WWCD
Encyclopedia
WWCD—currently branded CD101 @ 102.5—is a commercial modern rock
radio station
licensed to Baltimore, Ohio
and serving the Columbus metro area.
The station originally operated on the 101.1 MHz facility licensed to Grove City
- hence the original "CD101" branding - from August 21, 1990 until June 30, 2010. From July 1, 2010 until December 13, 2010, WWCD simulcast
on both the 101.1 and 102.5 facilities while a three-way ownership transaction between WWCD's owner, "Fun With Radio, LLC," WOSU Public Media, and the WHIZ Radio Group was being completed. Since December 13, 2010, WWCD has broadcast exclusively at the 102.5 MHz facility.
Along with WBWR
, WLVQ
and WRKZ
, WWCD is one of four rock stations serving the Columbus radio market.
. The station is owned by Fun With Radio, LLC whose founder, Roger Vaughan, purchased the station from Video Services in 1992. WWCD has always been owned by interests in metro Columbus, and is one of the few remaining independent radio
stations in the U.S. playing alternative rock.
WWCD also lays claim to being one of the first stations in the United States
to be simulcast
and on Internet radio
. In a March 2006 Radio & Records
list of the top 20 alternative rock radio stations in the United States
, WWCD was ranked #4 in the country and #1 east of the Mississippi River.
WWCD's longtime program director throughout the late 1990s and 2000s was afternoon DJ Andy "Andyman" Davis. With the station almost since its inception, Davis previously served as the station's music director. Davis died of a suspected heart attack while on vacation in Michigan with his family on July 18, 2010. As a continual tribute, WWCD still airs the popular segment "Andyman's Taking Calls" during current afternoon host Lesley James' program. The annual "Andyman-a-Thon" also continues in his name
WWCD is also the home of many specialty shows, including Sunday evening shows Island Riddims, the Invisible Hits Hour and the award-winning Independent Playground hosted by Tom Butler (with an encore on Thursday evenings).
Former WWCD DJs include the aforementioned Davis, who helmed the afternoon shift from 1991 until his passing, and Fritz the Nite Owl, who also once hosted one of the last late night movie television programs locally produced in the United States. Fritz's show was broadcast on WCLL-CA
, television channel 19, in Columbus.
In the month of May, WWCD has a feature called "Guest DJ Everyday" where anyone has the chance of being a guest DJ for an hour on air. A compilation of 12-15 songs is put together by the guest DJ, and they can play them during this hour. The feature proved to be so successful that it has since been expanded to every Friday afternoon, all year long.
After Davis' death in July 2010, WWCD announced that the "Andyman-a-Thon" would continue with various staffers in his honor.
NHL
hockey team in tandem with WBNS
. Starting with the 2010 NHL season, the team's primary radio rights were moved with WBNS-FM
, which now operates as a direct simulcast of WBNS. WWCD still broadcasts selected games in the event of any scheduling conflicts on WBNS and WBNS-FM due to overlapping Ohio State Buckeyes
football or basketball play-by-play.
and signed on as the original home to WHIZ-FM in 1961. Under the ownership of the Southeastern Ohio Broadcasting System, Inc.'s WHIZ Media Group, WHIZ-FM programmed an adult contemporary format long identified as "Z102".
The WHIZ Media Group was granted authority to change WHIZ-FM's city of license
from Zanesville to Baltimore, Ohio
in the fall of 2005, and a construction permit to build a new transmitter site was granted in October 2008. On October 17, 2008, the WHIZ Media Group purchased WCVZ FM 92.7 (from which those call letters stood for the Christian Voice of Zanesville) as the new frequency for WHIZ-FM. Both WCVZ and WHIZ-FM simulcast programming as "Z102 and 92.7" until December 7, 2008, when WCVZ assumed WHIZ-FM's identity as "Z92.7," and WHIZ-FM became "Highway 102," featuring an automated country music format.
The "Highway 102" format continued on the 102.5 MHz frequency even after the station completed their relocation to Baltimore on October 1, 2008, and assumed the WCVZ call letters, while the 92.7 MHz frequency became WHIZ-FM. What was now WCVZ effectively ended any connection to the Zanesville region and consequently entered the Columbus market. As a result of this move-in as "Highway 102," the station became one of four Country music radio outlets in Columbus - WHOK-FM
, WCOL-FM
and WNKK being the other stations.
with the WHIZ Media Group to take over programming on the 102.5 MHz frequency immediately, with a future option for purchase.
