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WNIR (FM)
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WNIR (FM)
WNIR (100.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Kent, Ohio, carrying a talk format known as "WNIR 100 FM". Owned by Media-Com, Inc., the station serves the Akron metro area as the local affiliate for ABC News Radio, syndicated personalities Rich Valdes and Mike Gallagher, and is the radio home of Bob Golic. WNIR's studios are located in Franklin Township, while the station transmitter resides in Brimfield. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WNIR is available online.
The station signed on the air as WKNT-FM on February 19, 1962. Owned by the publisher of the Kent Ravenna Record-Courier newspaper, WKNT-FM and WKNT (1520 AM), the latter having commenced operations in 1965, primarily served the Portage County area with an adult contemporary format.
The stations were purchased in 1972 by Media-Com, Inc., a family-owned business headed by Richard Klaus. Klaus lured a young Howie Chizek from Youngstown to host a five-hour midday talk show, changing the station's history forever. The call sign for the FM station was changed to WNIR on April 19, 1979, and it was branded Winner 100. Eventually, the AC music was dropped, and the station became all talk, adding Joe Finan in late afternoons in 1985 to replace a "GameRadio" afternoon drive show, hosted by Bob Roberts and Joey Harper.
A cult favorite of the late 1980s and early 1990s was WNIR's "Dial A Date" (later renamed "The Dating Show"), hosted nightly by Jim Albright. Albright would pick one "contestant" from the phone lines and talk to that person about their life for about 10 minutes. At the end of the conversation, Albright would ask late-night listeners of the opposite sex if they would like to meet the contestant. He would then answer, often live on the air, potential "date" calls. Jim Albright would sort through the prank calls and pick three potential dates for the contestant. After some talking back and forth, the contestant would pick a date and exchange phone numbers off the air.
Howie Chizek (1947–2012) was Northeast Ohio's "Dean of talk radio" with multiple #1 rankings for over 38 years. Chizek died June 17, 2012, in Florida at the start of his annual trip to Disney World with underprivileged children. Joe Finan retired in December 2004 and was replaced by former Cleveland Browns player Bob Golic. WNIR remains unique in this day and age dominated by syndicated talk radio with live local programming from morning to night.
WNIR began internet audio streaming of its programming on January 2, 2009, and launched an improved website. On January 14, 2011, a WNIR app for iPhones became available. WNIR announced that an app for Android and Blackberry would follow.
MediaCom was founded by Richard "Dick" Klaus, who died on January 28, 2006, at the age of 86. Sons Robert and William continue today with the family ownership and management of the station.
Inside Radio noted that, during Summer 2005, WNIR was the highest rated FM talk station in America in terms of market rank and market share.
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WNIR (FM)
WNIR (100.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Kent, Ohio, carrying a talk format known as "WNIR 100 FM". Owned by Media-Com, Inc., the station serves the Akron metro area as the local affiliate for ABC News Radio, syndicated personalities Rich Valdes and Mike Gallagher, and is the radio home of Bob Golic. WNIR's studios are located in Franklin Township, while the station transmitter resides in Brimfield. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WNIR is available online.
The station signed on the air as WKNT-FM on February 19, 1962. Owned by the publisher of the Kent Ravenna Record-Courier newspaper, WKNT-FM and WKNT (1520 AM), the latter having commenced operations in 1965, primarily served the Portage County area with an adult contemporary format.
The stations were purchased in 1972 by Media-Com, Inc., a family-owned business headed by Richard Klaus. Klaus lured a young Howie Chizek from Youngstown to host a five-hour midday talk show, changing the station's history forever. The call sign for the FM station was changed to WNIR on April 19, 1979, and it was branded Winner 100. Eventually, the AC music was dropped, and the station became all talk, adding Joe Finan in late afternoons in 1985 to replace a "GameRadio" afternoon drive show, hosted by Bob Roberts and Joey Harper.
A cult favorite of the late 1980s and early 1990s was WNIR's "Dial A Date" (later renamed "The Dating Show"), hosted nightly by Jim Albright. Albright would pick one "contestant" from the phone lines and talk to that person about their life for about 10 minutes. At the end of the conversation, Albright would ask late-night listeners of the opposite sex if they would like to meet the contestant. He would then answer, often live on the air, potential "date" calls. Jim Albright would sort through the prank calls and pick three potential dates for the contestant. After some talking back and forth, the contestant would pick a date and exchange phone numbers off the air.
Howie Chizek (1947–2012) was Northeast Ohio's "Dean of talk radio" with multiple #1 rankings for over 38 years. Chizek died June 17, 2012, in Florida at the start of his annual trip to Disney World with underprivileged children. Joe Finan retired in December 2004 and was replaced by former Cleveland Browns player Bob Golic. WNIR remains unique in this day and age dominated by syndicated talk radio with live local programming from morning to night.
WNIR began internet audio streaming of its programming on January 2, 2009, and launched an improved website. On January 14, 2011, a WNIR app for iPhones became available. WNIR announced that an app for Android and Blackberry would follow.
MediaCom was founded by Richard "Dick" Klaus, who died on January 28, 2006, at the age of 86. Sons Robert and William continue today with the family ownership and management of the station.
Inside Radio noted that, during Summer 2005, WNIR was the highest rated FM talk station in America in terms of market rank and market share.