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| Broadcast area | |
| Frequency | 98.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 98.5 WNCX |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Subchannels | HD2:Sports gambling "The Bet" |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | October 23, 1948 (77 years ago) (1948-10-23) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "North Coast Express", unused slogan |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 41390 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 16,000 watts |
| HAAT | 293 meters (961 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°20′28.00″N81°44′24.00″W / 41.3411111°N 81.7400000°W /41.3411111; -81.7400000 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast |
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| Website | www |
WNCX (98.5FM) is a commercialradio station licensed toCleveland, Ohio, featuring aclassic rock format known as "98.5 WNCX". Owned byAudacy, Inc., WNCX servesGreater Cleveland and much of surroundingNortheast Ohio as a co-flagship station for theCleveland Browns Radio Network and the Clevelandaffiliate forLittle Steven's Underground Garage andRewind with Gary Bryan.
The WNCX studios are located at theHalle Building inDowntown Cleveland, while the station transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb ofNorth Royalton. Besides a standardanalog transmission, WNCX broadcasts over twoHD Radio channels,[3] and is available online viaAudacy.
The station first went on the air in 1948 as WERE-FM and was the FM outlet forWERE (1300 AM), where it primarily simulcast the programming of its more popular AM sister station over the next 24 years. Founded by former Cleveland mayorRay T. Miller's Cleveland Broadcasting Incorporated, WERE-FM actually signed on one year prior to its AM counterpart.
During the 1950s, WERE, and by extension, WERE-FM, was the first popularTop 40 station in the market, spearheaded by now-legendary personalities likeBill Randle, "Captain" Carl Reese, Phil McLean, Ronnie Barrett, Howie Lund and Bob Forster. Randle was the most influential of the group, as he was the first major-market disk jockey in the Northeast United States to playElvis Presley and bolstered the careers of a number of up-and-coming musicians, includingThe Four Lads,Bobby Darin andFats Domino.[citation needed] Future NBC announcer and voice-over artistDanny Dark also was a host on WERE in the early 1960s.
After Ray T. Miller's death in 1966,[4] Cleveland Broadcasting Incorporated was acquired by Atlantic States Industries (ASI) for a combined $9 million in May 1968.[5] Due to ASI already owning five AM stations and one FM station and because of an interim policy/proposed rule by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) that prohibited the purchase of an AM and FM station in the same market—the "one-to-a-customer" policy—the FCC ordered the divestiture of WERE-FM, along withWLEC andWLEC-FM inSandusky, to a third party. WLEC and WLEC-FM were divested toRadiOhio that December,[6] and WERE-FM was sold to L. E. Chenault (ofDrake-Chenault Enterprises) concurrently; both deals fell through.[7][8] WLEC AM/FM were ultimately retained by the sellers and spun off to a limited partnership, Lake Erie Broadcasting.[9][10]
KFAC andKFAC-FM inLos Angeles were given waivers to the "one-to-a-customer" policy,[11] and the deal was approved by the commission on October 29, 1969,[1] on the condition that WERE-FM would be sold "as soon as practicable."[12]General Cinema Corporation acquired WERE-FM in May 1970 for $525,000, the deal was approved that July;[13][14] ASI was later granted a tax break by the FCC with the sale.[10]
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WERE-FM's call letters were then changed to WGCL on December 16, 1970,[1] and programming changed from a fully automated format toTop 40 as "G98".[1] WGCL began as an affiliate of the Drake-ChenaultSolid Gold andHit Parade formats, which featured a Top 40/Oldies mix, but eventually went live and local with personalities such as Tim Davisson, David Mark and Mike Dix (formerly of the legendaryWIXY 1260). Famed programmerLee Abrams helmed the station and George Jay was its news director.
General Cinema sold WGCL to Olivia-Neuhoff Broadcasting on August 9, 1976, for $2.5 million; the sale came in the wake of years of litigation over a proposed purchase and format change ofWEFM inChicago, as well as lost revenue and advertisers over a failed format change atWGKA, GCC's former AM station in Atlanta.[15] Olivia-Neuhoff was headed up by George Olivia, Jr. and WERE general manager Paul Neuhoff; they had also acquired WERE from ASI for $3.1 million that April, reuniting both stations.[16][17] Despite the sale, both stations kept "GCC Communications of Cleveland" as the licensee name until they were sold again in 1986.[18]
During the next 14 years, the station would go on to enjoy moderate success in the face of significant competition from crosstown rock juggernaut,WMMS. WGCL enjoyed some of the areas best-known air personalities over time, such as: J. Michael Wilson, Bumper Morgan, Dave Sharp, Eric Cramer & Uncle Vic. Of course, one of G98's most recognized air personalities throughout the 1980s was"Dancin" Danny Wright, who later had a long stretch in afternoon drive at countryWGAR-FM. He later hosted a nationally syndicated show,Jones Radio Network'sDanny Wright All Night.[19]
WGCL's best showing in theCleveland Arbitron ratings was in 1982 when they briefly overtook WMMS in the top overall position, but after WMMS re-tooled and recaptured first place a short time later, WGCL slowly lost ground.
