From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia WERE
WERE
WERE and is the Cleveland AM affiliate for The Tom Joyner Morn-
ing Show (shared with sister station WZAK FM 93.1), the
Cleveland affiliate for Redding News Review, and airs syn-
dicated programming from station owner Radio One and
USA Radio Network.
City of Cleveland Heights, Ohio
license
Broadcast Greater Cleveland
History
area
WJMO (1490 AM)
Branding NewsTalk 1490
WJMO went on the air on June 1, 1947 licensed to Cleve-
Slogan The People’s Station land as a daytime-only broadcaster at 1540 kHz with stu-
Frequency 1490 (kHz) dios at 2157 Euclid Avenue and a power of 1000 watts. The
owner was Wentworth J. Marshall, formerly head of the
First air date June 4, 2007
Marshall Drug Co. chain, and the general manager was
WERE)
(as WERE
July 1, 1947 David M. Baylor. When it debuted, WJMO was the only
(as WJMO
WJMO) Cleveland radio station without a network affiliation. As
a result, the station specialized in recorded music. Early
Format News/Talk
staff included Gene Carroll (mornings), Howie Lund (af-
Power 1,000 watts ternoons), and Billy Evans on sports.[1]
In 1948 WJMO carried the football games of Western
Class C
Reserve College Red Cats, both at home from League Park
Facility ID 74472 and on the road. In the first broadcast on September 25
Transmitter 41°30′48.00″N 81°36′5.00″W / 41.51333°N
Gil Gibbons called the action as Western Reserve met
coordinates 81.60139°W / 41.51333; -81.60139 Western Michigan in Kalamazoo.[2]
On June 5, 1952, in an attempt to emphaze music
Callsign ERiE
W-"Lake ER E"
rather than DJs, Baylor issued an orders to play four
meaning carried over from WERE (1300 AM)
songs every 15 minutes.[2] As a result a number of DJs
Former 1947-2007: WJMO chose to leave the station. Later than year, Wentworth
callsigns sold the station on August 20 for $100,000 to Maryland-
Former 1947-1958: 1540 (kHz) based United Broadcasting, headed by Richard Eaton.
frequencies Ownership was later put in the name of Eaton’s affiliated
company Friendly Broadcasting of Ohio.[1] WJMO also
Affiliations Syndication One
USA Radio Network had a license for an FM sister station at 106.5 MHz, which
was to sign on in 1959 with the WJMO-FM call letters.
Owner Radio One On February 1, 1958, Friendly Broadcasting of Colum-
(Blue Chip Broadcasting Licenses, Ltd.)
bus assumed control of WSRS 1490-AM and 95.3-FM from
Sister WENZ, WJMO, WZAK Sam R. Sague, and switched call letters, licenses, studios
stations and facilities, selling off their former frequencies to
Webcast Listen Live Tuschman Broadcasting Company. WJMO took over the
former WSRS offices at 2156 Lee Road in Cleveland
Website NewsTalkCleveland.com Heights, and WSRS-FM became WJMO-FM, later WCUY.
The 1540-AM facility became WABQ with the switch
WERE (1490 AM) — branded NewsTalk 1490 — is a com- (whose format and call letters currently reside at
mercial radio station licensed to Cleveland Heights, Ohio 1460-AM) and the 106.5 facility ultimately signed on as
broadcasting a news/talk format. The station is owned by WABQ-FM, and became WXEN in 1960. The 1540-AM fre-
Radio One, and has studios at 2510 St. Clair Avenue, while quency is currently WWGK, while the 106.5 facility is now
the transmitter is along Euclid Avenue near East 118th home to WMVX.
