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Company type | Public |
---|---|
Founded | March 22, 1922 (with the sign-on of WLW) |
Founder | Powel Crosley Jr. |
Defunct | 1968 (Crosley name retired); 1977 (last of Avco radio broadcast assets sold) |
Fate | Assets divided |
Successor | Avco Broadcasting |
Headquarters | , U.S |
The Crosley Broadcasting Corporation was a radio and television broadcaster founded by radio manufacturing pioneer Powel Crosley Jr. It had a major influence in the early years of radio and television broadcasting, and helped the Voice of America carry its message around the world.
The company was founded by pioneer radio station operator Powel Crosley and was based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Its flagship station, WLW (AM), was first licensed in March 1922. [5] Most of its broadcast properties adopted call signs with "WLW" as the first three letters. In the 1930s, WLW had an effective power of 500,000 watts, and was the only commercial U.S. AM broadcasting station ever to be permitted to transmit regularly with more than 50,000 watts. The 500,000 watt transmissions were only allowed by the FCC in the "experimental" hours, midnight to 6:00 AM, and the signal was heard in many places, including Europe. [6]
By the 1950s, the company operated a small television network in Ohio and Indiana. [6]
During World War II, Crosley built the Bethany Relay Station in Butler County, Ohio's Union Township, one mile west of its transmitter for WLW, for the United States Office of War Information. It operated as many as five shortwave radio stations, using the call signs WLWK, WLWL, WLWO, WLWR, and WLWS. Many of these stations were later incorporated into the Voice of America. Crosley operated the facilities for the government until 1963.
In 1945, the Crosley interests were purchased by Aviation Corporation. The radio and appliance manufacturing arm changed its name to Avco, but the broadcast operations continued to operate under the Crosley name until they adopted the Avco name in 1968.
Crosley (Avco) also owned WLWF, an FM broadcasting station it operated along with its Columbus, Ohio TV outlet WLWC (now WCMH-TV). WLWF went silent in 1953, and Crosley (Avco) returned its license to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). In the late 1950s, a construction permit for a new station on WLWF's frequency was granted to Taft Broadcasting, owner of WTVN-TV, also in Columbus (now WSYX), which started the station in late 1959 as WTVN-FM (now WLVQ).
From the 1950s through the 1970s, Crosley operated a small television network in which programs were produced at one of its stations and broadcast on the other Crosley stations in the Midwest, and occasionally by non-Crosley stations as well. The company occasionally produced programs picked up for broadcast on either NBC or the DuMont Television Network. Programs which aired nationally included NBC's Midwestern Hayride (on which Rosemary Clooney often performed) and Breakfast Party. Other programs originated on the Crosley network included DuMont's The Paul Dixon Show and The Ruth Lyons 50-50 Club . The Phil Donahue Show started in 1967, originating from WLWD in Dayton, Ohio.
In 1968, Avco, which had just purchased Embassy Pictures, formed an unrelated company called Avco Embassy Television, to syndicate the Embassy film library on TV. Avco Embassy originally syndicated The Phil Donahue Show , before the syndicated division of Avco Broadcasting was formed. [7] In 1971, Avco and cartoon producer Hanna-Barbera teamed up for the holiday specials on its network. [8]
In the 1970s, Avco sold all of its broadcasting holdings. In 1975, it sold WLWC-TV in Columbus, WLWI-TV in Indianapolis, WOAI-AM-FM-TV in San Antonio (the AM station was sold to the nascent Clear Channel Communications as the chain's second property), and WWDC-AM-FM in Washington D.C. In 1976, it sold WLW and WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, WLWD-TV in Dayton, and its Avco Embassy Television and Avco Embassy Program Sales divisions. In 1977, it sold KYA-AM-FM in San Francisco and WRTH in Wood River/St. Louis.
The closest equivalent to a "successor" to Avco Broadcasting was Multimedia, Inc. Avco sold flagship TV station WLWT to Multimedia, as well as Avco Program Sales in 1976. In December 1995, Gannett (which owned former Crosley station WXIA-TV in Atlanta) acquired Multimedia, Inc., while the respective syndication division was acquired by MCA Universal. By 1997, all of the original Crosley radio and television properties had been sold off by its successor companies, with the exception of WTHR in Indianapolis, which is now owned by Tegna Inc. since they acquired the Dispatch Broadcast Group in 2019.
The deserted ruins of the major Crosley manufacturing facility can still be seen on the west side of I-75, just north of the area where the Cincinnati Museum Center (previously the Union Terminal train station) is currently located and near where Crosley Field once stood. The impressively huge transmission tower and old 50,000-watt transmitter at the Tylersville Road facility near U.S. Route 42 (Reading Rd.), between Dayton and Cincinnati, still exists.
