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Broadcast area | |
Frequency | 95.5 MHz |
Branding | 95.5 The Fish |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Format | Contemporary Christian |
Affiliations | Salem Radio Network |
Ownership | |
Owner |
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History | |
First air date | April 1, 1960 [1] |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "For Him" [2] |
Technical information [3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 54778 |
Class | B |
ERP | 31,000 watts |
HAAT | 189 meters (620 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°26′32.2″N81°29′27.4″W / 41.442278°N 81.490944°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast |
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Website | 955thefish |
WFHM-FM (95.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, known as "95.5 The Fish" and featuring a contemporary Christian format. Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. WFHM-FM's studios are located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence and the station transmitter resides in Warrensville Heights. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WFHM-FM is available online. [4]
WFHM-FM first launched on April 1, 1960, as WDGO. [1] The station derived its call letters from its principal owner: Douglas G. Oviatt. The correct call sign for the station caused confusion among some listeners since the station used a Scotty dog as a logo, causing the letters sometimes to be transposed as WDOG.
The station was purchased in 1962 by C.K. "Pat" Patrick and Robert Conrad as an outlet for classical music. At the time, most large American cities had at least one commercial radio station that devoted either a large part or all of its broadcast day to classical programming; most non-commercial classical stations were operated by colleges and universities, established years before the advent of the National Public Radio network.
Patrick and Conrad formed Radio Seaway, Inc., taking its name from the St. Lawrence Seaway, which had opened in 1959 and had made Cleveland an ocean port. The new owners wanted to shed the "WDOG" image and wanted a new callsign that would reflect their orientation toward community service to the greater Cleveland area. The initial choice was WCLE, as "CLE" was the International Air Transport Association airport code for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Those call signs also had a previous history in the market, as they were used on a daytime-only station owned by United Broadcasting, a company organized by The Plain Dealer's parent company, Forest City Publishing, in the 1930s. At the same time, United Broadcasting also owned WHK, which now broadcast on a full-time basis. Due to new regulations enacted that prohibited duopolies in a single market, WCLE was relocated to Akron, Ohio as station WHKK, which today broadcasts as WHLO. [5] [6]
However, the WCLE calls had already been taken by a station in Cleveland, Tennessee, and the WCLD calls were in use by a station in Cleveland, Mississippi. As a result, Patrick and Conrad opted for the call letters WCLV, and branded the station "WCLV 95/5" on November 1, 1962; the forward slash was always used in print instead of a point on the frequency number in station promotions and identification.
The station immediately launched an impressive, for its day, line-up of classical music programming. FM stereo broadcasts were begun on February 4, 1963, just three months after the debut. Two hour-long evening programming blocks also were unveiled within months of each other: first, the Symphony at Seven sponsored by Cleveland Trust on October 5, 1964, and the Heinen's Concert Hall on February 1, 1965. Concert Hall ended its run in 2003, while Symphony at Seven continues to this very day, its sponsorship carried over by Cleveland Trust's successors (Ameritrust, Society Bank and KeyBank). [7]
One of WCLV's booth announcers, Martin Perlich, debuted the Perlich Project in late 1966 – a mixture of classical music with the early selections of progressive rock along with Perlich's own personal comments and editorials on events of the day. His show would gain renown as one of the earliest such shows on commercial radio, and as a model for the progressive rock medium itself.
In 1965, the station began broadcasting concerts of the Cleveland Orchestra on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 p.m. That time slot has remained virtually unchanged since. WCLV eventually started national distribution of the Orchestras' broadcasts to stations throughout the country, through its subsidiary syndication arm Seaway Productions. WCLV and Seaway also started to syndicate other programs, including Karl Haas' Adventures in Good Music (which ran from 1970 until 2007), and concert broadcasts of the Detroit Symphony, the Royal Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and the San Francisco Symphony.
Studios were moved from the original location in the Eastgate Shopping Center in Mayfield Heights to downtown Cleveland's Terminal Tower in 1968, to Warrensville Heights in 1986, and finally to the current location in the Idea Center at Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland (as of December 2010).
The station did continue one traditional program from the old WDGO days. On Saturday night, WCLV broke away from its usual classical music programming to present an eclectic program of folk and novelty music and comedy called WCLV Saturday Night; the program was rebroadcast on Wednesday afternoon under the title WCLV Saturday Night on Wednesday Afternoon. The program also initiated some friendly feuding with rival classical music station WCRB in Boston. Hosted by WCLV President and longtime Cleveland Orchestra commentator Robert Conrad, WCLV Saturday Night spawned an hourlong syndicated version in 1982 titled Weekend Radio ; it is still heard on numerous NPR-affiliated stations elsewhere in the U.S. By 1990, Conrad decided to retire the full three or so live hours on WCLV in favor of the hourlong version. At about the same time, he reformatted the show, substituting light classical pieces for the folk and novelty songs of past years.
Beginning in 1970, the station pre-empted regular programming for a week in September to broadcast requested concert recordings of the Cleveland Orchestra as a fund-raiser for the Orchestra, an event known as the "Cleveland Orchestra Marathon."
