WCTM

WCTM (defunct radio station)
Eaton, Ohio ; (AM studio/transmitter site at Glenwood, east of Eaton);
Broadcast area	Eaton and Preble County, plus Dayton and Richmond area
Frequency	92.9 MHz(1959–1974); (now WGTZ); 1130 kHz (1981–2004); (now WEDI)
Branding	Radio Ranch 1130 WCTM; (reference to its rural location and its farm programming)
Programming
Format	Defunct (was Community radio ; Beautiful music with middle of the road, Adult Standards, big band and occasional soft adult contemporary)
Affiliations	Mutual Broadcasting System ; CNN Radio ; Agri Broadcasting Network ; Brownfield Network; Ohio News Network ; Sports Ohio Network; Motor Racing Network ; Performance Racing Network ; USA Radio Network
Ownership
Owner	Western Ohio Broadcasting Service Inc. (Stanley T. Coning- founder, station manager and engineer)
History
Call sign meaning	Waring Coning Toney Markle; (four partners in original FM owners)
Technical information
ERP	25,000 watts (FM); 250 watts, daytime (AM)

Last updated January 12, 2025

WCTM were the call letters assigned to an FM radio station, and later an AM station, both licensed to Eaton, Preble County, Ohio, United States.

WCTM-FM

WCTM (92.9 FM) was originally a station built by Stan Coning and three partners organized as Western Ohio Broadcasting Service, in 1959. The station's call letters came from the partners in the venture: Ralph Waring, Stan Coning, Howard Toney, and T. Somers Markle.^[1] The first tower for the FM station was purchased from 700 WLW, and was 150 meters (490 ft) tall. The tower was originally three separate 50-meter (160 ft) AM tower/antennas, which had been used to keep the 500 kilowatt signal of WLW, allowed only during the 1930s and 1940s, out of Canada. The station aired an "easy listening/beautiful music" format. The original FM station's studios, transmitter and tower were located at 505 North Barron Street in Eaton where Coning beforehand originally owned an appliance service business. For a time in the early-to-mid-1960s, WCTM was on the Cincinnati Reds Baseball Network and also aired play-by-play of area high school football and basketball games. In the 1960s, the station provided news and features from Eaton, Preble County and the surrounding area and also aired news and programming from the Mutual Broadcasting System.

WCTM-FM, with an -FM prefix added to the callsign in 1971, was sold in November 1974 to Great Trails Broadcasting, which was then the owner of WING in Dayton, WIZE in Springfield and WCOL-AM/FM in Columbus, and became WJAI. Great Trails spent a great deal of time and money moving the station's tower to better serve the Dayton market. It became WJAI, continuing the easy-listening format until 1979, when it switched to a country music format. The station then changed to Big Band/Nostalgia/Adult Standards in 1982 before becoming WGTZ ("Z-93"), a Top 40 station, in 1984. That format switched in November 2007 to variety hits "Fly 92.9" (a local version of the "Jack FM" musical potpourri format which usually uses no air personalities)and is now branded as "92.9 Jack FM."

WCTM on AM

After the FM station was sold, Coning focused on acquiring an AM license (he had originally wanted to build an AM station, but the lack of available frequencies led him to build the FM station first). After a 12-year struggle to obtain a frequency, WCTM (1130 AM) went on the air in 1981 as a daytime-only station and picked up where the FM left off a decade earlier, playing beautiful music. The studios and transmitter were located east of Eaton in an open field behind an abandoned drive-in theater (since razed) in the rural Preble County community of Glenwood (aka "Ransom" on some online highway maps near West Alexandria, which was the station's mailing address).

Coning ran the operation by himself, using a home-built reel-to-reel automation system (a little box called a "Tel-Timer" gave the time and temperature in a computerized voice), while freelance voice-over announcers Darrel Studebaker, John Bauman (engineer) and Jim Linthicum voiced commercials, liners and announcements. The station's call letters were often said on the air to mean "We Cherish This Music".

In addition to its beautiful music format, WCTM aired farm and agricultural programming from Ed Johnson's Agri Broadcast Network (for western Ohio farmers) and Derry Brownfield's Brownfield Network (for eastern Indiana farmers), helping to earn the station its nickname, "Radio Ranch 1130." This nickname was probably inspired by Ohio country music artist Donnie Bowser and the Radio Ranch Boys, and by KWKH, a country music station in Shreveport, Louisiana which also broadcast at 1130 kHz and used the "Radio Ranch" nickname.

