- Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co.
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Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co. Type Private Industry Mass media Founded 1948 Headquarters headquartered in Elyria Key people A. Cooper Hudnutt, Chairman
Lonnie Gronek, President/General Manager
Tim Parkinson, Operations DirectorProducts Radio stations Website www.elbc.net The Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co. (also known as Elyria-Lorain or ELB) is a privately held holding company of various assets in the broadcast media, based in Elyria, Ohio. Its parent company is the Lorain County Printing and Publishing Company, which owns the The Chronicle-Telegram of Elyria and Medina County Gazette.
The company was founded in 1948 with the establishment of WEOL AM-FM in Elyria, Ohio, both of which continue to serve as the company's flagships. On May 15, 1958, Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co. was purchased by the Lorain County Printing and Publishing Company, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. As LCP&P owned the Chronicle-Telegram (and bought the Gazette in 1962) in effect formed a radio/newspaper duopoly. This arrangement has lasted to this day, grandfathered by FCC legislation that now prohibit such arrangements.
To this day, Elyria-Lorain is one of a few remaining locally-owned station groups, and one of the more successful. AAA formatted WNWV FM 107.3 (descendant of WEOL-FM) is the highest-rated locally-owned radio station in the Cleveland market.
Other stations within the chain include the Sandusky/Lake Erie Islands area cluster of WLKR FM 95.3, WLKR AM 1510, and WKFM FM 96.1.
Throughout the 1990s, Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting also owned a station in the Mansfield market, WYXZ-FM in Crestline. In 2003, WYXZ was sold off to EMF Broadcasting, which now operates the station as WYKL with their "K-Love" religious format.
The company also owned WMEL-AM 920 (now WDMC) Melbourne (1956 to 1993); WROD-AM 1340 Daytona Beach (1965 to 1982) and WELE-FM 105.9 (now WOCL) Deland - Daytona Beach - Orlando (1982 to 1986), all Florida.
Company holdings
- WEOL AM 930 Elyria/Lorain, Ohio - news/talk (co-flagship)
- WNWV FM 107.3 Elyria/Cleveland, Ohio - AAA (co-flagship)
- WKFM FM 96.1 Huron/Sandusky, Ohio - country
- WLKR FM 95.3 Norwalk/Sandusky, Ohio - classic rock/AAA
- WLKR AM 1510 Norwalk/Sandusky, Ohio - classic hits
External links
Categories:- Media companies of the United States
- Radio broadcasting companies of the United States
- Lorain County, Ohio
- Companies based in Ohio
- United States media company stubs
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