 | |
| Broadcast area | Cincinnati metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Warm 98.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WFTK,WGRR,WNNF,WOFX-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | October 1,1959 (as WAEF at 104.3) |
Former call signs | WAEF (1959–1972) WLQA (1972–1980) |
Former frequencies | 104.3 MHz (1959–1964) |
Call sign meaning | WaRRM |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 3142 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 18,000watts |
| HAAT | 246 meters (807 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | warm98.com |
WRRM (98.5FM) is acommercialradio station inCincinnati, Ohio. The station is owned byCumulus Media, broadcasting anadult contemporaryradio format. For much of November and December, it switches toChristmas music. Thestudios and offices are located on Montgomery Road in North Cincinnati.
WRRM has aneffective radiated power of 18,000watts.[2] Thetransmitter site is on Radcliff Drive in Cincinnati, nearMill Creek.[3]
On October 1, 1959 the stationsigned on asWAEF, abeautiful music station at 104.3 FM. It played quarter hour sweeps of instrumentalcover songs of pop hits, as well asBroadway andHollywood show tunes. The station moved to 98.5 in 1964 and increased its power.
In 1972, the station was acquired bySusquehanna Broadcasting and switched itscall sign toWLQA, still with "beautiful music". Over time, the station's audience was beginning to age; in response, WLQA increased the soft vocals and eased up on the instrumentals in an effort to attract younger listeners.
The station changed its call letters toWRRM and has used the identifier "Warm 98" since first switching to asoft adult contemporary format in late 1980. To ease the transition to "Warm 98", the station played many of the same songs as it did before, only now they would be performed by the original vocal artists instead of by "beautiful music" orchestras.
"Warm 98" was not just one of the first "soft hits" stations in the country, but among the few stations of the genre that has kept this format under the same call sign and identifier for more than four decades. "Warm 98" quickly became popular with women andBaby Boomers at a time when many of them wanted soft music but didn't care for instrumental easy listening. WRRM played the softer Top 40 hits of the last 20 years. Its initialplaylist featuredThe Carpenters,Paul McCartney,Stevie Wonder,Fleetwood Mac andDan Fogelberg. The office-friendly format proved to be a real ratings winner.
In the early 2000s, WRRM dropped the 1970s titles from its playlist and added more current and upbeat songs from the Adult Contemporary chart, playingMaroon 5,Taylor Swift,Katy Perry,Bruno Mars,Rihanna andEd Sheeran. The playlist also features songs from the 1980s and 90s from artists such asBilly Joel,Michael Jackson,Journey,Elton John,Whitney Houston andRod Stewart.
The station's former frequency of 104.3 on the FM dial is now home toWNLT, aContemporary Christian outlet broadcasting theK-Love network.
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For ten years, ending in February 2010, WRRM aired five hours ofSmooth Jazz on Saturday nights hosted by midday personality Chris Lynn. The last time a Cincinnati FM station ran the Smooth Jazz format on a full-time basis wasWVAE ("94.9 The Wave"), which ran from 1995 to 1999; however, the format had returned to the AM dial (albeit satellite-fed) onWCIN, but the station dropped it in May 2009, leaving the Cincinnati radio market without a smooth jazz outlet.
Sunday mornings featured the long-running "Sunday Morning Music Hall" hosted by Cincinnati Ballet Music Director Carmon DeLeone. The show first aired on Easter Sunday in 1991 and ended its 16½ year run on January 6, 2008.
39°07′19″N84°32′53″W / 39.122°N 84.548°W /39.122; -84.548