WVKS
Encyclopedia
WVKS is a Clear Channel
-owned station serving Toledo, Ohio
with a Top 40 (CHR)
format; it is the most popular Toledo station in this format.
WVKS' studios and offices are located at Superior and Lafayette in downtown Toledo. The station's transmitter is located on Neiderhouse Road in Perrysburg Township, Ohio.
WMHE's initial format consisted of "fine arts" music programming, including classical, jazz
, and big band
music. But, another important reason why Mr. Hillebrand created WMHE was to transmit the new Muzak
subcription service to businesses and restaurants in the Toledo area. FM radio has a second audio channel, a subcarrier channel, that’s only received through special receivers and used to distribute Muzak
. The transmitter was located behind the studio building on Bancroft St. next to an electronics store also owned and operated by Mr. Hillebrand (Hillebrand Electronics).
In the early '70s, Mr. Hillebrand wanted to expand his Muzak coverage area and constructed a much larger transmitter at a new site near Perrysburg, Ohio
. The tower was 550 feet tall and the transmitter generated 50,000 watts of Muzak power. With his new transmitter, Mr. Hillebrand could now offer Muzak to places as far away as Lima, Ohio
and Fort Wayne, Indiana
. The programming on the regular FM channel remained beautiful music
.
But, in 1975, Mr. Hillebrand decided to capitalize on the popularity of rock and roll
so a new staff was hired to launch the new station. It consisted of Dave Deppish (mornings), Mark Howell (middays), Mike O’Mara (evenings), and Larry Weseman (nights). In the spring of 1975
, Toledo’s newest album oriented rock (AOR) station debuted with the Doobie Brothers' “Listen to the Music”. Within a year, more jocks were hired including Timm Morrison (later of WWWM
-FM and WMJC
in Detroit) and Bob Crowley.
WMHE, with its unique blend of rock and roll, became a very popular Toledo station garnishing the highest Toledo ratings during middays, and because of the large coverage area, it became very popular throughout a good portion of Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. The station gained in popularity when many of the stores that carried Muzak, would switch over to the main audio channel in order to pull in WMHE. Its primary competition was WIOT
, and some of the WIOT jocks joined the WMHE airstaff over the next few years. They included Dorien Pastor (founder of WIOT), John Fisher as the new morning man and program director (now at KMTT
-Seattle), and Bob Thomas. Legendary Toledo jock Buddy Carr was also part of the airstaff in 1976.
Because of Mr. Hillebrand’s fascination with new radio technology, WMHE was partially automated. The automation consisted of a bank of six cartridge “carousels” each holding 24 tape cartridges. All of the music was on these cartridges or “carts” (similar to 8-track tapes), but only one item (a song, a voicetrack, or a commercial) was on each cart. The jocks would record their announcements on individual carts, usually introducing a song or back-announcing a few songs that had just played in the carousel. Portions of the morning and evening shows were performed ‘live'.
WMHE operated in this fashion (promoting itself "turn MHE [me] on") through 1978 at which time the format was briefly changed to disco. Following much anger from its listeners (and major damage to the station's sign out front) disco was dumped and the format was changed back to rock. By 1981, the station changed to an equally successful adult contemporary format. In the early 1980s, WMHE was named one of the 500 most-listened-to stations in the country.
Hillebrand finally sold WMHE to Osborn Communications in 1986, and then to Noble Broadcasting in 1988. In the face of the changes, WMHE switched to Top 40/CHR
. To compete better with then rival WRQN
, 93Q, the station dropped the call letters WMHE in favor of WVKS and moved to an Adult Top 40 presentation. Their slogan was "The Right Music, Right Now." The new "92.5 KISS FM" became a ratings powerhouse in Toledo (especially after WRQN left the CHR format to flip to Oldies
in October 1991), consistently racking up 12+ shares in the double digits and challenging the market's longtime #1 station, country-formatted WKKO
(K100).