Under WCLV's classical music format, FM 95.5 won the National Association of Broadcasters Marconi Award for Classical Music Station of the Year in 1995. [8]
On November 1, 2000, the 38th anniversary of WDGO's call sign change to WCLV, Radio Seaway announced the station's intellectual property and format would be donated to a newly-established nonprofit organization. [9] To enable the donation, Radio Seaway sold WCLV's broadcast license to Salem Communications and purchased both the licenses to WHK (1420AM) from Salem and WAKS (104.9FM) from Clear Channel, which in turn purchased the 98.1FM facility licensed to Canton from Salem. Conrad and Radio Seaway partner Rich Marschner negotiated between the two chains for two years [10] and saw the move as a means to perpetuate the classical format amidst ownership consolidation. [11] When the donation was announced, the 95.5FM license had an estimated value of $45 million (equivalent to $79.6 million in 2023), while the 104.9FM license—a class A signal licensed to Lorain [12] and with a tower in Avon [13] —was valued at $8 million (equivalent to $14.2 million in 2023). [9] Conrad later explained, "we were paid a lot to move WCLV from 95.5 to 104.9." [14] Radio Seaway ultimately donated WCLV to ideastream, one of the partners behind the WCLV Foundation, [9] on November 1, 2011. [15]
Radio Seaway's original plan was to use 1420AM as a simulcast of 104.9FM, [16] but purchased the intellectual property and adult standards format of WRMR (which was to be replaced on 850AM with WKNR's sports format and call sign) prior to consummation. [17] While generally regarded as a "frequency swap", [16] when the asset deals closed on July 3, 2001, WCLV changed format to contemporary Christian music (CCM) as "95.5 The Fish" under the WHK-FM call sign, while WAKS changed calls to WCLV-FM, bringing over the classical format intact and retaining all on- and off-air staff. [18] WHK-FM was again renamed as WFHM-FM on August 16, 2001.
Salem's installation of CCM on 95.5FM followed the implementation of similar "Fish"-themed stations in Los Angeles, Chicago and Atlanta, with the brand alluding to Ichthys, a traditional Christian symbol. [19] The move also returned the format to Greater Cleveland for the first time since May 1999, when Clear Channel changed 104.9FM's format from CCM (under the WZLE calls) to contemporary hit radio as WAKS. [20] [21] The initial airstaff for "The Fish" included former WZLE operations manager Len Howser, along with secular radio personalities Dan Deely, Daune Robinson and Rob Schuler. [22] Sue Wilson, a veteran programmer best known for her tenure at secular adult contemporary WDOK, was named as program director; Wilson emphasized that WFHM's format would be "... positive, uplifting music, and definitely spiritual, but it's not churchy, it's not preachy." [19]
Among the station's earliest notable personalities under the CCM format was longtime Cleveland TV news anchor and former national talk show host Robin Swoboda, who co-hosted the WFHM morning show from 2002 to 2005. [23] [24]
The Fish lineup features local DJs Len Howser and Sara Carnes (mornings), with Josh Booth, Kristine Lane, and Greg Mack in afternoon drive. Syndicated hosts include Kevin Avery and Taylor Scott middays (from Salem Music Network), and Penny Mitchell evenings (from Keep The Faith Radio). [25] [26]
WFHM-FM airs Christmas music during the holiday season. [27]
WOIO is a television station licensed to Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of CBS. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD and Lorain-licensed CW affiliate WUAB, the latter station transmitting over WOIO's full-power spectrum via a channel sharing agreement. WOIO, WUAB and WTCL-LD share studios on the ground floor of the Reserve Square building in Downtown Cleveland, with WOIO and WUAB sharing transmitter facilities at the West Creek Reservation in Parma.
WVIZ is a PBS member television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Ideastream Public Media alongside classical music station WCLV and co-managed with Kent State University–owned WKSU, the NPR member for both Cleveland and Akron. The three stations share studio facilities at the Idea Center on Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland; WVIZ's transmitter is located in suburban Parma, Ohio.
WHK is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, carrying a talk format known as "AM 1420 The Answer". Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region as an affiliate for the Salem Radio Network. WHK's studios are currently located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence while the transmitter site resides in neighboring Seven Hills.
WTAM is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and carries a news/talk and sports radio format commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, and is a clear-channel station with extended nighttime range. WTAM is also Northeast Ohio's primary entry point station in the Emergency Alert System.
WKNR – branded as 850 ESPN Cleveland – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland. Owned by Good Karma Brands, WKNR is the Cleveland affiliate for ESPN Radio and the AM flagship station for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network; the Cleveland affiliate for the Ohio State Sports Network, and the radio home of Je'Rod Cherry and Tony Grossi. The WKNR studios are currently located in the East Bank of The Flats in Downtown Cleveland, while the station transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of North Royalton, And due to the 4-tower array at the site, WKNR’s daytime signal can be heard as far as Mansfield, and even as far as Newark and Zanesville. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKNR is available online.