Ohio State's plans for the 101.1 MHz frequency were to switch format to a full-time classical music format as an extension of WOSU-FM
, while WOSU-FM would drop all music-related programming and become an NPR news/talk station in a simulcast of sister station WOSU
-AM 820. Consequently, WCVZ would become the new home for "CD101," and while the sale of the 101.1 MHz facility awaited approval from the FCC
, WWCD broadcast over both the 101.1 and 102.5 MHz facilities, with the "CD101" name being slightly modified to "CD101 @ 102.5".
On December 13, 2010, the simulcast ended between WWCD and WCVZ, with the 101.1 MHz facility airing a recorded loop instructing listeners to tune to the 102.5 MHz facility. The sale of the 101.1 MHz facility to Ohio State was completed that December 14, and the classical music format—under the WOSA
calls—was launched the next morning at 6:00 a.m.
As had been planned with the initial deal, the WWCD call letters
were relocated to the 102.5 facility, meaning that "CD101 @ 102.5" was able to retain their original calls. It remains unclear, however, whether the station will update the anachronistic "CD101" brand to "CD102.5" to reflect the new frequency. Although the station continues to use "CD101" over the air, online and in print, terms of the sale with Ohio State University clearly dictated that WWCD must cease any and all on-air mentions of "101" or "101.1" when the deal closed on December 14.
Several days before the initial sale with WOSU-FM was announced, Fun With Radio, LLC registered the domain name
s CD101at1025.com and CD1025.com, which have since acted as redirector
s to the current CD101.com website.
In November 2011, amid weeks of speculation that Salem Communications
was negotiating to either purchase or lease the 102.5 FM frequency as a new location for the programming of WRFD, WWCD general manager Randy Malloy formed a new company, WWCD Ltd., to purchase the intellectual property of CD101 from Roger Vaughn’s Fun With Radio, LLC. Vaughn will retain a minority share of the new company, though all references to Fun With Radio would be removed from any station documents and promotion. The new ownership group immediately began negotiating a new lease agreement with Southeastern Ohio Broadcasting, owner of the frequency.
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
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...
licensed to Baltimore, Ohio
Baltimore, Ohio
Baltimore is a village in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,881 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Baltimore is located at ....
and serving the Columbus metro area.
The station originally operated on the 101.1 MHz facility licensed to Grove City
Grove City, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 27,075 people, 10,265 households, and 7,544 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,941.2 people per square mile . There were 10,712 housing units at an average density of 768.0 per square mile...
- hence the original "CD101" branding - from August 21, 1990 until June 30, 2010. From July 1, 2010 until December 13, 2010, WWCD simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on both the 101.1 and 102.5 facilities while a three-way ownership transaction between WWCD's owner, "Fun With Radio, LLC," WOSU Public Media, and the WHIZ Radio Group was being completed. Since December 13, 2010, WWCD has broadcast exclusively at the 102.5 MHz facility.
Along with WBWR
WBWR
WBWR — The Brew 105.7 — is a commercial radio station in Columbus, Ohio airing a classic rock format. The Brew is the Columbus affiliate for the Cleveland Browns, and was also the English-language radio station of the Columbus Crew until the common ownership moved the broadcasts to WTVN in 2008....
, WLVQ
WLVQ
WLVQ is an FM radio station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, broadcasting on 96.3 MHz. Its brand identifier is Ohio's Best Rock, QFM 96. WLVQ is currently owned by Wilks Broadcasting and plays classic rock...
and WRKZ
WRKZ
- History :The 93.7 frequency in Pittsburgh began its life as WKJF-FM in the 1950s, an independently-owned FM station. For a brief time, there was a co-owned UHF TV station, WKJF-TV , which operated in 1953-54....
, WWCD is one of four rock stations serving the Columbus radio market.
History
WWCD began broadcasting on August 21, 1990. The first song played on the station was "Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, (Petrol)" by the Dublin, Ireland band Something HappensSomething Happens (band)
Something Happens were an Irish pop-rock band whose heyday was the late 1980s – early 1990s. An earlier incarnation of the band was called 'The Dazzmen' and was fronted by singer Martin Lynch who left the band and became the frontman for another early 1980s Dublin band 'The Cracker Factory'. After...
. The station is owned by Fun With Radio, LLC whose founder, Roger Vaughan, purchased the station from Video Services in 1992. WWCD has always been owned by interests in metro Columbus, and is one of the few remaining independent radio
Independent Radio
Independent radio indicates a radio station that is run in a manner different from usual for the country it broadcasts in. In countries where there exist government-run radio stations that served as the primary or only the variety of licensed broadcaster, the term independent radio generally means...
stations in the U.S. playing alternative rock.
WWCD also lays claim to being one of the first stations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to be simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
and on Internet radio
Internet radio
Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...
. In a March 2006 Radio & Records
Radio & 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...
list of the top 20 alternative rock radio stations in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, WWCD was ranked #4 in the country and #1 east of the Mississippi River.
