WKRK-FM

Infobox Radio Station
name = WKRK-FM


area = Greater Cleveland
city = Cleveland Heights, Ohio
branding = 92.3 K-ROCK
slogan = The Rock Of Cleveland.
airdate = about 1950 (as WSRS-FM)
frequency = 92.3 (MHz) HD Radio
92.3 HD-2 for Rock/Rap Hybrid
format = Active rock
erp = 40,000 watts horiz
36,000 watts vert
haat = 167 meters
class = B
facility_id = 74473
owner = CBS Radio
webcast = [http://player.cbsradio.com/player/CBSRadio_Player.html?id=113'onestat=wkrk-fm Listen Live]
website = [http://www.krockcleveland.com www.krockcleveland.com]
former_callsigns = WKRI (2007)
WXRK (2006–2007)
WXTM (2001–2006)
WZJM (1994–2001)
WJMO-FM (1990–1994)
WRQC (1983–1990)
WLYT (1971–1983)
WCUY (1959–1971)
WJMO-FM (1958–1959)
WSRS-FM (1950–1958)
sister_stations = WDOK, WNCX, WQAL
callsign_meaning = W "K-ROCK"

WKRK-FM ("92.3 K-ROCK") is a radio station licensed to Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and serving the Cleveland metropolitan area. The station is owned by CBS Radio, with studios in downtown Cleveland and its transmitter located in Warrensville Heights. WKRK-FM airs an active rock format, with "hot talk" in the morning drive.

The station is the Cleveland affiliate for Opie and Anthony. The WKRK-FM call letters were assigned on October 1, 2007.

History

Early years

WKRK-FM has had more call sign changes than any other radio station in Cleveland, a total of eleven. The station debuted around 1950 on 95.3 MHz as WSRS-FM, founded by Sam R. Sague - and simulcast sister station WSRS 1490 AM, also licensed to Cleveland Heights. By June 1954, WSRS AM/FM had billed itself as the "Community Information Voice of Cleveland".

On February 1, 1958, Friendly Broadcasting of Columbus assumed control of WSRS 1490 AM and 95.3 FM from Sam R. Sague, and switched call letters, licenses, studios and facilities. The AM and FM stations took on separate identities: WJMO took over the former WSRS offices at 2156 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, and WSRS-FM became WJMO-FM, later WCUY. WSRS 1540 AM soon became WABQ, whose format and call letters currently reside at 1460 AM. The 1540 AM frequency is currently WWGK.

WCUY maintained an eclectic mix of beautiful music, jazz and ethnic fare independent of the AM station - a rarity at the time. WJMO adopted a rhythm-and-blues format, focusing primarily on the African-American community, which it still does to this day. WCUY vacated 95.3 and moved to 92.3 MHz in the early 1960s, while WDGO in Cleveland signed on the 95.5 frequency and WLKR-FM in Norwalk on the 95.3 frequency.

In 1971, WCUY changed calls to WLYT - supposedly standing for "W"e "L"ove "Y"ou "T"ruly. WLYT first held a gold-based oldies format, but then bounced about between AOR (as "92 Rock"), automated Top 40, and then disco (as "Disco 92") until the early 1980s. WLYT was beset by a poor signal, a limited budget, constant staff turnover, and low ratings during this period.

"Jam'n 92.3" Years

WLYT changed its call letters to WRQC in 1983 and switched to new wave music as "92Q, the Rock of the 80s," using consultant Rick Carroll of Los Angeles' KROQ. Partly due to a fallout with Carroll, WRQC gradually migrated to contemporary hits, a format it kept throughout the remainder of the decade.

United Broadcasting changed WRQC's call sign to WJMO-FM on January 22, 1990, matching the calls of WJMO, marking the second time around with these call letters. The station was re-branded "Jam'n 92.3," and kept the contemporary hits format, except this time around they shifted towards a Dance-leaning direction, a move that would pay off ratings-wise for the station.

In 1992, as FCC ownership rules were relaxed, United Broadcasting sold WJMO and WJMO-FM to Zebra Communications, owned by three key figures from local urban contemporary station WZAK: Owner Xenophon Zapis, program director Lynn Tolliver, and on-air personality Bobby (Otis) Rush. Although Tolliver and Rush were both African Americans, Zapis, a Greek, was a key party in the new ownership. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) contested the sale.

The sale was approved by the FCC in 1993 [http://www-catalog.cpl.org/CLENIX/AAV-3438] ,and WJMO became the first radio station with significant African American ownership in the Cleveland area. On February 25, 1994, as a result of the legal battles, the SCLC gained significant control of WJMO, which was seen as the less desirable station [http://www-catalog.cpl.org/CLENIX/AAW-4444] .

The SCLC kept the WJMO call letters for their AM station, and WJMO-FM became WZJM, a combination of WZAK and WJMO. WZJM's format evolved into Rhythmic CHR and it became one of the highest rated stations in Cleveland during the late 1990s, even though the station was listed as a Top 40/CHR reporter in music reporting trades like Billboard Radio Monitor (now defunct), because of WZJM's inclusion of mainstream pop/rock product into its playlist, and at the same time keep from overlapping WZAK when it came to playing R&B/Hip-Hop product and targeting the African American audience.

