- WKKO
Infobox Radio Station
name = WKKO
area =Toledo, Ohio
city =Toledo Metropolitan Area
branding = K100
slogan = Today's Best Country
airdate =September 3 ,1981 (as WKLR-Switched to WKKO in 1986)
frequency = 99.9 MHz
format = Country
erp = 50,000 watts
class = B
owner =Cumulus Media
website = [http://www.k100country.com/ k100country.com]
callsign_meaning =
sister_stations =WLQR ,WRQN ,WRWK ,WTOD ,WTWR ,WWWM ,WXKR Expand|date=December 2007
WKKO is a commercial FMradio station inToledo, Ohio broadcasting on 99.9 MHz with acountry music format.History
The 99.9 MHz spot on the FM dial in Toledo, Ohio was originally populated by WTRT, known as one of the nation's first FM-band Top-40 format radio stations. In the 1970s the station became WKLR "Kooler 99", an urban soul station until the swap to county during the summer of 1981; the station kept the WKLR call letters, but changed its "name" to K100. Joe Hill was the announcer on the air in 1982 when K-100 went from 8,000 watts to 50,000 watts in the summer of 1982. After the power up, his voice was heard in Detroit. In 1986 it changed the call letters from WKLR-FM to WKKO. The station was owned by Booth American of Detroit for some 30 years, then Fritz Broadcasting (also from Detroit) beginning in 1994. It was then sold to Cumulus Broadcasting in 1997. Cumulus, (originally a Toledo company) now based in Atlanta, still owns WKKO.
WKKO has consistently been not only a market leader in the Toledo Metro area, but its share of the market ranks among the highest nationwide. Longtime morning duo Mitch and Mary Beth left WKKO for WRVF (101.5) in 2000 and were replaced by WKKO Program Director Gary Shores and Assistant Program Director Harvey J. Steele, together known as Shores & Steele. The two had previously done afternoons for some six years, and were named Broadcast Personalities for medium markets by the Country Music Association. Shores & Steele continue to be Toledo’s number one ranked morning show both in overall and the advertiser-friendly 25-54 demographics.
Ironically, longtime Toledo radio newsman London Mitchell, who once declined to hire Gary Shores in 1971 at 105.5 - WGLN, Home of the Jones boys, instead opting for Jim "Dr Gold" Bayer, because Jim had some albums the station could use. In addition to London Mitchell's news on K-100, WTVG-TV Meteorologist Bill Spencer is also a part of the K-100 shows.
In 2007, WKKO-FM began continuous IBOC HD RADIO digital radio broadcasts, but has no HD2 channel at this time.
Previous callsign usage
From 1952 through 1981, WKKO was an AM radio station at 860
kHz , broadcasting fromCocoa Beach, Florida . [ [http://www.cflradio.net/860_WKKO_AM.htm Central Florida Radio] ]References
External links
* [http://www.k100country.com/ K100 Country - Official Site]
*FMQ|WKKO
*FML|WKKO
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