WCTM aired local sports for a time, along with NASCAR coverage on weekends and the syndicated "Waxworks" nostalgia/big band program hosted by Gary Hannes. WCTM was also the first Ohio radio station to affiliate with Ted Turner's CNN Radio in 1983. Later, the station aired USA Radio Network news and sports. In its final years, the "beautiful music" format was often peppered with Stan Coning's soft-spoken recollections of his early life in Eaton and people he had known.

The end of WCTM

In its last few years, WCTM operated almost as a public service. Few commercials were heard, donations were accepted to help keep the station on the air, and sign-on/sign-off times were almost entirely dependent on how long Coning could remain at the station (a typical daily sign-off was around 5 P.M., with no broadcasts at all on Sundays). During this period, a friend of Coning's with the on-air name of "John Grant" hosted weekly programs and assisted with station maintenance and operations.

Due to his failing health, which had taken the station off the air for extended periods of time, Stan Coning finally sold his little station to Town & Country Broadcasting, owner of WBZI in Xenia. WCTM signed off for the last time on June 24, 2004, an event which was covered by two Dayton TV stations. As a one-man operation with an easy-listening format, WCTM was widely regarded as the last of its kind. According to industry observer Scott Fybush, the loss of WCTM and its format marked "(the end of) the era of commercial beautiful music on American radio."

Today, the station lives on as WEDI, simulcasting WBZI's programming. The old WCTM-FM tower, topped with the original call letters, still stands atop a building at 505 North Barron in downtown Eaton. After several years of deteriorating health following the sale of WCTM, Stan Corning died on December 24, 2010, at approximately 86 years old at his residence and is interred next to his wife Helen (who preceded him in death in 1989) at Sugar Grove Cemetery in West Alexandria, Ohio.

Tapes of WCTM, including its final day on the air, are known to exist in the aircheck collection of Clarke Ingram, a Pittsburgh radio executive who befriended Coning and was a fan of the station.

Source: Fybush.com Tower Site of the Week 6/25-7/5/04 by Scott Fybush

The WCTM callsign was later used briefly in 2011 at the former WSFO, a now defunct construction permit for an FM station at 90.7 in Barrington, New Hampshire.

Much of the classic beautiful music heard on WCTM can now be heard online (and via the TuneIn app) at https://tunein.com/radio/BEAUTIFUL-INSTRUMENTALS-s156850/

Related Research Articles

WYTS is a commercial black-oriented news radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves the Columbus metro area. Besides a standard analog transmission, the station is available online via iHeartRadio. The WYTS studios are located along in Downtown Columbus, while the station transmitter resides southwest of the city's downtown area.

WCKY is a commercial radio station licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio, and serving the Cincinnati metro with a sports format known as "ESPN 1530". Owned by iHeartMedia, its studios are located in the Kenwood section of Sycamore Township, while its transmitter site is in suburban Villa Hills, Kentucky. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WCKY is available online via iHeartRadio.

WOWO – branded News/Talk WOWO 92.3 FM 1190 AM – is a commercial talk radio station licensed to Fort Wayne, Indiana, serving primarily the Fort Wayne metropolitan area. Currently owned by Federated Media via licensee Pathfinder Communications, WOWO serves as the Fort Wayne affiliate for: Fox News Radio, The Glenn Beck Program, The Dan Bongino Show, The Sean Hannity Show, The Buck Sexton Show, Coast to Coast AM; and was the flagship station for the Fort Wayne Komets.

WCVX is a radio station licensed to Florence, Kentucky in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. WCVX is owned by the Christian Broadcasting System and it carries a Christian radio format. Its studios and offices are on West Seventh Street in Cincinnati and its transmitter is off Fowler Creek Road in Florence. WCVX broadcasts with a directional antenna with 5,000 watts in the daytime but at night it reduces power to 990 watts to protect KSL in Salt Lake City, the Class A Clear-channel station on 1160 kHz. WYLL in Chicago, Illinois is the only other full-time 50,000-watt station on 1160 AM, although it is a Class B station.

WIZE — branded Dayton's BIN 1340 — is a commercial all-news radio station in Springfield, Ohio owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. as part of their Dayton cluster. While servicing the Dayton metropolitan area, WIZE is also targeted towards Springfield, and their transmitter - and former studios - are located in Springfield. WIZE functions as the Dayton market affiliate for the Black Information Network. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WIZE streams via iHeartRadio.

WCHD is a commercial radio station licensed to Kettering, Ohio, and serving the Dayton metropolitan area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and airs a contemporary hit radio format. Its studios are located just outside downtown Dayton and its transmitter is off Sandridge Drive near Interstate 75 in Moraine, Ohio.

WHIO – branded AM 1290 and News 95.7 WHIO – is a commercial radio station in Dayton, Ohio. It simulcasts a news/talk radio format with sister station WHIO-FM 95.7. They are owned by the Cox Media Group. The studios are at the Cox Media Center on South Main Street in Dayton.