In the mid-'90s the station was sold to Jacor Communications, and its dominance continued. WVKS left its original studio on Bancroft Street and moved downtown to the Superior Street studios of sister stations WRVF
and WSPD
in 1998 when Clear Channel took over operations. Shortly thereafter 92.5 KISS FM lost its individual identity and became part of Clear Channel's standard issue KISS format. In the late 1990s and early 2000s the station got more competition in the form of urban stations WJZE
and WJUC
as well as another CHR station, Cumulus Media
's WTWR-FM (Tower 98-3), which moved from Monroe, Michigan
to achieve better coverage of the market; WTWR has since switched to adult contemporary music and re-focused on Monroe as "My 98-3" WMIM, leading WVKS to once again have the CHR format all to itself in Toledo. While no longer the ratings giant it was in the 1990s, 92.5 KISS FM remains among Toledo's top five most listened-to stations among all (12+) listeners.
Past owners-
Osborne Communications, Noble Broadcasting, Jacor Broadcasting
with Ryan Seacrest
and has been an affiliate of that show since the second Casey Kasem
era in the late 1990s.
Some overnight and weekend programming comes from Clear Channel's "Premium Choice" CHR format.
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...
-owned station serving Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
with a Top 40 (CHR)
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
format; it is the most popular Toledo station in this format.
WVKS' studios and offices are located at Superior and Lafayette in downtown Toledo. The station's transmitter is located on Neiderhouse Road in Perrysburg Township, Ohio.
Inception and early usage
92.5 went on the air in the Toledo area as WMHE on October 14, 1957. The station was founded by William A. Hillebrand (1917–2005). Though FM broadcasting was still in its infancy at the time, Hillebrand saw FM radio, with its superior sound quality for musical recordings, as an investment that would prove viable in the long run. "He foresaw things that he thought was going to be successful and he was right," his widow, Marvel Hillebrand, told The Toledo Blade after his death in 2005. The call letters stood for "Wired Music Hillebrand Electronics".WMHE's initial format consisted of "fine arts" music programming, including classical, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
music. But, another important reason why Mr. Hillebrand created WMHE was to transmit the new Muzak
Muzak
Muzak Holdings LLC is a company based in metro Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States, just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1934, Muzak Holdings is best known for distribution of background music to retail stores and other companies....
subcription service to businesses and restaurants in the Toledo area. FM radio has a second audio channel, a subcarrier channel, that’s only received through special receivers and used to distribute Muzak
Muzak
Muzak Holdings LLC is a company based in metro Fort Mill, South Carolina, United States, just outside of Charlotte, North Carolina. Founded in 1934, Muzak Holdings is best known for distribution of background music to retail stores and other companies....
. The transmitter was located behind the studio building on Bancroft St. next to an electronics store also owned and operated by Mr. Hillebrand (Hillebrand Electronics).
In the early '70s, Mr. Hillebrand wanted to expand his Muzak coverage area and constructed a much larger transmitter at a new site near Perrysburg, Ohio
Perrysburg, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,945 people, 6,592 households, and 4,561 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,899.2 people per square mile . There were 6,964 housing units at an average density of 780.5 per square mile...
. The tower was 550 feet tall and the transmitter generated 50,000 watts of Muzak power. With his new transmitter, Mr. Hillebrand could now offer Muzak to places as far away as Lima, Ohio
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
and Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. The programming on the regular FM channel remained beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
.
But, in 1975, Mr. Hillebrand decided to capitalize on the popularity of rock and roll
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
so a new staff was hired to launch the new station. It consisted of Dave Deppish (mornings), Mark Howell (middays), Mike O’Mara (evenings), and Larry Weseman (nights). In the spring of 1975
1975 in radio
The year 1975 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*1 January: KQV-Pittsburgh's new owner, Taft Broadcasting, hires Joey Reynolds as program director...
