Radio

Our attempt to list all the Ohio radio stations that played rock-n-roll, soul music. "Top 40" describes a station that played "chart hit" music, which of course ranged from Elvis to Beatles to Yardbirds to Motown to Frank Sinatra, intended to be a generic description. Of course this list is not complete, additions and suggestions welcome!

Cleveland

·  KYW / WKYC - AM top 40 station

·  WHK - AM top 40 station, 1960s until October 21, 1967 when it changed to easy listening

·  WIXY - much beloved AM station - check out the 'unofficial' web site www.wixy1260.com

·  WNCR - FM 'underground' station from late 60s until  1973. Probably the most eclectic station in town.

·  WMMS - FM rock station that started in 1971 after a brief period in 1969. Famous for helping 'break' David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, etc. WMMS was a cultural phemonenon in the 1980s but changing music tastes lead to decline in the later part of the decade.

·  WWWM – From 1975-1982, M105 (what was always known as) staged a heated competition with WMMS. The station program director was Eric Stevens and was the first ‘classic rock’ station in the country. In 1982 the station became an ‘oldies’ station, Magic 105.

·  WJMO - AM soul station

·  WABQ - AM soul station

·  WBKC - AM daytime only station that played ‘light top 40’ and easy listening, went on air in April 1969. Based in Chardon

·  WELW - AM top 40 in 1969, changed to country. Located in Willoughby

·  WPVL- AM station in Painesville, 1969

·  CKLW - AM top 40 - although CKLW was located in Windsor, Ontario (that's Canada....), it was easily heard in Cleveland and anywhere along Lake Erie. Started in the 1960s and lasted into the mid 1970s

Akron/Mid Ohio

·  WAKR - AM top 40 station

·  WHLO - AM top 40 station

·  WKNT - AM station, mixed programming with top 40 and R&B programs mixed with non-rock

·  WWST - AM station, mixed programming with a top 40 program hosted by Gary Rhamy before his Peppermint Productions days. Was a big favorite among the local teens.

Youngstown

·  WHOT - AM top 40

·  WNIO - AM top 40

Columbus

·  WCOL - AM top 40

·  WNCI - AM top 40, started in the spring of 1970

·  WCOL - FM Was all gospel music in the mid-60's. When the FM revolution started in the bigger cities, WCOL-FM started having a 15 minute (later half hour) segment at something like 8PM, where they played the newer music of bands like Cream, Jimi Hendrix, etc. Don Gorman hosted those short, early forays into FM rock in Columbus. Eventually the format evolved to daytime gospel, and rock all night, and then rock all the time

·  WVKO - AM R&B and soul music dating back to the 1950s

·  WLWC (WLW-C) – AM

 

Dayton

·  WONE - AM top 40

·  WING - AM top 40

Cincinnati

·  WSAI - AM top 40

·  WUBE - AM top 40 (changed to country on April 1, 1969)

·  WEBN - FM underground and album rock

·  WZIP – AM Country (late 1960s, daytime only)

·  WLWT (WLW-T) – AM

Xenia

·  WBZI - AM Country (late 1960s)

Delaware

·  WDRL - AM top 40 (late 1960s)

Lima

·  WIMA - AM top 40 (late 1960s)

 

 

List of stations compiled by the editors, with help from Sterling Smith