Street, adjacent to the Case Western Reserve University Shortly after the frequency change in the early 1960s,
campus. It uses the on-air slogan "The People’s Station," WJMO moved to a black-oriented R&B format. In 1970 a
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia WERE
dispute arose over working conditions and the lack of hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m. Meanwhile, due to the high le-
blacks in key positions. Key station personnel staged a gal fees incurred by Zapis, Zebra and the SCLC, all of the
"sick out," which took the station off the air. The dis- local deejays on the station were replaced with ABC Ra-
pute attracted the involvement of a number of groups, dio’s "Solid Gold Soul" music service.[5] In addition, the
including the Cleveland chapter of the Southern Christ- call letters of the FM station were changed to WZJM—a
ian Leadership Conference.[1] Z JMO.
combination of WZAK and WJM (The WJMO-FM calls
The SCLC asked sponsors to withhold advertising did resurface on the 99.5 MHz facility in Washington,
from WJMO or face a boycott by black community DC—then co-owned with WJMO—in 1999. Today it broad-
groups. In retaliation, the personnel involved in the "sick casts as WIHT.)
out" were fired. In the efforts to resolve matters, the fired On August 12, 1998, Chancellor Media Corporation of
personnel were reinstated, and Kennard "Ken" Hawkins Texas announced its purchase of WJMO and WZJM from
was appointed the station’s general manager. Hawkins Zebra Communications, along with its purchase of four
became the first African American to hold that position other Cleveland radio stations, WZAK, WDOK 102.1-FM,
at a Cleveland radio station.[2] WQAL 104.1-FM, and WRMR 850-AM, for $275 million.[6]
United Broadcasting ran into problems with the FCC It was, at the time, the largest radio deal in Cleveland
regarding the operation of its stations in Washington and broadcasting history.
Miami. It was also alleged that Eaton bribed the ABC net- On July 13, 1999, Chancellor Media merged with Cap-
work to gain favorable terms for three of its stations. star Broadcasting (which at the time owned WKNR) to
Meanwhile in Cleveland, United Broadcasting had form AMFM Inc., at that time the nation’s largest radio
other problems. On December 11, 1973, station vice pres- station owner with 465 stations. AMFM sold WZAK and
ident Van Lane (real name Morris Schecter) and engineer WJMO to Radio One on July 20, 2000 as part of a required
John Rees of Washington’s WRC radio pled guilty in fed- divestiture when AMFM merged with Clear Channel
eral court to charges of bugging Hawkins’ office. It was Communications.[7]
later revealed that the lines were linked between
Hawkins’ office at the station and Lane’s home in Shaker
Heights. Lane and Rees were fined $500 each. Former
United Broadcasting controller and VP Morton Silver-
man of Columbia, Maryland, was also charged with three
felony counts of illegal wiretapping, but the Justice
Logo before June 2007.
Department agreed to reduce the charges to a misde-
meanor.[2]
A year later, on December 2, 1974, Washington-based Later years
attorney Roy F. Perkins, Jr., the former attorney for Unit- The station became a gospel music outlet on May 17, 1999
ed Broadcasting, pled guilty in federal court to a misde- after nearly forty years with an rhythm & blues format,
meanor charge of bugging Hawkins’ office. He was fined which was reputed by many to have been the longest
$2,000. Perkins claimed that he authorized the bugging running such station in the country.[8]
because of rumors of payola at the station.[2]
In January 1990, United Broadcasting re-acquired the 2007 frequency "trade"
92.3 MHz facility, by now WRQC, and changed its callsign On June 4, 2007, Radio One radio stations WJMO
to WJMO-FM. United Broadcasting sold WJMO and (1490 AM) and WERE (1300 AM) were involved in what
WJMO-FM in 1992 to Zebra Communications, owned by was then reported as a frequency "trade." In reality,
Xenophon Zapis (owner of Zapis Communications and these two stations swapped call letters along with their
WZAK), Lynn Tolliver (WZAK program director) and Bob- respective formats. WJMO changed its call letters to
by (Otis) Rush (WZAK DJ). Although Tolliver and Rush WERE and changed its format to news/talk.[9]
WERE,
were both African Americans, Zapis was a key party in
the new ownership, and the sale was contested by the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference.[2] WERE
The sale was approved by the FCC in 1993,[3] and
WJMO became the first radio station with significant Current programming
African American ownership in the Cleveland area. In Weekday programming includes Daybreak USA (from USA
1994, as a result of the legal battles, the SCLC gained sig- Radio) with Scott West, Susan Hydcock, and Bobby
nificant control of WJMO,[4] which was seen as less prof- Collins; The Tom Joyner Morning Show (from ABC/Citadel)
itable than WJMO-FM and WZAK. aired in simulcast with sister station WZAK; The Warren
The SCLC appointed a local group (dubbed NewCo) Ballentine Show and The Al Sharpton Show (both from Radio
that directly had an input in stations’ programming, and One) air middays through early afternoon (Sharpton’s
produced talk and public affairs shows between the
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia WERE
show is simulcast on sister station WJMO AM 1300); local Plain Dealer. pp. 4B.
