WIOT
Encyclopedia
WIOT is a FM
radio station
in Toledo, Ohio
. Owned by Clear Channel Communications
, the station broadcasts at 104.7 MHz.
WIOT was Toledo's first FM rock station when it went on the air December 25, 1972, replacing a beautiful music/classical format. The call letters stood for "In Our Time". For years, it was known as "The Chicken" in reference to its mascot, a giant whole broiled chicken dressed in seasonal clothing. The call letters were in the past WTOL-FM and WCWA-FM.
In the late 1980s The Bob and Brian morning show became a huge Toledo favorite. The show left for Milwaukee where they remain to this day, currently at WHQG
.
The next morning team that created an impact was The Dawnbusters (known as Jeff and Mark). Jeff provided many of the voices and skits, while Mark kept the shows pace. The show was a major success. In 1994 Jeff and Mark's contract was up for renewal. Being the top rated morning show, they shopped around. 94.5 WXKR was a station who just upped its power to 30,000 watts and was looking to launch a fight against WIOT with a 100% classic rock format. Jeff and Mark went on vacation for a week from WIOT, and jumped ship to start working for WXKR.
Over the next few years the ratings for the show declined as WIOT sued them for the names and character voices. Jeff had to change the name of all his voices because they were property of WIOT, but the voice itself was Jeff's property. This caused confusion with listeners.
Other Dj's during this time were: Program Director Lyn Casey, Michael Young ("Party Party Party"), Don Davis, Dave Duran, Beckey Shock, Dennis O'Brian, Beth Daniels, & Will Worster.
In 1994 The station hired the "new" Dawnbusters Carlson and Mckenzie. They brought a new life in morning radio for Toledo. While Jeff and Mark struggled, Carlson and Mckenzie drew large morning numbers.
After about 2 years Carlson and Mckenzie left for Boston (now on 100.7 WZLX) and new owners Enterprise Media hired back Jeff and Mark (who had been let go from WXKR)
In 1998 they station was bought by Jacor Media where they tweeked the format (a bit more hard rock) and they inked a deal with syndicated morning show The Bob and Tom Show where it airs to this day.
Around this time new jox were introduced to the listeners. Susan Gates (mid-days), Troy Michaels (7p-12m) and overnights with Grizley Brown. Darrin Arrens became the PD. Darrin and Susan left in 1999.
Don Davis left in 2001 and was replaced by Dave Rossi as PD (from the WAVE in South Carolina). Micki also left and Sherri Vegas became the mid-day jox.
WIOT begain to return to its major stranglehold on the Toledo rock ratings.
Rossi left in 2003 to head back to SC. Troy Michaels took over afternoons and Grizley moved up to evenings.
WIOT's studios are located in the Fort Industry Square building on Summit Street in downtown Toledo. Its offices are at Superior and Lafayette in Toledo. The station's transmitter is located at North Wynn and Cedar Point Roads in Oregon, OH. Prior to its home in Fort Industry Square, the station was located at 604 Jackson Street, the site of the former News-Bee building and what is now One Government Center. Their longtime owner was Reams Broadcasting, begun by Fraser Reams Sr. and later by his son, Fraser Junior. Reams also owned WCWA and WTOL-TV and WCWA-FM's transmitter was on WTOL-TV
's tower.
WIOT is licensed for HD Radio
operations. Its HD-2 programming consists of "The Alternative Project," Clear Channel's nationwide "Premium Choice" Modern Rock
format. WIOT-HD-2 is one of two HD subchannels in Toledo featuring modern rock, the other being the HD-2 of Cumulus classic rock WXKR
94.5 FM, known as "The Zone" (also heard on analog radios via translator 100.7 W264AK).
, the southern and western suburbs (the latter due to the hills) as well as most of Essex County, Ontario
, including Windsor, Ontario
and Leamington, Ontario
. Under exceptionally good conditions (such as fog
), the station's signal can reach Chatham, Ontario
, also the signal has been heard into Michigan as far north as Flint, Michigan
and Lapeer, before it starts to interfere with Woodstock, Ontario
's CIHR-FM
, which is also on 104.7 FM.
The station also experiences regular interference from Geneva, Ohio
's WKKY
, which is also on 104.7, near the Wheatley, Ontario
and Comber, Ontario areas (mostly in the southeastern corner of Essex County).
