WLW
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- For the airport with this IATA airport code, see Willows-Glenn County Airport.
| Format | News/Talk
<tr><th>Power</th><td>50,000 watts</td></tr><tr><th>Class</th><td>A |
|---|---|
| Owner | Clear Channel Communications
<tr><th>Website</th><td>www.700wlw.com</td></tr> |
WLW is a radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications and is located at 700 AM. The station's programming also airs nationwide on XM Satellite Radio channel 173.
WLW airs a nearly entirely locally-produced talk format, and is the flagship station for America's Trucking Network (formerly The Truckin' Bozo), a popular nationwide, overnight program especially for truckers. In addition, WLW is the flagship radio station for the Cincinnati Reds. WLW has a 24-hour local news department, and is affiliated with ABC Radio, Paul Harvey, and Hearst-Argyle's WLWT-TV (the former TV sister to WLW).
The WLW 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 Mason.
The station frequently uses its nickname, "The Big One", as a tagline (since copied by sister stations WTAM in Cleveland and WWVA in Wheeling). It also uses the original tagline, "The Nation's Station", which is mainly used today to refer its broadcast coast-to-coast on XM Satellite Radio.
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[edit] History
The station was started by radio manufacturer Powel Crosley Jr. and operated by the Crosley Broadcasting Corporation until the 1960s when it became Avco Broadcasting until the mid 1970s. From that point until the 1990s, WLW had different owners which included Queen City Communications, Mariner Communications, Seven Hills Broadcasting and finally Jacor Communications before its merger with Clear Channel.
[edit] "The Nation's Station"
WLW currently broadcasts using 50,000 watts of power, but that wasn't always the case. For about six years, WLW experimented with broadcasting at 500,000 watts, the first station in the world to do so, during the overnight hours under callsign W8XO. It stopped in 1939 because of complaints from around the United States and Canada that WLW was overpowering other stations as far away as Toronto. Many reports have surfaced over the years of the power fluctuations from those who lived near the transmitter. People would see their lights flicker in time to the modulation peaks of the transmiiter.
The high power broadcasts led WLW to call itself "The Nation's Station", a slogan recently renewed due to WLW's presence on satellite radio.
WLW powered up again a few times during World War II in order to send special broadcasts to American troops in Europe, and has not broadcast at 500 kW since. However, the 500 kW transmitting equipment was used by the US government for broadcasting to Cuba early in the Kennedy administration
Even today, after sundown, the 50,000 watt signal can be heard across much of the eastern half of the United States and Canada, and as far west as Lubbock, Texas.
The station's first 50-kW transmitter, made by Western Electric, is still functional and sees very occasional service. On December 31, 1999, it was powered up, and served to bring WLW into the year on January 1, 2000. The station's unusual diamond-shaped antenna (called a Blaw-Knox Tower) is one of eight still operational in the United States and is featured on the official seal of the City of Mason.
[edit] Former personalities
Rod Serling, the creator of the classic TV series The Twilight Zone, worked for WLW from 1950-51 producing historical documentaries, community profiles and commercials, before quitting his job to pursue other opportunities in the broadcasting industry. The station also claims many other well-known alumni, including Rosemary Clooney, Bob Braun, NBC sportscaster Al Michaels, longtime "Sportstalk" host Andy Furman, former morning host Bill Wills (now with WTAM) and former Clear Channel radio president Randy Michaels.
Randy Michaels is credited for developing WLW from an MOR signal into a successful all-local talk station in the early 1980's. Much of WLW's lineup has stayed intact to this day.
[edit] Network affiliations
Along with other Clear Channel talk stations, WLW switched from ABC Radio to Fox News Radio. However, on June 26, 2006, a realignment of network affiliations by Clear Channel's Cincinnati AM stations reunited WLW with ABC Radio. (WKRC (AM) picked up Fox News Radio, while WCKY (AM) took CBS Radio.)
Not included in the moves was ABC Radio commentator Paul Harvey. WLW has carried Harvey's commentaries all along.
[edit] Daily lineup (Monday-Friday)
| ET | PT | Show | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12AM | 9PM | America's Trucking Network with Steve Sommers | formerly The Truckin' Bozo |
| 5AM | 2AM | The Morning Show with Jim Scott | |
| 9AM | 6AM | Midday with Mike McConnell | |
| 12PM | 9AM | Noon Edition with Paul Harvey News | from ABC Radio |
| 12:20PM | 9:20AM | The Big Show with Bill Cunningham | |
| 3PM | 12PM | The BBC with Gary Burbank | Flagship for Earl Pitts Uhmerikun, 5:25 PM. Daily Sports or Consequences call-in trivia game. Weekly Top Six and Stump the Band call-in games. Comedy sketches, of which some are prank calls, featuring original characters such as Gilbert Gnarley and Riley Gurt. |
| 6PM | 3PM | SportsTalk with Bill Dennison | or Cincinnati Reds baseball* |
| 9PM | 6PM | Scott Sloan | "Extra Innings" after Cincinnati Reds games |
* Cincinnati Reds baseball airs solely on WLW AM/700; both WLW's internet and XM streams will replay Mike McConnell from earlier in the day in its place. Cincinnati Reds baseball can also be heard on one of XM's MLB play-by-play channels, which utilize the broadcast feed of the home team.
[edit] External links
- Official station website (with streaming audio)
- History of WLW, Cincinnati, by John Price, 1979
- WLW Transmitter Page
- Query the FCC's AM station database for WLW
- Aerial photo of WLW transmitter from Google Local
| AM Radio Stations in the Cincinnati, Ohio Market (Arbitron #28)
By Frequency: 550 | 700 | 740 | 910 | 1050 | 1160 | 1230 | 1320 | 1360 | 1450 | 1480 | 1530 | 1560 By Callsign: WDJO | WCIN | WCKY | WCVG | WCNW | WDBZ | WKRC | WLW | WMOH | WNOP | WPFB | WSAI | WTSJ |
| AM Radio Stations in the Columbus, Ohio Market (Arbitron #37)
By Frequency: 610 | 700 | 820 | 880 | 920 | 1230 | 1320 | 1460 | 1550 | 1580 By Callsign: WBNS | WLOH | WLW | WMNI | WOSU | WRFD | WTPG | WTVN | WVKO | WXOL |
WBCJ - 88.1 | WHJM - 88.7 | WYSM - 89.3 | WGLE - 90.7 | WBIE - 91.5 | WZOQ - 92.1 | WFGF - 93.1 | WLWD - 93.9 | WONB - 94.9 | WTGN - 97.7 | WIMT - 102.1 | WMLX - 103.3 | WUZZ - 104.9 | WCBV - 105.9 | WBUK 106.3| WDOH - 107.1 | WZRX - 107.5 | WLW - 700 | WLJM - 940 | WIMA - 1150