By the 1970s, the Crosley name had ceased to exist in the memory of most American citizens (as would that of its major successor company, Avco, a decade later), but many of the "WLW-" station call-letters persist.
WCMH-TV used the WLWC call letters from its 1949 sign-on until the station was sold to Outlet Broadcasting in 1976. In the 1990s, WCMH entered into an agreement to manage the operations of WWHO in the Columbus market under a "local marketing agreement" (LMA) with Fant Broadcasting, owner of WWHO-TV. Outlet, in turn, owned 20% of Fant. Due to the success of this arrangement, WCMH's sister station WJAR in Providence, Rhode Island entered into a similar arrangement to operate Channel 28 in that market, also owned by Fant.
At about the same time, Premier Broadcasting Corporation also announced that it would be using the WLWC call letters for Columbus low-power television station W62BE. Because of the historic and brand value of the WLWC call letters in the Columbus market, Outlet arranged to have the call sign "warehoused" on Channel 28 in Providence, Rhode Island, in order to keep competitors from using them in the Columbus area. Channel 28 applied for and was assigned the WLWC call letters and has used them ever since. Premier's television station, now silent, ultimately took the call letters WLWG.
Lima, Ohio, Radio station WBKS used the WLWD call letters when it was branded "Wild 93.9." The WLWD call letters are familiar in the Lima area since the WDTN signal reaches various portions of the Lima market either over the air or through cable carriage. Today, the WLWD call letters are used by a low-power Daystar station in Springfield, Ohio, which is part of the Dayton, Ohio television market.
The WLWI call letters are used by an AM and FM radio station serving the Montgomery, Alabama radio market.
Broadcast outlets operated by Crosley Broadcasting or its successor Avco include the following. Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license.
AM Station | FM Station |
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City of license / Market | Station | Years owned | Current status |
---|---|---|---|
San Francisco, CA | KYA 1260 | 1966–1977 | KSFB, owned by Relevant Radio |
KYA-FM 93.3 | 1966–1977 | KRZZ, owned by Spanish Broadcasting System | |
St. Louis, MO | WRTH 590 | 1969–1977 | KFNS, owned by Zoberist Media, LLC |
New York City, NY | WINS 1010 | 1946–1953 | Owned by Audacy, Inc. |
Cincinnati, OH | WLWA 101.1** | 1946–1953 | Defunct; frequency now used by WIZF |
WLW 700** | 1922–1977 | Owned by iHeartMedia | |
WSAI 1360 | 1928–1945 | Owned by iHeartMedia | |
Columbus, OH | WLWF 96.3** | 1949–1953 | Defunct; frequency now used by WLVQ |
Dayton, OH | WLWB 97.5** | 1949–1953 | Defunct; frequency now used by WTGR, Union City |
Austin, TX | WOAI 1200 | 1965–1975 | Owned by iHeartMedia |
Washington, D.C. | WWDC-FM 101.1 | 1965–1975 | Owned by iHeartMedia |
WWDC 1260 | 1965–1975 | WQOF, owned by Relevant Radio |
City of license / Market | Station | Channel | Years owned | Current status |
---|---|---|---|---|
Atlanta, GA | WLWA | 8/11 | 1953–1962 | NBC affiliate, WXIA-TV, owned by Tegna Inc. |
Indianapolis, IN | WLWI** | 13 | 1957–1974 | NBC affiliate, WTHR, owned by Tegna Inc. |
Cincinnati, OH | WLWT** | 4/5 | 1948–1976 | NBC affiliate owned by Hearst Television |
Columbus, OH | WLWC** | 3/4 | 1949–1976 | NBC affiliate, WCMH-TV, owned by Nexstar Media Group |
Dayton, OH | WLWD** | 5/2 | 1949–1976 | NBC affiliate, WDTN, owned by Nexstar Media Group |
San Antonio, TX | WOAI-TV | 4 | 1965–1975 | NBC affiliate owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group |
WCMH-TV is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Nexstar Media Group. The station's studios are located on Olentangy River Road near the Ohio State University campus, and its transmitter is located on Twin Rivers Drive, west of downtown Columbus.
WWHO is a television station licensed to Chillicothe, Ohio, United States, serving the Columbus area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Manhan Media, Inc., which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Sinclair Broadcast Group, owner of ABC/MyNetworkTV/Fox affiliate WSYX, for the provision of certain services. Sinclair also operates TBD station WTTE under a separate LMA with Cunningham Broadcasting; however, Sinclair effectively owns WTTE as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The three stations share studios on Dublin Road in Grandview Heights ; WWHO's transmitter is located in the Franklinton section of Columbus.