During 2011, WIOT was also experiencing interference from Detroit repeater W284BQ, which was simulcasting WGPR
's The Oasis smooth jazz
subchannel on 104.7 MHz. In May 2011, WIOT filed a complaint with the FCC, saying that W284BQ interferes with WIOT in the Michigan portion of their broadcast area. WIOT had also solicited comments and reception reports from listeners in the affected area. Martz Communications Group
, which owns the repeater and programs The Oasis, would soon after establish a website, http://www.savetheoasis.com/, which explains the station's position on the issue, stressing that WIOT should not get special treatment on the grounds that it is an Ohio radio station that serves no part of Detroit, though the statement is not exactly true. WIOT's protected contour does serve parts of the Detroit area, in part due to its grandfathered status.
On October 18, 2011, the FCC sided with Clear Channel on the issue, and ordered W284BQ to cease operation immediately.
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
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...
in Toledo, Ohio
Toledo, Ohio
Toledo is the fourth most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Lucas County. Toledo is in northwest Ohio, on the western end of Lake Erie, and borders the State of Michigan...
. Owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
, the station broadcasts at 104.7 MHz.
WIOT was Toledo's first FM rock station when it went on the air December 25, 1972, replacing a beautiful music/classical format. The call letters stood for "In Our Time". For years, it was known as "The Chicken" in reference to its mascot, a giant whole broiled chicken dressed in seasonal clothing. The call letters were in the past WTOL-FM and WCWA-FM.
In the late 1980s The Bob and Brian morning show became a huge Toledo favorite. The show left for Milwaukee where they remain to this day, currently at WHQG
WHQG
WHQG Radio is a mainstream rock FM radio station licensed to and serving the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area. The station is owned by Saga Communications...
.
The next morning team that created an impact was The Dawnbusters (known as Jeff and Mark). Jeff provided many of the voices and skits, while Mark kept the shows pace. The show was a major success. In 1994 Jeff and Mark's contract was up for renewal. Being the top rated morning show, they shopped around. 94.5 WXKR was a station who just upped its power to 30,000 watts and was looking to launch a fight against WIOT with a 100% classic rock format. Jeff and Mark went on vacation for a week from WIOT, and jumped ship to start working for WXKR.
Over the next few years the ratings for the show declined as WIOT sued them for the names and character voices. Jeff had to change the name of all his voices because they were property of WIOT, but the voice itself was Jeff's property. This caused confusion with listeners.
Other Dj's during this time were: Program Director Lyn Casey, Michael Young ("Party Party Party"), Don Davis, Dave Duran, Beckey Shock, Dennis O'Brian, Beth Daniels, & Will Worster.
In 1994 The station hired the "new" Dawnbusters Carlson and Mckenzie. They brought a new life in morning radio for Toledo. While Jeff and Mark struggled, Carlson and Mckenzie drew large morning numbers.
After about 2 years Carlson and Mckenzie left for Boston (now on 100.7 WZLX) and new owners Enterprise Media hired back Jeff and Mark (who had been let go from WXKR)
In 1998 they station was bought by Jacor Media where they tweeked the format (a bit more hard rock) and they inked a deal with syndicated morning show The Bob and Tom Show where it airs to this day.
Around this time new jox were introduced to the listeners. Susan Gates (mid-days), Troy Michaels (7p-12m) and overnights with Grizley Brown. Darrin Arrens became the PD. Darrin and Susan left in 1999.
Don Davis left in 2001 and was replaced by Dave Rossi as PD (from the WAVE in South Carolina). Micki also left and Sherri Vegas became the mid-day jox.
WIOT begain to return to its major stranglehold on the Toledo rock ratings.
Rossi left in 2003 to head back to SC. Troy Michaels took over afternoons and Grizley moved up to evenings.
WIOT's studios are located in the Fort Industry Square building on Summit Street in downtown Toledo. Its offices are at Superior and Lafayette in Toledo. The station's transmitter is located at North Wynn and Cedar Point Roads in Oregon, OH. Prior to its home in Fort Industry Square, the station was located at 604 Jackson Street, the site of the former News-Bee building and what is now One Government Center. Their longtime owner was Reams Broadcasting, begun by Fraser Reams Sr. and later by his son, Fraser Junior. Reams also owned WCWA and WTOL-TV and WCWA-FM's transmitter was on WTOL-TV
WTOL
WTOL is the CBS- affiliated television station licensed in Toledo, Ohio. The station broadcasts on channel 11 and can be seen quite clearly throughout Northwest Ohio, Southeast Michigan , and southwest Ontario...
's tower.