WGCL and WERE were sold by George Olivia's GCC Communications to Detroit-based Metropolis Broadcasting on June 18, 1986, for a combined $10 million.[18][20] After the deal was completed, Metropolis changed WGCL's call letters to WNCX on October 22, 1986 (WNCX was to have stood for "North Coast eXpress", but was downplayed entirely after Metropolis executives failed toservice mark the slogan and WMMS did).[21]
The planned new format for the station notably boasted a large on and off-air staff composed mostly of Cleveland radio veterans–eight of whom had directly departed WMMS. This included:John Gorman, former WMMS program director, as WNCX operations manager; Denny Sanders, 15-year WMMS veteran, as WNCX program director and afternoon host; Rhonda Kneifer, former WMMS program coordinator, as WNCX music director; Paul Tapie, formerWGAR (1220 AM) morning host, in the same capacity; formerWHK (1420 AM) program director and air personality Bernie Kimble, as midday host; "Spaceman Scott" Hughes, formerly of WMMS, as evening host; and Nancy Alden, formerly ofWKDD (96.5 FM) in Akron, as late night host.[21][22] Recorded station IDs and imaging were created by acclaimed "Word Jazz" artistKen Nordine.[21]
To signal a sign of the changes to come, after WGCL's CHR format was dropped on October 20, the stationstunted by playingBeatles records non-stop for 72-hours.[23] WNCX's permanent eclectic rock/top 40 mixed format was unveiled afterward; Sanders and Gorman promised "a much different sound than other stations," and that they would "play a wide variety of music, 360 degrees of rock 'n' roll, from old to new to R&B," emphasizing new music, local records and included a Saturday night dance club music show.[24] The station also billed itself as one of the first radio stations in Cleveland to have a complete on-air library made up ofcompact discs.[21]
Due to the last minute inability by Metropolis Broadcasting to buy out his contract (which Gorman and Sanders were promised) and his incompatibility with the new format, Danny Wright was moved to the overnight slot for several weeks as a board-op with no speaking role whatsoever to finish out his contract.[24]
Just four months into the station's high-visibility launch, on February 9, 1987, WNCX abruptly -- and with no explanation -- switched formats toclassic hits; employing Mike McVay's consulting firm.[25][26][27] While the existing staff remained in place at first, Gorman promptly departed,[28] and later filed abreach of contract lawsuit against Metropolis.[29] By April, Rhonda Kiefer, Spaceman Scott and Nancy Alden left;[30] followed shortly thereafter by Bernie Kimble,[31] then Denny Sanders at the end of August;[23] Paul Tapie was the only on-air staffer from the previous format that remained. WNCX's relaunch as a classic hits station at first featured a mix of pop-rock classic artists likeElton John,Paul McCartney andCat Stevens, with little promotion and dramatically reduced expenses under consultant Mike McVay;[25][26] McVay had prior experience as former program director and general manager atWMJI.[32]
Most of the dismissed personalities enjoyed longevity and success in the market elsewhere: John Gorman became WMJI program director in 1991[33] and again at WMMS in 1994,[34] later establishinginternet radio stationoWOW Radio.[35] Sanders joined WMJI in 1988 and succeeded Gorman as program director in 1996, with the station winning the National Association Of Broadcasters "Large Market Station Of The Year" award in 1998; Spaceman Scott went toWRQK inCanton as program director, then rejoined WMMS in the early 90s;[36] Nancy Alden went toWDOK later in 1987[37] and was a fixture at that station for many years; Bernie Kimble joinedWNWV as program director;[38] and newscaster Jack Speer is currently a news anchor forNPR inWashington, D.C.[39][40]
Throughout January 1987, Metropolis entered in negotiations to purchaseWWDC andWWDC-FM in Washington, D.C. for $53 million,[41][42][43] but a tentative deal was never fully reached.[44] As it turned out, Metropolis wound up exiting broadcasting completely within the next 18 months; WDTX in Detroit—their sole other station—was sold for $12 million in March 1988,[45] and Metropolis co-owner Harvey Deutch died from cancer the following month.[46][47] WNCX and WERE were then put on the block, leading most observers to conclude that Metropolis Broadcasting was poorly organized and under-financed right from the start. Cleveland-based Metroplex Communications, in a joint venture with area jeweler Larry Robinson, purchased both stations in July 1988 for $11.6 million.[48][49] Metroplex was headed by Norman Wain and Bob Weiss, who once ownedWIXY and WDOK in the late 1960s; Robinson also had previous station ownership experience—having owned WIXY's successor WBBG, along with WMJI—in the early 1980s.[50]