WWCD's longtime program director throughout the late 1990s and 2000s was afternoon DJ Andy "Andyman" Davis. With the station almost since its inception, Davis previously served as the station's music director. Davis died of a suspected heart attack while on vacation in Michigan with his family on July 18, 2010. As a continual tribute, WWCD still airs the popular segment "Andyman's Taking Calls" during current afternoon host Lesley James' program. The annual "Andyman-a-Thon" also continues in his name
Personalities
WWCD's DJ lineup includes morning host Joe Jewett, Brian Phillips in middays, Lesley James in afternoons and Tom Butler in evenings. Rachael Gordon, Ed Francis, Craig, DJ Nate, and Kyle round out the airstaff.WWCD is also the home of many specialty shows, including Sunday evening shows Island Riddims, the Invisible Hits Hour and the award-winning Independent Playground hosted by Tom Butler (with an encore on Thursday evenings).
Former WWCD DJs include the aforementioned Davis, who helmed the afternoon shift from 1991 until his passing, and Fritz the Nite Owl, who also once hosted one of the last late night movie television programs locally produced in the United States. Fritz's show was broadcast on WCLL-CA
WCLL-CA
WCLL-CA is a low-power television station in Columbus, Ohio, broadcasting locally on channel 19 as an affiliate of Daystar. Founded January 11, 1988, the station is owned by Daystar Television Network.- External links :*...
, television channel 19, in Columbus.
In the month of May, WWCD has a feature called "Guest DJ Everyday" where anyone has the chance of being a guest DJ for an hour on air. A compilation of 12-15 songs is put together by the guest DJ, and they can play them during this hour. The feature proved to be so successful that it has since been expanded to every Friday afternoon, all year long.
Philanthropy
A program called "CD101 for the Kids" was established as a way to contribute to local charities around Columbus. Its most successful event is the annual "Andyman-a-Thon." Created by Andy "Andyman" Davis in 1992, Davis would host the 48 hour-long marathon by himself on the weekend before Christmas. (It also provided the rest of the staff a holiday break to spend time with family.) The event raises money to go toward charities including the Children's Hospital, Family and Child Advocacy, Homeless Families Foundation and the Childhood League. Listeners can call in a song request with a donation, and a live auction also occurs with donated items from advertisers and record companies. All proceeds go to these charities.After Davis' death in July 2010, WWCD announced that the "Andyman-a-Thon" would continue with various staffers in his honor.
Sports
WWCD was the original FM flagship station of the Columbus Blue JacketsColumbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio, United States. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
hockey team in tandem with WBNS
WBNS (AM)
WBNS — branded 1460 ESPN — is a radio station that broadcasts from Columbus, Ohio. The station, which originally went on the air as WCAH in 1922, currently broadcasts a sports talk format and carries ESPN talk programming. WBNS is also the flagship of the Ohio State Buckeyes radio network. It is...
. Starting with the 2010 NHL season, the team's primary radio rights were moved with WBNS-FM
WBNS-FM
WBNS-FM is a radio station in Columbus, Ohio airing a sports radio format.WBNS-FM features a combination of local programming and ESPN Radio programming, and is the flagship station for the Ohio State Buckeyes football and basketball radio networks...
, which now operates as a direct simulcast of WBNS. WWCD still broadcasts selected games in the event of any scheduling conflicts on WBNS and WBNS-FM due to overlapping Ohio State Buckeyes
Ohio State Buckeyes
The Ohio State Buckeyes are the intercollegiate sports teams and players of The Ohio State University, named after the state tree, the Buckeye. The Buckeyes participate in the NCAA's Division I in all sports and the Big Ten Conference in most sports...
football or basketball play-by-play.
History of the 102.5 frequency
The 102.5 MHz frequency was originally licensed to Zanesville, OhioZanesville, Ohio
Zanesville is a city in and the county seat of Muskingum County, Ohio, United States. The population was 25,586 at the 2000 census.Zanesville was named after Ebenezer Zane, who had constructed Zane's Trace, a pioneer road through present-day Ohio...
and signed on as the original home to WHIZ-FM in 1961. Under the ownership of the Southeastern Ohio Broadcasting System, Inc.'s WHIZ Media Group, WHIZ-FM programmed an adult contemporary format long identified as "Z102".