WBNS-TV is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with CBS. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside the company's sole radio properties, WBNS and WBNS-FM (97.1). The stations share studios on Twin Rivers Drive west of Downtown Columbus, where WBNS-TV's transmitter is also located.
WLVQ — branded Q-FM 96 — is a commercial classic rock radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio. Owned by Saga Communications, and operated as part of its Columbus Radio Group, the station serves the Columbus metro area. The WLVQ studios are located in Upper Arlington, OH, and the station transmitter is in Columbus on the Twin Rivers Drive tower.
WTVN – branded as "News Radio 610 WTVN" – is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves the Columbus metro area. The WTVN studios area located in the McKinley Avenue Corridor northwest of Downtown Columbus, and its transmitter site is near Obetz. In addition to a standard analog transmission, the station simulcasts over the HD digital subchannel of co-owned 93.3 WODC, and streams online via iHeartRadio. WTVN began broadcasting in HD Radio in June 2005, but the in-band on-channel subcarrier was discontinued by 2015.
WLW is a commercial news/talk radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, WLW is a clear-channel station, often identifying itself as “The Big One”. Its studios are located in Sycamore Township.
Powel Crosley Jr. was an American inventor, industrialist, and entrepreneur. He was also a pioneer in radio broadcasting, and owner of the Cincinnati Reds major league baseball team. In addition, Crosley's companies manufactured Crosley automobiles and radios, and operated WLW radio station. Crosley, once dubbed "The Henry Ford of Radio," was inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame in 2010 and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2013.
WDTN is a television station in Dayton, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which provides certain services to Springfield, Ohio–licensed WBDT, a de facto owned-and-operated station of The CW, under a local marketing agreement (LMA) with Vaughan Media. The two stations share studios on South Dixie Drive in Moraine, Ohio.
WLWT is a television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Hearst Television. The station's studios are located on Young Street, and its transmitter is located on Chickasaw Street, both in the Mount Auburn neighborhood of Cincinnati.
WTHR is a television station in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside low-power, Class A MeTV affiliate WALV-CD. The two stations share studios on North Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis; WTHR's transmitter is located near Ditch Road and West 96th Street in Carmel.
WLWC is a television station licensed to New Bedford, Massachusetts, United States, serving the Providence, Rhode Island, area as an affiliate of Court TV. Owned by Inyo Broadcast Holdings, the station shares transmitter facilities with former sister WPXQ-TV on Champlin Hill in Ashaway, Rhode Island.
Taft Broadcasting Company was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
WSYX is a television station in Columbus, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC and Fox. It is owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group, which provides certain services to TBD station WTTE and Chillicothe-licensed CW affiliate WWHO under separate local marketing agreements (LMAs). However, Sinclair effectively owns WTTE as the majority of Cunningham's stock is owned by the family of deceased group founder Julian Smith. The three stations share studios on Dublin Road in Grandview Heights ; WSYX's transmitter is located in the Franklinton section of Columbus.
WKRC is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio. The station airs a talk radio format, under the branding "55KRC". The station's offices and studios are on Montgomery Road off Interstate 71 in Cincinnati.
The Outlet Company was a corporation based in Providence, Rhode Island, which owned holdings in both retail and broadcasting. The centerpieces of the group was its flagship Providence store and WJAR radio and television, also in Providence.
WBKS, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., is a radio station serving Lima, Ohio with a Top 40 (CHR) format. Its studios are located with WIMA, WIMT-FM, WZRX-FM, and WMLX-FM on West Market Street in Lima. Its transmitter is located between Kalida and Columbus Grove, its city of license, in southern Putnam County.
WSAI is a Cincinnati, Ohio commercial radio station. Owned and operated by iHeartMedia, its studios, as well as those of iHeartMedia's other Cincinnati stations, are in the Towers of Kenwood building next to I-71 in the Kenwood section of Sycamore Township, and its transmitter site is in Mount Healthy.
WMVR-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Sidney, Ohio, broadcasting a hot adult contemporary music format. Its studios, offices, and transmitter are located on Russell Road, just outside Sidney.
WLW is a radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio, United States.
Midwestern Hayride, sometimes known as Midwest Hayride and later Hayride, was an American country music show originating in the 1930s from radio station WLW and later from television station WLW-T in Cincinnati, Ohio. During the 1950s it was carried nationally by NBC and then ABC television.