Despite having little promotion and advertising, in sharp contrast to the prior eclectic top 40/rock format (which was suddenly and prematurely aborted after little more than 90 days), the classic hits format was given more time to establish and eventually proved to be a ratings success with Cleveland audiences, ultimately re-positioning itself with a harder-edgedclassic rock format centered on local personalities, several of which have had or continue to have lengthy tenures with the station. Cleveland native Walt Garrett joined the station in June 1987; under the name "Mr. Classic",[24] Garrett hosted theSaturday Night Live House Party for 31 years (two of those years withRon Sweed as co-host under his "The Ghoul" persona[52]) until leaving in August 2018.[53] Bill Louis, also a Cleveland native, took over as midday host on September 25, 1987, a time slot he hosted until he retired on December 31, 2021;[36] Louis was promoted to program director in December 1996.[54] Perhaps the station's best-known local personality, area rock musicianMichael Stanley joined WNCX on September 17, 1990, to host an early-evening program entitledIn the Heartland.[55][56] The success of that one-hour show eventually led to Stanley taking over the afternoon shift outright in May 1992,[57] which he continued to host for nearly 29 years until his death on March 5, 2021.[51]
Paul Tapie continued on in morning drive, later paired with market veteran Bill Stallings as co-host,[58][23] then withMike Trivisonno as sportscaster.[59] While a novice to broadcasting, Trivisonno had garnered notoriety in the market as "Mr. Know-It-All," a regular caller toPete Franklin'sSportsline onWWWE (1100 AM) throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.[60] Tapie left the station in April 1989;[23] after WNCX posted several full-page ads advertising their morning-drive job opening, the position was filled withThose Guys in the Morning:Rick Rydell and Todd Brandt, with Trivisonno continuing as sportscaster. Hired by then-PD Paul Ingles (at the suggestion of consultant Andy Bloom) fromKMJK in Portland, Oregon,[61]Those Guys had only marginal success in Cleveland and were regularly criticized by the local paper, often speculating on their departure date from WNCX;[24] Ingles himself was relieved of his program director duties and replaced by Doug Podell.
The station's next attempt at a morning show—Mad Dogs and Englishmen—launched on September 17, 1991, co-hosted by formerHumble Pie drummerJerry Shirley,[55][56] who had signed on as WNCX's evening host in December 1989.[62] Shirley was joined by Paul Ingles and holdover Mike Trivisonno; Ingles soon left,[23] and was replaced on the show by Skip Herman, while Paul Tapie returned as a sidekick within a few months of its debut.[63] In addition to his new role headlining the morning show, Shirley also hosted a one-hour evening program titledThe British Invasion.[24]
Following several months of rumors and competition fromWENZ for the rights to the program,[64][65] WNCX signed a deal in August 1992 to carryThe Howard Stern Show, based atWXRK inNew York City, beginning that August 31;[66] Skip Herman and Mike Trivisonno were dismissed[59][67] and Jerry Shirley was reassigned to the overnight shift. Then-program director Doug Podell had worked withHoward Stern in the early 1980s at rock stationWWWW inDetroit prior to its switch to acountry format (an event depicted in Stern's autobiographical filmPrivate Parts).[68] Andy Bloom, the same programming consultant who convinced Paul Ingles to hireThose Guys in the Morning, was brought back to consult on the Stern start-up, as he had been the program director atWYSP inPhiladelphia andKLSX inLos Angeles when both picked up Stern's show; Bloom would do the same for future affiliates as well.[69] WNCX in Cleveland was just the sixth station (and the fifth affiliate after Stern's flagship WXRK) out of more than 60 nationally to carryThe Howard Stern Show.[70][71]
Among the most notorious Howard Stern programs/broadcasts occurred in Cleveland on June 10, 1994. Having taken his radio show fromArbitron ranked #13 to #1 among all radio listeners in less than two years, Stern promised to have a street party and to broadcast a "funeral" for his competition live from the streets of Cleveland. During this now infamous broadcast, an engineer from WMMS snipped a broadcast wire that was used to feed thesatellite uplink for the program, the engineer was subsequently caught, arrested and prosecuted.[72][73]
Stern continued on with the program over a phone line as engineers quickly patched the broadcast wire back together:
Any time you have to sabotage a show and you can't concentrate on what you're doing on the air, then it means you're in trouble. The other stations see that they're in trouble.Lanigan sees that he's in trouble. TheZoo over at'MMS has been destroyed. They were the number one show when we came to town, and now we're number one. The only thing they can resort to is sabotage...