"Jammin' Oldies" Years

From 1998 to 2001, WZJM suffered through multiple ownership changes and different formats. This started when WZJM, WJMO and WZAK were purchased Chancellor Media in January 1999, along with WDOK, WQAL, and WRMR in a $275 million deal [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9907E5D9123AF930A2575BC0A96E958260] .It was, at the time, the largest radio deal in Cleveland broadcasting history. On July 13, 1999, Chancellor Media merged with Capstar Broadcasting, owners of WKNR (then at 1220 AM), becoming AMFM Inc., becoming, at that time, the nation's largest radio station owner with 465 stations. When AMFM merged with Clear Channel Communications in August 2000, Clear Channel was forced to sell off WZJM along with the other Cleveland AMFM properties to comply with market ownership restrictions. WZJM, WDOK and WQAL were sold to Infinity Broadcasting, now CBS Radio.

On the air, WZJM abruptly dropped its contemporary hits format at 5:00 p.m. on April 19, 1999. In its' place was the AMFM-branded "Jammin' Oldies" format as "92.3 The Beat." While "Jammin' Oldies" was popular in the short term in other markets across the country, WZJM's attempt was not successful in comparison. As WZJM was sold to Infinity, speculation grew about a potential format change, particularly when all but two of the station's disk jockeys were let go early in 2001.

Rock Years

On Memorial Day weekend 2001, WZJM flipped to active rock as "Xtreme Radio" with the call letters WXTM (adopted on June 7, 2001). The rock format helped fill the gap after WENZ flipped from modern rock to urban music in 1999. WXTM's "Xtreme" format and on-air presentation were originally quite different from the old WENZ, and was, in fact, a nationally-programmed format developed by Infinity Broadcasting. But, in 2005, the "Xtreme" label was shed in favor of "923X", and former WENZ disk jockeys re-emerged on WXTM during several "Smells Like the End" reunion weekends. The playlist was slowly expanded as the station became a full-fledged alternative rock station.

On January 1, 2006, sister station WXRK in New York changed its format and became "92.3 Free FM" WFNY-FM. Owner CBS Radio moved the WXRK call letters to 92.3 in Cleveland. The 'new' WXRK was suddenly "set" on "random play", essentially a wide-sweeping commercial modern rock playlist without any dee-jays. On-air promos hinted of "92.3: It just Rocks!"

WXRK Cleveland became the new "92.3 K-ROCK" on January 17. "K-ROCK" is a name used by several other CBS Radio stations, most notably KROQ in Los Angeles. KROQ was also the station that 92.3 (as WRQC) tried to emulate back in the 1980s.

K-Rock launched it's HD2 station "K2", on July 31, 2006, on the station's secondary HD signal. "K2" features bands like Godsmack, Slipknot, Static-X, Disturbed and other harder-edged acts. "K2" can be picked up on any HD-equipped receiver. Currently, K2 does not air Opie and Anthony.

On November 14, 2006, K-Rock began an online stream, accessible at its official site, [http://www.krockcleveland.com www.krockcleveland.com] .

Meanwhile, the former WXRK in New York changed formats on May 25, 2007 from Hot Talk back over to alternative rock under the "92.3 K-Rock" name, and FMQB reported that the WXRK call letters would be relocating back to that stationCite web|url=http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=412351|title=K-Rock Returns To 92.3 FM In NYC|accessdate=2007-05-24|publisher=FMQBs|year=2007|author=FMQB] . The Cleveland station has retained the format and name but on May 31 took a new callsign - WKRI - the ninth overall in the station's history. The station gained its tenth set of call letters On October 3 when they obtained the WKRK-FM calls from the Detroit station now known as WXYT-FM.. [ [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/was.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=74473&Callsign=WKRI Call Sign History ] ]

In April 2008, K-Rock pretty much went the active rock route by adding artists such as Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, and Guns 'N Roses onto the rotation to better compete with WMMS.

Rover's Morning Glory

Rover's Morning Glory was a holdover from WXTM, and became the first radio show in modern history to have even been syndicated out of Cleveland. The show first aired on March 24, 2003 and aired its last show from Krock on February 15, 2008. Rover made national headlines when he was selected by CBS Radio to be one of four shows to replace Howard Stern (the other three being Adam Carolla, The Junkies and now-cancelled David Lee Roth). Rover (a.k.a. Shane French) had his show's flagship relocated to Chicago on sister station WCKG "Free FM". However, WCKG canceled Rover, due to extremely low ratings, on July 31, 2006, and Rover's show returned to WXRK's studios. The show was syndicated on two other stations until its last air date.

Opie and Anthony

This station was also the Cleveland affiliate for WNEW-FM New York-based shock jocks Opie and Anthony, back when it was WXTM, from July 2001 until their firing by CBS Radio in August 2002. It was one of the few afternoon shows in the market that drew ratings close to those of long time afternoon leader Mike Trivisonno of WTAM.

Opie and Anthony rejoined the station's lineup on April 26, 2006, when they were hired back to replace David Lee Roth on CBS Radio stations in select markets in morning drive. However, WXRK - and not local Roth affiliate WNCX - picked up the FreeFM-based (now WXRK) portion of the show, on tape delay from 3PM to 6PM.

As of February 18th, 2008, Opie and Anthony are now broadcast in the morning slot, as Rover's Morning Glory has been moved to WMMS [ [http://wackbag.com/showthread.php?t=85630 O&A to mornings in Cleveland; Rover is out! - The Unofficial Opie and Anthony Message Board - Wackbag.com ] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.krockcleveland.com/ WKRK website]
* [http://www.opieandanthony.com/ Opie And Anthony Show]
*FMQ|WKRK
*FML|WKRK
*FMARB|WKRK
*Transmitter|WKRK-FM|41.442222|81.491111