WKRK-FM
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WKRK-FM

WKRK-FM (92.3 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland Heights, Ohio, known as "Sports Radio 92.3 The Fan" and carrying a sports format. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WKRK-FM serves Greater Cleveland and surrounding Northeast Ohio as a co-flagship for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network and an affiliate of Infinity Sports Network.

WKRK-FM's studios are located at the Halle Building in Downtown Cleveland and the station transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of Warrensville Heights. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKRK-FM broadcasts over three HD Radio channels and is available online via Audacy.

Founded by Sam R. Sague, the station debuted on December 19, 1947, on 95.3 MHz as WSRS-FM and simulcast sister station WSRS (1490 AM), also licensed to Cleveland Heights. WSRS AM/FM billed itself as the "Community Information Voice of Cleveland". On February 1, 1959, Friendly Broadcasting of Columbus assumed control of WSRS 1490 AM and 95.3 FM from Sam R. Sague, switching call letters, licenses, studios and facilities. The AM and FM stations took on separate identities: WJMO took over the former WSRS offices at 2156 Lee Road in Cleveland Heights, and WSRS-FM became WJMO-FM, later WCUY. The 1540 and 106.5 frequencies were sold off to Tuschman Broadcasting Company, with the AM station becoming WABQ while the FM station instead signed on as WABQ-FM.

WCUY maintained an eclectic mix of beautiful music, jazz and ethnic fare independent of the AM station – a rarity at the time. WJMO adopted a rhythm-and-blues format, focusing primarily on the African-American community, which it still does to this day. WCUY vacated 95.3 and moved to 92.3 MHz in the early 1960s, while WDGO in Cleveland signed on the 95.5 frequency and WLKR-FM in Norwalk on the 95.3 frequency. The station's music format turned to all jazz in the mid-1960s. Voices at WCUY's microphones in the mid-1960s until the station dropped jazz in 1971 included: Jim Quinn, Chris Columbi, who also wrote about jazz for The Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ray Allen (who also served as Program Director), Dave Smith, Gary Stark, Mark Kaufman, Len Anthony, Phil Fink, David Mark, and Joanie Layne.[citation needed]

In 1971, WCUY changed calls to WLYT, standing for "We Love You Truly," and chosen through a station contest. WLYT first held a gold-based oldies format, but then bounced about between AOR (as "92 Rock"), automated Top 40, and then disco (as "Disco 92") With Chris Michaels-Manning who went to WZAK and John J. Muddcliff who went to M105 known as the "MUD". WLYT was beset by a poor signal, a limited budget, constant staff turnover, and low ratings during this period.

WLYT changed its call letters to WRQC in spring 1983, and switched to pop/new wave music as "Cleveland's New 92 ROCK", using consultant Rick Carroll of future sister station KROQ-FM in Los Angeles. At the time, Daniel "Dancin' Danny" Wright was the morning drive host. Partly due to a fallout with Carroll, and low ratings against AOR/CHR powerhouse WMMS, WRQC gradually migrated to CHR under new Program Director Kris Earl Phillips (who later departed for a career in the computer software industry, and was succeeded by OM/PD Scott Howitt), with the shift completed that September 5. The line-up included various morning hosts over time after Wright moved over to WGCL (to do afternoons), Jan McKay (Jan Wrezinski/News Director), Linda Jackson (Linda Stepan) middays, Scott Howitt (Program Director) doing afternoon drive, former WBZZ/Pittsburgh air personality Tom "Jack" Daniels" in evenings, Mike Gallagher in nights, Johnny Sharp in late nights, Skip O'Brien, Lew Roberts, "Big Dave" Nicholas, Jim Shea, Scott James (voiceover artist Harry Legg) and "Rowdy Ron" Higgins on weekends. The CHR format remained in place throughout the remainder of the decade, though it would be rebranded a few times, first as 92Q in early 1985, All-Hit 92Q in 1986 (under the guidance of the late Rick Sklar, former WABC/New York program director turned consultant), and later as Hot 92 in 1989, with the station briefly leaning toward urban.

United Broadcasting changed WRQC's call sign to WJMO-FM on January 22, 1990, matching the calls of WJMO, marking the second time around with these call letters. The station was re-branded "Jammin' 92", and began simulcasting WJMO part-time before dropping the simulcasts in October of that year. In 1995, the station rebranded as "Jammin' 92.3", and kept the contemporary hits format, except this time around, they shifted towards a Dance-leaning direction, a move that would pay off ratings-wise for the station, all under the direction of its then PD, Keith Clark. Slogans over the years included "Cleveland's New Dance Music Station", "The Party Pig", "Big Fun-Giant Jams", and "Cleveland's New #1 Hit Music Station."

Starting in 1993, Jammin' 92's evening hours were modeled after MTV, featuring equal doses of alternative rock, hip-hop, and pop music. The show was called "92 Channel X." In 1992, as Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership rules were relaxed, United Broadcasting sold WJMO and WJMO-FM to Zebra Communications, owned by three key figures from local urban contemporary station WZAK: Owner Xenophon Zapis, program director Lynn Tolliver, and on-air personality Bobby (Otis) Rush. Although Tolliver and Rush were both African Americans, Zapis, a Greek, was a key party in the new ownership. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) contested the sale.

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