I am dressed as a general, and that is because it isD-Day here! It is war! I am in the middle of war. I am at my bunker right now as I speak to you. I'm about to take the stage if we can get our satellite back up. It is a war! It isWorld War III out here! We can't take it! It's unbelievable! ...
WNCX enjoyed a great deal of success with the Stern show for the next 13 years. In October 2004, Stern announced that he would be leave terrestrial radio and move his radio program toSirius Satellite Radio, a subscription radio service where he could avoid the content restrictions being forced on to him by theFCC. His final live broadcast aired on WNCX on December 16, 2005; program director Bill Louis reflected on the show's run, days after Stern's final broadcast: "It's difficult to imagine the mornings without him... what [Stern] brought was a very specialized and special form of entertainment that no one is ever going to duplicate."[74]
Metroplex Communications merged intoSan Antonio-basedClear Channel Communications in a combined $54 million deal announced in October 1993, this included WNCX and WERE;[75] Clear Channel would then take control of WENZ's sales operations in March 1994 via ajoint sales agreement,[76] eventually buying the station outright in 1996.[77] Following passage of theTelecom Act of 1996, Clear Channel announced a $4.4 billion merger withJacor in 1998; to comply with federal ownership guidelines, Clear Channel sold off WNCX toInfinity Broadcasting, while WERE and WENZ were sold toRadio One.[78]
In the wake of Stern's departure,CBS Radio (the renamed Infinity Broadcasting) launched ahot talk format titledFree FM; while WNCX did not adopt this brand or format, it did sign up for one of the regionally syndicated morning shows CBS offered under the banner:The David Lee Roth Show, hosted by musicianDavid Lee Roth, which premiered on January 3, 2006.[79] Due to very low ratings nationally and critical drubbings in the press,[80] Roth's show was canceled on April 21;[81][82] WNCX opted for a rotation of local hosts in the timeslot before hiring Mud (Wynn Richards), Kim Mihalik and newscaster Mike Olszewski in July 2006.[83] Mud left the station in July 2008 and was replaced by Scott Miller;[84] Kim Mihalik was dropped from the show that October; and Olszewski was replaced by local stand-up comedian Jeff Blanchard in April 2009.[85]
On October 27, 2010, WNCX announced the hiring ofMaxwell (Ben Bornstein)—formerly of WMMS—as host ofThe Maxwell Show, replacing both Scott Miller and Jeff Blanchard, along with producer Dave Jockers; Jockers had been the local producer forThe Howard Stern Show and all subsequent morning shows, in addition to having been the station's assistant program director and music director from 1996 onward. Regarding their dismissal, program director Bill Louis commented, "sadly, this a bottom-line business."[86]The Maxwell Show was cancelled on August 25, 2011; local media speculated that, in addition to "flagging ratings," the show was cancelled to make room for "a new, high-profile, multi-person morning show" at sister stationWKRK-FM (92.3 FM) as that station transitioned to asports format.[87] Local personality Slats (Tim Guinane), previously heard on WMMS and WXTM (WKRK-FM's predecessor), took over as morning host that November 7, where he remains to this day.[88]
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom.[89] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17.[90][91]
WNCX personalities Matt Spatz[88] Don "Nard" Nardella, Paula Balish and Joe Czekaj host the morning, midday, afternoon and evening shifts, respectively. Weekend programming includes:Time Warp, hosted by Bill St. James (viaUnited Stations Radio Networks); andLittle Steven's Underground Garage, hosted bySteven Van Zandt (also via United Stations Radio Networks).
As of May 1, 2013, WNCX is a co-flagship station for theCleveland Browns Radio Network, sharing coverage withsister stationWKRK-FM, as well asAMsports stationWKNR.[92]
Walt Garrett, best known as 'Mr. Classic' on theSaturday Night Live House Party...
'I missed it bigtime,' said Slats, whose real name is Tim Guinane.