WHIO-FM – branded AM 1290 and News 95.7 WHIO – is a commercial radio station licensed to Pleasant Hill, Ohio, and serving the Dayton metropolitan area. It simulcasts a news/talk radio format with sister station WHIO 1290 AM. They are owned by the Cox Media Group. The studios are at the Cox Media Center on South Main Street in Dayton.

WING is a commercial radio station in Dayton, Ohio operating with 5,000 watts along with studios, offices and transmitter located on David Road in Kettering. It is the first full-time commercial radio station in Dayton. It is currently a local affiliate for ESPN Radio and the Ohio State Sports Network, but is best known and remembered as Dayton's first Top 40-formatted station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGTZ</span> Radio station in Eaton, Ohio

WGTZ is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Eaton, Ohio and serving the Dayton and Springfield radio market. It airs an adult hits format, using the national Jack FM music service and is branded as "92-9 Jack FM." The station operates without DJs. It is owned by Portland-based Alpha Media with studios in Kettering, Ohio.

WEDI is a daytime-only commercial AM radio station, licensed to Eaton, Ohio.

WBZI is a daytime-only radio station in Xenia, Ohio, United States, operating with 500 watts. Its current owner Town and Country Broadcasting operates it with a country oldies format serving Greene, Clark, eastern Montgomery and surrounding counties. Its downtown studios are located on West Second Street and transmitter on East Kinsey Road World news from Fox News Radio is aired at the top of the hour in addition to farm and agriculture news from the ABN throughout the day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHKO</span> Radio station in Ohio, United States

WHKO is a commercial radio station in Dayton, Ohio. The station is owned by Cox Media Group and carries a country music radio format. Its studios and offices are co-located with the Dayton Daily News, WHIO-AM-FM-TV, and two more radio stations in the Cox Media Center building near downtown Dayton.

WCLI-FM is a classic country radio station, licensed to Enon, Ohio, and serving the Dayton area. The station is owned by Alpha Media. Its studios are located in Kettering, Ohio and its transmitter is in New Carlisle, Ohio, northeast of Dayton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFCJ</span> Christian radio station in Miamisburg, Ohio

WFCJ is a radio station licensed to Miamisburg, Ohio, serving the Dayton metropolitan area. Owned by Strong Tower Christian Media, it broadcasts a Christian talk and teaching radio format. The station is funded by both advertising and listener donations. Some of the national religious leaders heard on WFCJ include Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah, Chuck Swindoll, Jim Daly and Rick Warren. Strong Tower Christian Media operates two 50,000 watt Christian radio stations in Ohio. WFCJ and 100.7 WEEC in Springfield serve the cities of Dayton, Middletown, Cincinnati and parts of Northern Kentucky and eastern Indiana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZLR</span> 1980s classic hits radio station in Xenia, Ohio, United States

WZLR, known as "95.3 and 101.1 The Eagle," is a radio station broadcasting a 1980s classic hits format currently owned by Cox Media Group. Licensed to Xenia, Ohio, United States, it serves the Dayton area. According to the Federal Communications Commission's website, the station has transmitted at 6,000 watts since 1998. Its studios are co-located with other Cox Media properties in the Cox Media Center building near downtown Dayton. WZLR's transmitter is located in Xenia and translator on the WHIO-TV tower in Germantown, Ohio.

WKFI is a commercial radio station licensed to Wilmington, Ohio, and serving the eastern suburbs of the Dayton metropolitan area. The station is owned by Town And Country Broadcasting, Inc. It is simulcast with co-owned WBZI 1500 AM in Xenia, broadcasting a classic country radio format, known as "Real Roots Radio." News updates are provided by Fox News Radio and the Ohio News Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUPE-FM</span> Classic hits radio station in North Adams–Pittsfield, Massachusetts

WUPE-FM is a classic hits radio station owned by Townsquare Media. Licensed to North Adams, Massachusetts, United States, WUPE-FM serves Pittsfield.

WKJK is a commercial radio station broadcasting a talk radio format in Louisville, Kentucky. It is owned by iHeartMedia and serves North-Central Kentucky and South-Central Indiana. It features programming from iHeart subsidiary Premiere Networks as well as Compass Media Networks. The station's studios are in the Louisville neighborhood of Watterson Park.

The following is a list of media in Dayton, Ohio, United States.

References

↑ "Court Denies Injunction In Case At Eaton". Palladium-Item. April 13, 1961. Retrieved June 9, 2019.

External links

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[1] "Court Denies Injunction In Case At Eaton". Palladium-Item. April 13, 1961. Retrieved June 9, 2019.

[1]