WIOT is licensed for HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
operations. Its HD-2 programming consists of "The Alternative Project," Clear Channel's nationwide "Premium Choice" Modern Rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
format. WIOT-HD-2 is one of two HD subchannels in Toledo featuring modern rock, the other being the HD-2 of Cumulus classic rock WXKR
WXKR
WXKR is a radio station in Port Clinton, Ohio, broadcasting on 94.5 MHz with a classic rock format. The station is known as 94.5 XKR, Toledo's Classic Rock Station.-WRWR:...
94.5 FM, known as "The Zone" (also heard on analog radios via translator 100.7 W264AK).
Broadcast area
The station serves Toledo and northwest Ohio, but its signal also reaches downtown DetroitDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, the southern and western suburbs (the latter due to the hills) as well as most of Essex County, Ontario
Essex County, Ontario
Essex County is a county and census division located in Southwestern Ontario and covers an area at the southernmost tip of Canada. The administrative seat is Essex...
, including Windsor, Ontario
Windsor, Ontario
Windsor is the southernmost city in Canada and is located in Southwestern Ontario at the western end of the heavily populated Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. It is within Essex County, Ontario, although administratively separated from the county government. Separated by the Detroit River, Windsor...
and Leamington, Ontario
Leamington, Ontario
Leamington is a municipality in Essex County, southern Ontario, Canada, and has a population of 31,113. It includes Point Pelee, the southernmost point of mainland Canada. It has a large H. J. Heinz Company factory and is known as the "Tomato Capital of Canada", with 4 km² of this crop in the...
. Under exceptionally good conditions (such as fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...
), the station's signal can reach Chatham, Ontario
Chatham, Ontario
Chatham is the largest community in the municipality of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. Formerly serving as the seat of Kent County, the governments of the former city of Chatham, the county of Kent, and its townships were merged into one entity known as the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in 1998.Located on...
, also the signal has been heard into Michigan as far north as Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
and Lapeer, before it starts to interfere with Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock, Ontario
Woodstock is a city and the county seat of Oxford County in Southern Ontario, Canada. Woodstock is located 128 km southwest of Toronto, north of Highway 401 along the historic Thames River...
's CIHR-FM
CIHR-FM
CIHR-FM is an FM radio station located in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. The station plays an adult contemporary format branded as 104.7 Heart FM and is owned by Byrnes Communications Inc....
, which is also on 104.7 FM.
The station also experiences regular interference from Geneva, Ohio
Geneva, Ohio
Geneva is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The area which would become Geneva was originally settled in 1805, and was incorporated as a city in 1958. It is named after Geneva, New York. The city's population was 6,595 at the 2000 census....
's WKKY
WKKY
WKKY is a commercial FM radio station in Geneva, Ashtabula County, Ohio, broadcasting at 104.7 MHz with a country music format. The station broadcasts using the HD Radio format.The station was started by Donald E. Martin on April 28, 1982 as WDON...
, which is also on 104.7, near the Wheatley, Ontario
Wheatley, Ontario
Wheatley is a community in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, within the municipality of Chatham-Kent. It lies about east of Leamington. Nearby parks include Two Creeks Conservation Area, which has 15 km of hiking and bicycling paths, Kopegaron Woods Conservation Area, Hillman Marsh Conservation...
and Comber, Ontario areas (mostly in the southeastern corner of Essex County).
During 2011, WIOT was also experiencing interference from Detroit repeater W284BQ, which was simulcasting WGPR
WGPR
WGPR is an FM radio station in Detroit, Michigan brodacasting a Mainstream Urban format. Owned by the International Free and Accepted Modern Masons and operated under local marketing agreement by Radio One, the station operates on 107.5 MHz....
's The Oasis smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
subchannel on 104.7 MHz. In May 2011, WIOT filed a complaint with the FCC, saying that W284BQ interferes with WIOT in the Michigan portion of their broadcast area. WIOT had also solicited comments and reception reports from listeners in the affected area. Martz Communications Group
Martz Communications Group
Martz Communications Group is an American radio broadcasting company, which operates three radio stations in the St. Lawrence River area of New York; one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and two in Detroit, Michigan...
, which owns the repeater and programs The Oasis, would soon after establish a website, http://www.savetheoasis.com/, which explains the station's position on the issue, stressing that WIOT should not get special treatment on the grounds that it is an Ohio radio station that serves no part of Detroit, though the statement is not exactly true. WIOT's protected contour does serve parts of the Detroit area, in part due to its grandfathered status.
On October 18, 2011, the FCC sided with Clear Channel on the issue, and ordered W284BQ to cease operation immediately.