WINW
Encyclopedia
WINW was an AM
radio station
that was licensed to Canton, Ohio
. For its entire history the station broadcast at 1520 kHz during daytime hours only. The station was last known as "Joy 1520," and featured an Urban Gospel format.
WINW established a solid reputation as a Top 40 station in the 1960s and 1970s, using the slogan "WIN-Wonderful." Even as a daytime station with a highly directional 1000-watt signal, it was successful in Canton for over a decade, sometimes approaching double digits in the ratings, despite its obvious signal limitations. WINW had shared its frequency with WJMP
located in nearby Kent
, which made the Canton station difficult to hear in Northern Stark County
.
New AM Top 40 competition in the form of WQIO
(Q-10) (now WILB
) in late 1976, as well as the increasing popularity of FM radio stations, eventually brought an end to the glory years of "WIN-Wonderful." WINW purchased FM station WHLQ (106.9) from Susquehanna Radio Corporation
in 1978, changing its call sign
to WOOS-FM, and installed an automated Top 40 format there, while WINW changed to a Big Band/Adult Standards format in 1981 and then went through a string of format and call letter changes for the next 15 years.
WINW evolved into an adult contemporary station by the mid-1980s, became an automated oldies
station in 1987, changed to WRQK (AM) on February 14, 1989 when it was coupled with WRQK-FM
, changed back to WINW on August 16, 1989, then changed once again to WPGY on April 5, 1996 (by that time owned by Sabre Communications, who was "parking" the WPGY call letters for use on its new FM in Elmira, New York
), and finally changed back to WINW on March 27, 1997.
The 1997 version of WINW was originally a Contemporary Christian station, but leased an increasing amount of its air time to preachers and Urban Gospel music, which eventually became its final format.
After many years at its transmitter site on Martindale Road, N.E., WINW moved into new studios at 237 West Tuscarawas Street in downtown Canton not long after the format change to Gospel. The "WIN-Wonderful" sign from the station's Top 40 heyday remained standing outside the Martindale studio building until the mid-1990s.
On September 23, 2010, WINW's transmitter site was heavily vandalized - the victim of copper theft during the station's off-hours in the nighttime. Due to that and severed tower support cables, WINW was forced off the air for an extended period. It returned to the air with a temporary wire antenna, but would eventually fall silent again at an unspecified date.
The FCC deleted WINW's license from their records on March 3, 2011.
Amplitude modulation
Amplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
that was licensed to Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. For its entire history the station broadcast at 1520 kHz during daytime hours only. The station was last known as "Joy 1520," and featured an Urban Gospel format.
WINW established a solid reputation as a Top 40 station in the 1960s and 1970s, using the slogan "WIN-Wonderful." Even as a daytime station with a highly directional 1000-watt signal, it was successful in Canton for over a decade, sometimes approaching double digits in the ratings, despite its obvious signal limitations. WINW had shared its frequency with WJMP
WJMP
WJMP AM 1520 is daytime only radio station licensed to Kent, Ohio and serving the Akron, Ohio radio market. WJMP operates with a maximum power output of 1,000 watts, using a six-tower, daytime-only directional antenna pattern....
located in nearby Kent
Kent, Ohio
Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census...
, which made the Canton station difficult to hear in Northern Stark County
Stark County, Ohio
Stark County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 375,586. It is included in the Canton-Massillon, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area....
.
New AM Top 40 competition in the form of WQIO
WQIO
WQIO is an FM radio station in Mount Vernon, Ohio located at 93.7 MHz. The station plays Adult Contemporary music as "Eagle 93-7". Currently, this is Dial Global's Radio Network's "AC Pure" format....
(Q-10) (now WILB
WILB
WILB is an AM radio station in Canton, Ohio, USA, that offers Catholic programming. The station broadcasts daytime only with a power of 5,000 watts on 1060 kHz. Much of the station's programming is supplied by EWTN Radio....
) in late 1976, as well as the increasing popularity of FM radio stations, eventually brought an end to the glory years of "WIN-Wonderful." WINW purchased FM station WHLQ (106.9) from Susquehanna Radio Corporation
Susquehanna Radio Corporation
The Susquehanna Radio Corporation was a media corporation which operated from 1941 to 2006 that was headquartered in York, Pennsylvania. The company was a unit of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff, a conglomerate more widely known for the Pfaltzgraff kitchenware line than its broadcasting pursuits.Some of...
in 1978, changing its call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
to WOOS-FM, and installed an automated Top 40 format there, while WINW changed to a Big Band/Adult Standards format in 1981 and then went through a string of format and call letter changes for the next 15 years.
WINW evolved into an adult contemporary station by the mid-1980s, became an automated oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
station in 1987, changed to WRQK (AM) on February 14, 1989 when it was coupled with WRQK-FM
WRQK-FM
WRQK-FM — branded Rock 106.9 — is an American commercial radio station licensed to Canton, Ohio, and broadcasting a mainstream rock format. The station is operated by Clear Channel Communications, with sister stations WHLO, WARF, WKDD and WHOF, at the Clear Channel Akron/Canton complex in Jackson...
, changed back to WINW on August 16, 1989, then changed once again to WPGY on April 5, 1996 (by that time owned by Sabre Communications, who was "parking" the WPGY call letters for use on its new FM in Elmira, New York
Elmira, New York
Elmira is a city in Chemung County, New York, USA. It is the principal city of the 'Elmira, New York Metropolitan Statistical Area' which encompasses Chemung County, New York. The population was 29,200 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Chemung County.The City of Elmira is located in...
), and finally changed back to WINW on March 27, 1997.
The 1997 version of WINW was originally a Contemporary Christian station, but leased an increasing amount of its air time to preachers and Urban Gospel music, which eventually became its final format.
After many years at its transmitter site on Martindale Road, N.E., WINW moved into new studios at 237 West Tuscarawas Street in downtown Canton not long after the format change to Gospel. The "WIN-Wonderful" sign from the station's Top 40 heyday remained standing outside the Martindale studio building until the mid-1990s.
On September 23, 2010, WINW's transmitter site was heavily vandalized - the victim of copper theft during the station's off-hours in the nighttime. Due to that and severed tower support cables, WINW was forced off the air for an extended period. It returned to the air with a temporary wire antenna, but would eventually fall silent again at an unspecified date.
The FCC deleted WINW's license from their records on March 3, 2011.
External links
- WINW weekly music survey ("WIN-Wonderlist") from January 17, 1970
- WINW weekly music survey ("WIN-Wonderlist") from February 20, 1971
- Aircheck of WINW from May 1986 (also featuring an old WINW logo from the 1960s or 1970s)