X94.5 VS WIOT in Toledo in the early 1990s.

[Deleted User 15835]

This popped into my head the other day, from about 1991ish to late winter 1996 WXKR was of course classic rock as X94.5. I was a youngin but I still remember WIOT and X94.5 having a pretty competition. They had billboards all over town, one WIOT had was The WIOT logo air brushed over X94.5. WXKR had one that had Mount Rushmore on it, I can still see it right near Brondes Ford.

Jeff and Mark seemed to bounce between both stations. X94.5 always had a lot of contests, like Cedar Point tickets or like Cassette/CD's. I recall being stunned when they changed to Alternative rock in early 1996, leaving T-town without a classic rock station for a time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzPhfVNYEPI

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

The thing I remember about Toledo, Ohio was being at a Christian youth retreat at the SeaGate Center in December 1999 and jamming out to Christian rock on 89.3 or somewhere around there(slightly higher than 89X). For a sheltered Christian youth, it was a big deal. Of course, the youth leaders allowed it. Oh, and we also brought those FRS radios and talked with the guys working hi lo's at the plant across the street. Good times.

[radioandtventhusiast]

According to Jeff Lamb's book, Kelly and Staples were the first morning duo on x94.5. They were not the best fits for the station as they were more into oldies, so Jeff and Mark moved over to 94.5 from 104.7. In a sign that corporate radio was about to take over, Jeff and Mark were fired despite being #1 in 1995 and replaced with Kevin Matthews from Chicago. They moved back to 104.7 quickly and crushed Matthews in the ratings. Jeff left Toledo in 1997 to do a combo radio-TV entertainment show in Peoria but came back to Toledo to pair with Mark once again on 94.5, where he'd remain until 2002.

[billmich88888]

when was it that there was the physical movement of the 94.5 tower closer to (or into) the Toledo market?

[schmave]

Wikipedia says 1990, but that's not always 100% reliable.
I wasn't aware it was further out, but I didn't move to Toledo for school until 1996. I missed those 94.5/104.7 battles by less than a year, but I vividly remember 94.5 quickly and predictably crushing 97.3 once the classic rock format returned.

[Deleted User 15835]

1990 sounds about right, 94.5 was WOSE(Ottawa Sandusky Erie counties) and I believe they might of had like a AC format. They powered up and moved into Toledo, classic rock was starting to become a staple format and what better place to launch one then Toledo.

I was actually going to do a thread on 94.5 K-rock but yeah once classic rock returned to , 97.3 was toast. 94.5 called themselves Toledo's static free classic rock for awhile. In vain, 97.3 took a couple shots at 94.5, something to the effect of, why would you go back to a station that abandoned classic rock for Lilith fair music. By late summer 1998, classic rock on 97.3 was gone.

[schmave]

Yes! I remember both liners very well. And you aren't kidding about the format ... Toledo has never been underserved by classic rock as long as I've paid attention.
Even on a radio with a basic antenna, 94.5 blasted onto campus (yet, because of the directional signal, it was vastly inferior to 104.7 by the time I hit Vanlue or Carey during trips home to Columbus). 97.3 was a much different story, and even though I enjoyed their station before the 94.5 flip I barely listened thereafter.

[Deleted User 15835]

I remember Chris Borrelli article in the blade, after WJZE dumped classic rock. here it is: https://vintagetoledotv.com/peach-secti ... ce8qv23x28

The rumor was that WJZE would go young country, which of course didn't happen.