WOSA

WOSA
Broadcast areaColumbus metro area
Frequency101.1 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingClassical 101fm
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatClassical music
Ownership
Owner
WOSU-FM, WOSU-TV
History
First air date
August 21, 1990
(34 years ago) (1990-08-21)
Former call signs
WWCD (1990–2010)
Call sign meaning
"Ohio State University"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID28644
ClassA
ERP6,000 watts
HAAT100 meters (330 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
39°48′50.0″N 83°03′19.0″W / 39.813889°N 83.055278°W / 39.813889; -83.055278
Repeater(s)
  • 91.1 WOSB (Marion)
  • 91.5 WOSP (Portsmouth)
  • 91.1 WOSE (Coshocton)
  • 91.7 WOSV (Mansfield)
  • 91.1 WOSX (Granville)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitenews.wosu.org/classical-101

WOSA (101.1 FM) is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Grove City, Ohio, featuring a classical music format known as "Classical 101fm". Owned by Ohio State University, the station serves Columbus, Ohio, and much of the surrounding Columbus metro area, extending its reach into Mansfield, Marion and Southern Ohio with five full-power repeaters. The WOSA studios are located at the Fawcett Center on the Ohio State University campus, while the station transmitter resides off of Borror Road in Lockbourne. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WOSA is available online. It is one of a few non-commercial stations in the United States to broadcast outside of its recommended frequency range (88-92 MHz).

History

WWCD (1990–2010)

For the successors of the first incarnation of WWCD, see WKVR (FM) and WXGT.
CD101 logo

WWCD began broadcasting on August 21, 1990. The first song played on the station was "Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, Hello, (Petrol)" by the Dublin, Ireland band Something Happens. The station was long owned by Fun With Radio, LLC., whose founder, Roger Vaughn, purchased the station from Video Services in 1992. WWCD and its successor station, WWCD (102.5 FM), has always been either owned or operated by interests in metro Columbus, and is one of the few remaining independent radio stations in the U.S. playing alternative rock.

WWCD also lays claim to being one of the first stations in the United States to be simulcast and on Internet radio. In a March 2006 Radio & Records list of the top 20 alternative rock radio stations in the United States, WWCD was ranked #4 in the country and #1 east of the Mississippi River.

WWCD's longtime program director throughout the late 1990s and 2000s was afternoon DJ Andy "Andyman" Davis. With the station almost since its inception, Davis previously served as the station's music director. Davis died of a suspected heart attack while on vacation in Michigan with his family on July 18, 2010.[2][3][4] The annual "Andyman-a-Thon" also continues in his name.[5][6]

2010 "frequency shift"

Ohio State University, under licensee WOSU Public Media, announced a $4.8 million purchase of WWCD from Fun With Radio, LLC. on June 30, 2010.[7] At the same time, Fun With Radio entered into a local marketing agreement with the WHIZ Media Group[8][9] to take over programming on WCVZ (102.5 FM) in Baltimore immediately,[10] with a future option for purchase. Although generally reported and regarded as a "frequency shift" for WWCD, Fun With Radio took over programming and operations of WCVZ; changed the station's format from country to alternative as a direct simulcast of WWCD; and rebranded the station as "CD101 @ 102.5".[11][12]

The purchase of the original WWCD was consummated that December 14. WOSU Public Media then changed WWCD's callsign to WOSA; changed the station's format to classical music; and rebranded the station as "Classical 101fm".[13][14] Concurrently, WCVZ's callsign was changed to WWCD.[15]

WOSA (2010–present)

WOSA's roots date back to WOSU-FM's long history as a classical outlet, airing the format on a full-time basis from 1980 until 2008 as a complement to WOSU, which would air more traditional public radio fare. Starting on January 14, 2008, WOSU-FM switched to a mixed news/classical format, introducing NPR news magazines during morning and evening drive-times along with assorted NPR and PRI weekend programs. Many of these programs were simulcast with its AM sister station WOSU, which still programmed a separate news/talk format. As a result, WOSU established a 24-hour all classical music service on its second HD Radio channel and on its web site.

Upon WOSA's establishment, it assumed WOSU-FM's 24-hour HD-2 and internet-only all classical music service on a full-time basis, operating as a non-commercial station. In addition, WOSU-FM's format changed to news/talk as a simulcast with WOSU (subsequently divested). WOSU also converted four repeater stations for WOSU-FM—WOSB in Marion, WOSE in Coshocton, WOSP in Portsmouth and WOSV in Mansfield—to repeaters of WOSA. In particular, WOSB and WOSV serve areas north of Columbus that are not served well by the new 101.1 frequency.

