WAKS

Infobox Radio Station
name = WAKS


city = Akron, Ohio
area = Greater Cleveland
branding = 96-5 KISS FM
airdate = station: 1975
frequency: July 3, 2001
frequency = 96.5 (MHz) HD Radio
96.5 HD-2 for Club Phusion
format = Top 40
erp = 31,000 watts
haat = 189 meters
class = B
facility_id = 49952
owner = Clear Channel Communications
webcast = [http://www.kisscleveland.com/pages/listen_live.html Listen Live]
website = [http://www.kisscleveland.com www.kisscleveland.com]
former_callsigns = WKDD (1978-2001)
WCUE-FM (1950's-1978)
sister_stations = WGAR, WMJI, WMMS, WMVX, WTAM
callsign_meaning = With A KisS

WAKS is a commercial FM radio station in Cleveland, Ohio broadcasting at 96.5 MHz with a Top 40 format. It is known as "96-5 KISS FM" and is owned by Clear Channel Communications. Its transmitter is located in Brecksville, Ohio.

The 96.5 FM frequency was originally home of WCUE-FM which signed on in the 1950s, licensed to Akron, Ohio. Sometime later, the station became WKDD.

History

Prior to July 3, 2001, WAKS was on 104.9-FM, on a station licensed to Lorain, Ohio. Before becoming WAKS, the 104.9 frequency was occupied by WZLE, which signed on in 1975. Among the formats WZLE had ranged from pop standards to Christian Contemporary, the latter of which was the most successful.

WZLE was sold off to Jacor Communications in late 1998, which itself ended up becoming Clear Channel Communications. On May 20, 1999, WZLE suddenly dropped its Christian Contemporary format for automated Top 40 as "Kiss 104.9." Studios were moved to downtown Cleveland in the Tower City Center's Skylight Office Tower with sister stations WMVX and WMMS.

However, a slogan fight then erupted between Clear Channel and Radio One for rights to the "Kiss" name. Weeks earlier, Radio One changed WENZ from alternative rock to hip-hop/R&B as "Kiss 107.9," copying the slogan from their Washington, DC hip-hop outlet WKYS. Clear Channel claimed ownership of the slogan, basing it on Los Angeles Top 40 giant KIIS, and put it on similar stations in Dayton and Cincinnati.

Radio One eventually acquiesced that October, and changed WENZ's slogan to "Z-107.9." Clear Channel then changed WZLE's call letters on September 17, 1999 to WAKS, calls that were previously used on a sister station in Tampa. (For four days prior to becoming WAKS, the WMTX calls - previously used on what is now WCPZ in Sandusky, Ohio, were legally placeholder calls on 104.9-FM.)

In the big Cleveland frequency shake-up of July 3, 2001, WAKS, which had been on then Lorain based 104.9 FM, moved to 96.5 FM. At the same time, Clear Channel's WKDD moved from 96.5 in Akron to 98.1 in Canton, Salem Communications's WHK-FM moved from 98.1 in Canton to 95.5 in Cleveland and became WFHM-FM, and WCLV moved its call sign and classical music format from 95.5 in Cleveland to 104.9 in Lorain.

The station's transmitter was moved to Brecksville, Ohio on a transmitting tower used for sister station WTAM (and non-related WZAK), which is in southeast Cuyahoga County.

While still technically licensed to Akron, and identified at the top of every hour as "WAKS Akron-Cleveland", the station's studios are located with the rest of Clear Channel's Cleveland cluster off Rockside Road in the Cleveland suburb of Independence. WAKS promotes itself as, and is considered to be a Cleveland station.

Since November 2001, WAKS has been an affiliate of the internationally known syndicated program American Top 40 which has aired on Saturday mornings from 6:00am-10:00am. From the time WAKS picked up the show until January 3, 2004 it was hosted by the legendary Casey Kasem. On January 10, 2004, American Idol's Ryan Seacrest began hosting the show.

Notable WAKS events/changes

*In September 2005, original WAKS Music Director/Evening personality Kasper returned to WAKS as APD/MD/Afternoon Drive host. He had spent the past year at sister station WIOQ "Q102" in Philadelphia. Prior to his return, he was voicetracking nights on WAKS from Philly. He continues to voicetrack several other markets including KISS-XM on XM Channel 21 from the Clear Channel Cleveland studios in Independence.

*In May 2006, it was announced that WAKS Program Director Dan Mason would be leaving the station to join Top 40 WHYI "Y100" in Miami. He has since become the program director for Entercom-owned KDND in Sacramento, California.

*In July 2006, it was announced that evening disc jockey J-Niice and weekend and production talent Brian Mack would be leaving the station to join former program director Dan Mason in Miami for similar duties. J-Niice now does middays at B96 in Chicago.

*On August 4th, 2006, Java Joel was named the station's evening personality. Java Joel was previously heard on WAKS via recorded voice tracks from Chicago. His return to the station's airwaves will be live from "Kiss FM"'s suburban Cleveland studios.

*On January 25, 2008, Clear Channel announced that WAKS's current frequency, 96.5, would be spun off to "Aloha Trust," a company that places stations in a holding trust before they are sold off [ [http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-3A1.pdf FCC Document] ] . Since most of Clear Channel's properties are licensed outside the radio markets, WAKS was one of the stations picked because of COL, which is still Akron. There is speculation that Clear Channel will keep the WAKS calls and format, but it is expected to place it on another signal that is licensed to Cleveland [ [http://radioinsight.com/headlines/clear-channel-spinoff-list/ From Radioinsight (January 25, 2008)] ] .

*In June 2008, WAKS's HD2 subchannel began carrying the Dance Top 40 Club Phusion format, which is part of Clear Channel's Format Lab. It previously had aired the children's Kiwi Radio format.

On-air lineup/Features

MONDAY-FRIDAY

6A-10A: Elvis Duran and the KISSFM Morning Show (synidcated from sister station Z100 in New York City)

10A-12P: Michelle Taylor (voicetracked from sister station WKQI in Detroit)

12P-3P: On-Air with Ryan Seacrest

3P-7P: Kasper

7P-12A: Java Joel

SYNDICATED WEEKEND PROGRAMMING

*American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest
*Open House Party
*Dawson McAllister Live

References

External links

* [http://www.kisscleveland.com WAKS Official Website]
*FMQ|WAKS
*FML|WAKS
*FMARB|WAKS
*Transmitter|WAKS|41.280556|81.622778