, Toledo’s newest album oriented rock (AOR) station debuted with the Doobie Brothers' “Listen to the Music”. Within a year, more jocks were hired including Timm Morrison (later of WWWM
WWWM
WWWM-FM 105.5 FM is an American radio station licensed to Sylvania, Ohio and broadcasting as part of the Toledo market."Star 105.5", as the station is known, carries a hot adult contemporary format.-History:...
-FM and WMJC
WCSX
WCSX is a Detroit-based FM radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. WCSX's transmitter is located in suburban Oakland County in Royal Oak Township near the intersection of 8 Mile Rd. and Wyoming Avenue. WCSX transmits its signal from an antenna 951 feet in height with an effective radiated...
in Detroit) and Bob Crowley.
WMHE, with its unique blend of rock and roll, became a very popular Toledo station garnishing the highest Toledo ratings during middays, and because of the large coverage area, it became very popular throughout a good portion of Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. The station gained in popularity when many of the stores that carried Muzak, would switch over to the main audio channel in order to pull in WMHE. Its primary competition was WIOT
WIOT
WIOT is a FM radio station in Toledo, Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts at 104.7 MHz.WIOT was Toledo's first FM rock station when it went on the air December 25, 1972, replacing a beautiful music/classical format. The call letters stood for "In Our Time"...
, and some of the WIOT jocks joined the WMHE airstaff over the next few years. They included Dorien Pastor (founder of WIOT), John Fisher as the new morning man and program director (now at KMTT
KMTT
KMTT , marketed as "103-7 The Mountain", is an adult album alternative FM radio station in the Seattle, Washington market.The station broadcasts at 103.7 MHz and is owned and operated by Entercom Communications. The station's transmitting antenna is on Reichert's Hill on Cougar Mountain...
-Seattle), and Bob Thomas. Legendary Toledo jock Buddy Carr was also part of the airstaff in 1976.
Because of Mr. Hillebrand’s fascination with new radio technology, WMHE was partially automated. The automation consisted of a bank of six cartridge “carousels” each holding 24 tape cartridges. All of the music was on these cartridges or “carts” (similar to 8-track tapes), but only one item (a song, a voicetrack, or a commercial) was on each cart. The jocks would record their announcements on individual carts, usually introducing a song or back-announcing a few songs that had just played in the carousel. Portions of the morning and evening shows were performed ‘live'.
WMHE operated in this fashion (promoting itself "turn MHE [me] on") through 1978 at which time the format was briefly changed to disco. Following much anger from its listeners (and major damage to the station's sign out front) disco was dumped and the format was changed back to rock. By 1981, the station changed to an equally successful adult contemporary format. In the early 1980s, WMHE was named one of the 500 most-listened-to stations in the country.
Hillebrand finally sold WMHE to Osborn Communications in 1986, and then to Noble Broadcasting in 1988. In the face of the changes, WMHE switched to Top 40/CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
. To compete better with then rival WRQN
WRQN
WRQN is an American radio station licensed to broadcast from Bowling Green, Ohio. Though licensed to Bowling Green, its primary market and its studios are in the nearby city of Toledo. The station broadcasts at 93.5 on the FM dial, and plays classic hits music...
, 93Q, the station dropped the call letters WMHE in favor of WVKS and moved to an Adult Top 40 presentation. Their slogan was "The Right Music, Right Now." The new "92.5 KISS FM" became a ratings powerhouse in Toledo (especially after WRQN left the CHR format to flip to 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....
in October 1991), consistently racking up 12+ shares in the double digits and challenging the market's longtime #1 station, country-formatted WKKO
WKKO
WKKO is a commercial FM radio station in Toledo, Ohio broadcasting on 99.9 MHz with a country music format.-History:The 99.9 MHz spot on the FM dial in Toledo, Ohio was originally populated by WTRT, known as one of the nation's first FM-band Top-40 format radio stations. In the late 1960's...
(K100).