On March 2, 2020, WOSA's repeaters, along with the newly-acquired WOSX in Granville, readded some of WOSU-FM's news programming, including Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, and All Things Considered, to their schedules, while continuing to simulcast WOSA for most of the day. WOSA itself remains all-classical.[16]

Programming

Repeaters

Most of WOSA's programming is simulcast on WOSE Coshocton (91.1 FM), WOSB Marion (91.1 FM), WOSP Portsmouth (91.5 FM), WOSV Mansfield (91.7 FM), and WOSX Granville (91.1 FM).

See also

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WOSA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "John Andrew "Andyman" Davis Obituary". Dispatch.com (hosted by Legacy.com).
  3. ^ KM (July 18, 2010). "CD101 reports death of Andy "Andyman" Davis". The Other Paper. American Community Newspapers. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  4. ^ Feran, Tim & Saunders, Amy (July 20, 2010). "'Andyman' remembered for support of music, charity". The Columbus Dispatch. Dispatch Printing Co. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  5. ^ "CD101 For The Kids". Retrieved December 17, 2010. This year, no one specific DJ will be on-air for the entire time period, but the goal is still the same: to raise money and awareness for families and children's charities in Central Ohio.
  6. ^ Alive, Chris DeVille, Columbus. "Feature: CD101 after Andyman". Columbus Alive. Retrieved 2019-12-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Feran, Tim (June 30, 2010). "WOSU stations in deal with WWCD". The Columbus Dispatch. Dispatch Printing Co. Retrieved December 17, 2010. WOSU will pay WWCD a total of $4.8 million for the 101.1 FM signal. WWCD has entered into a partnership with WCVZ's owners -- WHIZ Media Group -- to operate the station using the same format and staff that are currently on WWCD. WWCD intends to retain its familiar call letters after the move, and will continue to air Columbus Blue Jackets games.
  8. ^ Eaton, Dan (August 2, 2010). "WOSU deal for CD101's frequency gives public radio station options". Columbus Business First. American City Business Journals, Inc. Retrieved December 20, 2010. WWCD, in a partnership with Zanesville-based WHIZ Media Group, will migrate to 102.5 FM... WHIZ President Hank Littick said he thinks WWCD's format is a better fit for the 102.5 signal, formerly occupied by country music station WCVZ. He declined to characterize his group's partnership with Fun With Radio and Vaughan did not respond to the question... it (WWCD) gives up 20 years of the familiar CD101 brand and its ubiquitous promotional bumper stickers. The station is using the tag line "CD 101 at 102.5" for now and is broadcasting on both frequencies. But the WOSU agreement prohibits it from using the 101 or 101.1 name after the deal closes.
  9. ^ "OSU Buys WWCD Signal, CD101 Format To Move To 102.5". AllAccess.com. All Access Music Group. June 30, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2010. WOSU will flip the 101.1 frequency to noncommercial Classical and will air all News-Talk on its WOSU-F/COLUMBUS, in a simulcast with WOSU-A. WWCD will retain its calls and format... and will move to the 102.5 frequency in a deal with WHIZ Media Group, which moved the signal from the Zanesville market to Columbus last year.
  10. ^ "WWCD to move to frequency 102.5". Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  11. ^ Feran, Tim (December 10, 2010). "WOSU expects to start classical programming on 101.1 FM on Wednesday". The Columbus Dispatch. Dispatch Printing Co. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  12. ^ "Media Morsels: CD1-0-what?". The Other Paper. American Community Newspapers. July 1, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
  13. ^ "Columbus, Ohio to get a fulltime classical station, and a relocated 'CD101'". RadioInsight.com. June 30, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2010. WOSU Public Media, the broadcasting arm of the Ohio State University, has acquired the 101.1 signal from Fun With Radio, LLC for $4.8 Million. Following the closing of the sale in September or October (it was delayed until December), 101.1 will flip to non-commercial Classical while 89.7 WOSU-FM will flip to all NPR News/Talk in a simulcast with 820 WOSU... Original Post 6/26/10: A move of Columbus, OH's Alternative "CD101" WWCD appears to be on the horizon. A pair of domain registrations hint at a new frequency for the longtime independently owned station. CD101at1025.com and CD1025.com were both registered anonymously but pointing to the servers of the Columbus area ISP that host WWCD's online operations.
  14. ^ "WOSU Launches Classical 101 – Classical Music All Day, Every Day". WOSU.org. WOSU Public Media. December 15, 2010. Retrieved December 17, 2010.
  15. ^ "FM Query Results - WWCD: Call Sign History". Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  16. ^ Venta, Lance (February 26, 2020). "WOSU Network To Move To Mix Of News & Classical". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
Repeaters