding remains today under its present owner with a mix of classic and contemporary rock and roll as its current format in addition to local high school sports coverage.
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...
broadcasting a Classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
format. Licensed to Celina, Ohio
Celina, Ohio
Celina is a city in and the county seat of Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 10,303 at the 2000 census. Celina is situated on the western shores of Grand Lake St. Marys.-History:...
, USA, the station serves the Lima area. The station is currently owned by The Sonshine Communications Corporation.
In December 2006, the station changed to the current classic hits format from its former adult contemporary format.
History
The station was founded in 1960 as WMER, a reference to MERcer CountyMercer County, Ohio
Mercer County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. Its county seat is Celina and is named for Hugh Mercer, an officer in the American Revolutionary War.The Celina Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Mercer County.-Geography:...
, making it the county's first commercial radio station, transmitting with only 740 watts from its studios located above The Celina Music Store at 128 West Fayette Street in downtown Celina. The music store's owner at the time was also the original owner of WMER. As the weak signal and short transmitting tower in back of the music store barely covered Mercer County with neighboring Auglaize County being the fringe area, there was a demand for a more powerful station, hence WCSM AM
WCSM (AM)
WCSM is an American AM radio station in Celina, Ohio, broadcasting at 1350 kHz on the AM dial. The station is owned with 96.7 WCSM-FM by Hayco Broadcasting, Inc.-Brief history:...
and FM
WCSM-FM
WCSM-FM is an American FM radio station broadcasting at 96.7 MHz in Celina, Ohio. The station features a full-service Hot Adult Contemporary format with local news, weather, sports and agricultural programming...
later emerged as a competitor in 1964 along with the former WERM located west of Wapakoneta at Moulton (which is now WFGF
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....
"The Frog" with studios in Lima.) The Fayette Street studios remain in use today.
The station changed ownership several different times during the 1970s; it was a sister station to WDRK in Greenville (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 :...
) from 1968 until 1972 under the ownership of Lee Rutherford and Ron Rumley airing Drake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault Enterprises was a radio syndication company that specialized in automation on FM radio stations. The company was founded in the late-1960s by radio programmer and deejay Bill Drake , and his business partner, Lester Eugene Chenault...
's "Hitparade" adult contemporary automation tapes. Later in that same year, the station was later owned by the Hildebrand family (as WMER Incorporated) and played Top 40 music. Scott Hillebrand (air name: Scott Allen) managed the station and was chief DJ. Despite the owner's good intentions, it fell into receivership
Receivership
In law, receivership is the situation in which an institution or enterprise is being held by a receiver, a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights." The receivership remedy is an equitable remedy that emerged in...
in 1973 (possibly due to financial problems coupled with its then-low power signal and limited coverage area), prompting a sale. A group of area business people formed a partnership called Grand Lake Broadcasting in an effort to purchase the station and tentatively move it to a newer building on State Route 703 near Grand Lake St. Marys and apply for a power increase with a more efficient tower but the deal fell through with the partnership quickly dissolved. By the spring of 1974 it was finally sold, with the new owners Keith and Jackie Balfour (previously with WCSM) flipping the format 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...
. 1978 brought another ownership change, this time being Michigan-based Mid-America Radio Inc. with another format change (to 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...
), and a change in calls to WKKI. The "K-94" nickname was first used for the country format until 1979, which brought yet another format change, to a soft AC daytime/album oriented rock nighttime mix. In 1979 the station was finally upgraded to a much more powerful 3,000 watts and the transmitter moved to a higher tower near the West Ohio Branch Campus of Wright State University
Wright State University
Wright State University is a comprehensive public university with strong doctoral, research, and undergraduate programs, rated among the 260 Best National Universities listed in the annual "America's Best Colleges" rankings by U.S. News and World Report. Wright State is located in Fairborn, Ohio,...
at Grand Lake St. Marys (which is also the transmitting tower of W17AA, the Celina translator of Dayton's public television station WPTD
WPTD
WPTD is a television station in Dayton, Ohio that is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service. It broadcasts in digital on channel 16, and is relayed by W32DS-D in Maplewood, Ohio....
). Joe Hill, now of Tucson, Arizona, was the morning announcer when John Lennon was killed and produced a three-hour tribute with no preparation prior to airtime.
The station switched to a full-time album-oriented rock format in 1980 by a new owner, Cage Media, headed up by Chris Cage, a former 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...
"Lively Guy" and University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
graduate. The station was heavily involved with bringing concerts to the Ohio Theater in Lima. The format also gave the station opportunities to promote major concerts at other venues. Branded as "94-KKI", the AOR format lasted until early 1983 when the K-94 branding was revived and used once again, this time as the local affiliate of Transtar, one of the first satellite format programming services, once again airing Adult Contemporary music. The K-94 branding remains today under its present owner with a mix of classic and contemporary rock and roll as its current format in addition to local high school sports coverage.
Station ownership
- 1960–1968 – THE CELINA MUSIC COMPANY – owned no other radio stations
- 1968–1972 – RUTHERFORD AND RUMLEY ASSOCIATES – co-owned WDRK-AM / WDRK-FM Greenville
- 1972–1974 – co-owned WDRK-AM / WDRK-FM Greenville, WCWA-AM / WMHE-FM Toledo
- 1974–1978 MERCER BROADCASTING LLC – owned no other radio stations
- 1978–1984 – MID AMERICA BROADCASTING OF MICHIGAN – WTCM-AM / WTCM-FM Traverse City, WJIM-AM / WJIM-FM Lansing
- 1984–2004 MERCER COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS – owned no other radio stations
- 2004–2011 – SONSHINE BROADCASTING OF CELINA – owns no other radio stations