The WHIZ Media Group was granted authority to change WHIZ-FM's city of license
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
from Zanesville to Baltimore, Ohio
Baltimore, Ohio
Baltimore is a village in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,881 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Baltimore is located at ....
in the fall of 2005, and a construction permit to build a new transmitter site was granted in October 2008. On October 17, 2008, the WHIZ Media Group purchased WCVZ FM 92.7 (from which those call letters stood for the Christian Voice of Zanesville) as the new frequency for WHIZ-FM. Both WCVZ and WHIZ-FM simulcast programming as "Z102 and 92.7" until December 7, 2008, when WCVZ assumed WHIZ-FM's identity as "Z92.7," and WHIZ-FM became "Highway 102," featuring an automated country music format.
The "Highway 102" format continued on the 102.5 MHz frequency even after the station completed their relocation to Baltimore on October 1, 2008, and assumed the WCVZ call letters, while the 92.7 MHz frequency became WHIZ-FM. What was now WCVZ effectively ended any connection to the Zanesville region and consequently entered the Columbus market. As a result of this move-in as "Highway 102," the station became one of four Country music radio outlets in Columbus - WHOK-FM
WHOK-FM
WHOK-FM is an FM radio station licensed to Lancaster, Ohio, located at 95.5 MHz. The station operates from a facility located in downtown Columbus, Ohio.-Station history:...
, WCOL-FM
WCOL-FM
WCOL-FM is a country music radio station in Columbus, Ohio owned by Clear Channel Communications. Its brand identifier is Continuous Country Favorites, 92.3 WCOL. The call sign represents the city of license...
and WNKK being the other stations.
2010 Frequency Shift
The Ohio State University announced their $4.8 million purchase of the 101.1 MHz frequency from Fun With Radio, LLC - WWCD's ownership - on June 30, 2010. At the same time, Fun With Radio entered into an local marketing agreementLocal 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 the WHIZ Media Group to take over programming on the 102.5 MHz frequency immediately, with a future option for purchase.
Ohio State's plans for the 101.1 MHz frequency were to switch format to a full-time classical music format as an extension of WOSU-FM
WOSU-FM
WOSU-FM — branded 89.7fm NPR News — is a National Public Radio news and talk radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio and serving the Columbus metro area. It is owned by Ohio State University. The station has multiple repeaters throughout the U.S...
, while WOSU-FM would drop all music-related programming and become an NPR news/talk station in a simulcast of sister station WOSU
WOSU (AM)
WOSU WOSU WOSU (820 AM is a National Public Radio news and talk radio station located in Columbus, Ohio and serving the Columbus metro area. WOSU is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission as a daytime and nighttime radio station, operating with a non-directional power of 5 kW...
-AM 820. Consequently, WCVZ would become the new home for "CD101," and while the sale of the 101.1 MHz facility awaited approval from the FCC
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...
, WWCD broadcast over both the 101.1 and 102.5 MHz facilities, with the "CD101" name being slightly modified to "CD101 @ 102.5".
On December 13, 2010, the simulcast ended between WWCD and WCVZ, with the 101.1 MHz facility airing a recorded loop instructing listeners to tune to the 102.5 MHz facility. The sale of the 101.1 MHz facility to Ohio State was completed that December 14, and the classical music format—under the WOSA
WOSA
WOSA — branded Classical 101fm — is a public radio classical music radio station licensed to Grove City, Ohio and serving the Columbus metro area. It is owned by Ohio State University via "WOSU Public Media." WOSA has multiple repeaters throughout the U.S...
calls—was launched the next morning at 6:00 a.m.
As had been planned with the initial deal, the WWCD call letters
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
were relocated to the 102.5 facility, meaning that "CD101 @ 102.5" was able to retain their original calls. It remains unclear, however, whether the station will update the anachronistic "CD101" brand to "CD102.5" to reflect the new frequency. Although the station continues to use "CD101" over the air, online and in print, terms of the sale with Ohio State University clearly dictated that WWCD must cease any and all on-air mentions of "101" or "101.1" when the deal closed on December 14.
Several days before the initial sale with WOSU-FM was announced, Fun With Radio, LLC registered the domain name
Domain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
s CD101at1025.com and CD1025.com, which have since acted as redirector
URL redirection
URL redirection, also called URL forwarding and the very similar technique domain redirection also called domain forwarding, are techniques on the World Wide Web for making a web page available under many URLs.- Similar domain names :...
s to the current CD101.com website.
In November 2011, amid weeks of speculation that Salem Communications
Salem Communications
Salem Communications is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S....
was negotiating to either purchase or lease the 102.5 FM frequency as a new location for the programming of WRFD, WWCD general manager Randy Malloy formed a new company, WWCD Ltd., to purchase the intellectual property of CD101 from Roger Vaughn’s Fun With Radio, LLC. Vaughn will retain a minority share of the new company, though all references to Fun With Radio would be removed from any station documents and promotion. The new ownership group immediately began negotiating a new lease agreement with Southeastern Ohio Broadcasting, owner of the frequency.