In the mid-'90s the station was sold to Jacor Communications, and its dominance continued. WVKS left its original studio on Bancroft Street and moved downtown to the Superior Street studios of sister stations WRVF
WRVF
WRVF is an American soft adult contemporary music formatted radio station in Toledo, Ohio, owned by Clear Channel Communications...
and WSPD
WSPD
WSPD — branded The Talk of Toledo - 1370 WSPD — is a news-talk radio station licensed to Toledo, Ohio. WSPD broadcasts on a full-time basis with 5,000 watts, including a directional signal pattern at night...
in 1998 when Clear Channel took over operations. Shortly thereafter 92.5 KISS FM lost its individual identity and became part of Clear Channel's standard issue KISS format. In the late 1990s and early 2000s the station got more competition in the form of urban stations WJZE
WJZE
WJZE is a Mainstream Urban radio station serving the Toledo area in Ohio USA. The Urban Radio Licenses, LLC outlet broadcasts at 97.3 MHz with an ERP of 4,300 Watts and is licensed to Oak Harbor, Ohio.-History:...
and WJUC
WJUC
WJUC is a commercial Urban contemporary music radio station in Swanton, Ohio, broadcasting to the Swanton, Ohio-Toledo, Ohio area on 107.3 FM....
as well as another CHR station, 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...
's WTWR-FM (Tower 98-3), which moved from Monroe, Michigan
Monroe, Michigan
Monroe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,733 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but both are politically independent. The city is located approximately 14 miles ...
to achieve better coverage of the market; WTWR has since switched to adult contemporary music and re-focused on Monroe as "My 98-3" WMIM, leading WVKS to once again have the CHR format all to itself in Toledo. While no longer the ratings giant it was in the 1990s, 92.5 KISS FM remains among Toledo's top five most listened-to stations among all (12+) listeners.
William A. Hillebrand
William A. Hillebrand was an Toledo businessman who specialized in media and broadcast electronics. Mr. Hillebrand was an electronics genius at a young age. He started his music career by being a “live jukebox” of sorts. During the 1930s, patrons in clubs would pay him to play selected hits of the day. During WWII, he worked for the Allied Forces traveling around Europe with a “mobile” 50,000 watt AM transmitter (the same size transmitter that’s used by the most powerful AM stations in the nation…only portable)! Following the War, he purchased the Muzak franchise rights for the Toledo area and owned and operated Hillebrand Electronics on Bancroft Ave. in the Toledo, Ohio suburb of Ottawa Hills.Past owners-
Osborne Communications, Noble Broadcasting, Jacor Broadcasting
Notable former employees
- Timm Morrison
- Doug Bermick
- Fred LeFebvre
- Ron Finn
- Rob Thomas
- Don Jardine
- Denny SchafferDenny SchafferDenny Schaffer is a radio talk show host based in Atlanta. He currently hosts a new morning show on WRNO-FM in New Orleans. He previously hosted an evening show on WGKA/920 in Atlanta from 9 - 11 pm which WGKA moved to 8- 10 pm a few months before Denny was offered his current gig in New...
- Johnny D.
- Buddy Carr
- Larry Weseman
- Mike O'Mara
- Randi West (1996-2002)
Today
92.5 Kiss FM is the #1 CHR format radio station in the Toledo area. Sundays, it airs American Top 40American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
with Ryan Seacrest
Ryan Seacrest
Ryan John Seacrest is an American radio personality, television host, network producer and voice actor. He is the host of On Air with Ryan Seacrest, a nationally syndicated Top 40 radio show that airs on KIIS-FM in Los Angeles and throughout the United States and Canada on Premiere Radio Networks,...
and has been an affiliate of that show since the second Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
era in the late 1990s.
Current air talent include
- Ryan Seacrest
- Boomer On The Radio (Local)
- Holmes and the Freakshow (Local)
Some overnight and weekend programming comes from Clear Channel's "Premium Choice" CHR format.