program America’s Workforce hosted by Ed "Flash" Ferenc http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/
in afternoon drive; The Roth Show with Dr. Laurie Roth InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_
Ph.D. (USA Radio); Rob Redding’s self-syndicated Redding Retrieved 2007-05-21.
News Review; The Jim Sumpter Show, and The Golden Age [6] "Company News; Chancellor Media to Buy Six
of Radio with Vic Ives (both from USA Radio) air late Cleveland Radio Stations". The New York Times.
evenings and into the overnight hours. August 13, 1998. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/
Specialty programming includes various ethnic pro- fullpage.html?res=9907E5D9123AF930A2575BC0A96E958260.
gramming on Sundays. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
[7] "Justice Department Requires Clear Channel and
References AMFM to Divest 99 Radio Stations in 27 Markets.
Required Sale is Largest Radio Divestiture Ever"
[1] ^ Van Tassel, David D., ed.; John J. Grabowski, ed. (Press release). U.S. Department of Justice. July 20,
(1996). "WJMO". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History 2000. http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2000/July/
(2nd ed. ed.). Bloomington: Indiana University 415at.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
Press. pp. 1058–59. ISBN 0-253-33056-4. [8] Feran, Tom (May 19, 1999). "WJMO Gives up Soul
http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=W23. for Gospel". The Plain Dealer. pp. 2E.
Retrieved 2007-01-01. http://infoweb.newsbank.com/iw-search/we/
[2] ^ "WJMO History". Cleveland Broadcast Radio Archives InfoWeb?p_action=doc&p_topdoc=1&p_docnum=1&p_sort=YMD_
Project. http://www.cleve-radio.com/ Retrieved 2007-05-21.
index2.htm#WJMO-AM%20&%20FM. Retrieved [9] Washington, Julie (May 19, 2007). "WERE and
2007-01-01. WJMO trading AM frequencies". Cleveland Live,
[3] Santiago, Roberto (May 22, 1993). "WJMO sale Inc. http://blog.cleveland.com/pdextra/2007/05/
approved by FCC, but SCLC appeal is likely". The gospel_singer_and_morning_radi.html. Retrieved
Plain Dealer. pp. 1B. http://docs.newsbank.com/ June 4, 2007.
openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/
iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CPDB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/
External links
fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F8074245A242118&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D1C2ED46ABD2E15.
Retrieved 2007-01-01. • Official website
[4] Santiago, Roberto (December 10, 1993). "SCLC gains • Query the FCC’s AM station database for WERE
control of WJMO-AM". The Plain Dealer. pp. 1A. • Radio-Locator Information on WERE
http://docs.newsbank.com/ • Query Arbitron’s AM station database for WERE
openurl?ctx_ver=z39.88-2004&rft_id=info:sid/ • Aerial photo of WERE transmitter from Google Maps
• The
iw.newsbank.com:NewsBank:CPDB&rft_val_format=info:ofi/ Encyclopedia of Cleveland History: WJMO
(1490 AM)
fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rft_dat=0F807969AD9C2B0D&svc_dat=InfoWeb:aggregated4&req_dat=0D1C2ED46ABD2E15.
Retrieved 2007-01-01. • Cleveland Broadcast Radio Archives: WJMO
[5] Santiago, Roberto (February 18, 1994). "FCC (1490 AM) timeline
Approves Transfer of Two Urban Stations". The
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WERE&oldid=465580412"
Categories:
• Radio One stations
• Radio stations in Cleveland, Ohio
• News and talk radio stations in the United States
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