WCCR (1260 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, known as "AM 1260 The Rock" and carrying a Catholic–oriented religious format. Owned by St. Peter the Rock Media, Inc., a nonprofit corporation which has applied for 501(c)(3) tax–exempt status with the Internal Revenue Service, WCCR serves Greater Cleveland as the local affiliate for EWTN Radio. WCCR's studios are located in the Cleveland suburb of Broadview Heights and the station transmitter resides in neighboring Brecksville.
WMMS is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, commonly identified as "The Buzzard". Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock stations in America throughout its history, the station has also drawn controversy for unusually aggressive tactics both on and off the air. Owned by iHeartMedia, and broadcasting a mix of active rock and hot talk, WMMS is currently the flagship station for Rover's Morning Glory, the FM flagship for the Cavaliers AudioVerse and Cleveland Guardians Radio Network, the Cleveland affiliate for The House of Hair with Dee Snider and the home of radio personality Alan Cox.
WCPN is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Lorain, Ohio, featuring a public radio format as a repeater of Kent–licensed WKSU. Owned by Ideastream Public Media, the station serves the western portion of Greater Cleveland and parts of surrounding Northeast Ohio. By virtue of WKSU, studios are located at Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland, while WCPN's transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of Avon. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WCPN broadcasts over four HD Radio channels and streams online.
WCLV is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, carrying a fine art/classical music format. Owned by Ideastream Public Media, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio as the home station for the Cleveland Orchestra and an affiliate of the BBC World Service.
WGAR-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and features a country music format. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves Greater Cleveland and surrounding Northeast Ohio as the local affiliate for The Bobby Bones Show. WGAR-FM's studios are located at the Six Six Eight Building in downtown Cleveland's Gateway District and the transmitter is in nearby Parma.
WMJI is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, featuring a classic hits format dubbed "Majic 105.7". Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. WMJI's studios are located in downtown Cleveland's Gateway District at the Six Six Eight Building, while the transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of Parma. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WMJI broadcasts over two HD Radio channels and is available online via iHeartRadio.
WKSU is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Kent, Ohio, featuring a public radio format. Owned by Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media, WKSU's primary signal encompasses the Akron metro area, Greater Cleveland and much of Northeast Ohio as the regional affiliate for National Public Radio (NPR), American Public Media, Public Radio Exchange and the BBC World Service. The station's reach is extended into the Canton, Mansfield, Lorain, Ashtabula, Sandusky, New Philadelphia and Wooster areas via a network of five full-power repeaters, two low-power translators, and one on-channel booster.
WCCD is a commercial daytime-only radio station licensed to Parma, Ohio, with a religious format known as "Radio 1000". Owned by New Spirit Revival Center Ministries, Inc., co-founded by the Rev. Darrell C. Scott, WCCD serves Greater Cleveland and parts of surrounding Northeast Ohio. The station's studios are located at The New Spirit Revival Church in the Cleveland suburb of Cleveland Heights.
WHKW is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and is known as "AM 1220 The Word" featuring a Christian format. Owned by Salem Media Group, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region. WHKW's studios are located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence while the transmitter site is in neighboring Broadview Heights.
WWGK was a commercial daytime-only radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, that broadcast on 1540AM from 1947 until 2022. Last owned by Good Karma Brands, it featured ESPN Radio programming at the time of closure, co-owned with ESPN affiliate WKNR. The transmitter tower for WWGK was located on Euclid Avenue at East 81st Street in Cleveland's Fairfax neighborhood.
Ideastream is the main public broadcaster in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, serving both Greater Cleveland and much of Northeast Ohio. Its headquarters, newsroom, and radio and television studios are located at the Idea Center in Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland. It operates WKSU, the region's main radio news service aligned with NPR, and owns classical music/jazz outlet WCLV and Cleveland PBS member station WVIZ.
WKDD is a commercial radio station licensed to Munroe Falls, Ohio, United States, featuring a hot adult contemporary format known as "98.1 KDD". Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., the station serves both the Akron-Canton metro area, with additional coverage in Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. WKDD's studios are located in North Canton, while the transmitter is located in Cuyahoga Falls. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKDD broadcasts over two HD Radio channels, and streams online via iHeartRadio.
The year 2001 in radio involved some significant events.
WCLV may refer to:
The University Hospitals Cleveland Browns Radio Network is an American radio network composed of 24 radio stations which carry English-language coverage of the Cleveland Browns, a professional football team in the National Football League (NFL). Jim Donovan has been the lead announcer since the team's return in 1999, but went on medical leave to undergo treatment for leukemia following the 2023 season opener; various broadcasters, including Chris Rose, Andrew Siciliano and Paul Keels have served as interim play-by-play announcers in his absence. Nathan Zegura serves as commentator and Je'Rod Cherry is the sideline analyst/reporter.
WDGO (FM) 95.5 mc...
WCLV (FM) April 1, 1960: 95.5 mc...
WFHM-FM- Apr 1, 1960: 95.5 mhz...