WHLO (640 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Akron, Ohio, United States, featuring a conservative talk format. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves the Akron and Canton metro areas with programming from ABC News Radio, Fox News Radio and Premiere Networks. WHLO's studios are located in North Canton and its transmitter is sited in Copley Township. Along with a standard analog transmission, WHLO is available online via iHeartRadio.
WHLO began broadcasting in January 1927 as WJAY in Cleveland, Ohio, on an unconventional frequency of . Zenith Electronics, owner of WJAZ in Chicago, was a backing investor of WJAY during its first year on air. After the creation of the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), WJAY was moved twice in May 1927, the second move ended up as a timeshare with WFJC in Akron. The FRC proposed moving WJAY to a timeshare with WHK at in late 1928, but WHK successfully objected to this proposal and remained full-time. WJAY was instead moved to again timesharing with WFJC, to several months later after heterodyne interference impaired it and WHK, and finally to as 1930 began. WJAY was taken over by the president of the Knight-Norris-Gibbs real estate firm in 1928. When the firm went bankrupt in 1930, a receivership lawsuit ended up with the station being sold to hardware store owner Frank Potter and then to businessman Monroe Rubin.
WJAY became part of a complex three-station frequency swap attempt between it, WAIU in Columbus and WKBN in Youngstown, proposed in 1934 by The Plain Dealer, who controlled WHK. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rejected the frequency swaps in 1936 but did accept the Plain Dealers purchase of WJAY under their United Broadcasting division. WJAY began using WHK's Higbee Building studios and transmitter site in Seven Hills. A network affiliation realignment in 1937 had WJAY renamed WCLE and picking up the Mutual Broadcasting System affiliation alongside WHK, which joined the Blue Network. WCLE originated several programs for Mutual, had an emphasis on ethnic and block programming and aired Cleveland Indians games from 1938 to 1944.
WCLE and WHK jointly became the market's Mutual affiliate in 1942, precipitating WJW's move from Akron to Cleveland primarily to carry Blue programs. In turn, United filed to relocate WCLE to Akron in February 1945 as WHKK, satiating the FCC's newly-enacted duopoly restrictions. United also swapped frequencies between WHKK and WHKC, moving WHKK to and allowing WHKC to go full-time at . WHKK continued as the Mutual affiliate for Akron, with studios at the O'Neil's Building. Cliff Rodgers became one of the first personalities in Ohio radio to showcase country music through his daily programs that ran from 1945 to 1957. United spun WHKK off to two WHK executives, Jackson Maurer and Philip Herbert, in 1952. Under their ownership, WHKK dropped most Mutual non-news programs in late 1956 to focus on popular music and local news.
In 1959, Susquehanna Radio Corporation bought the station, which became WHLO the following year. WHLO thrived with Top 40 throughout much of the 1960s, then gravitated to local talk radio by the mid-1970s. Faltering against stiff competition from WAKR and emerging stations on the FM dial, the station was unable to broadcast at night after Pacific Time Zone sunset until 1980. Upon adopting a 24-hour schedule as 1981 began, WHLO switched to all-news in the daytime and talk at night, only to abandon it for adult standards after five months, resulting in a series of personnel and management changes. Susquehanna sold WHLO in 1984 to WZAK owner Trans World Broadcasting, who instituted a Christian contemporary format. WTOF owner Mortenson Broadcasting took over WHLO in 1987 and moved the station to Christian adult contemporary with some talk and preaching shows. Mortenson sold WHLO and WTOF in 1997 to Salem Communications, which purchased WHK the previous year. Following a major station/asset swap in July 2001, Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia) purchased WHLO and launched their current talk format in June 2002 largely focused on syndicated shows and occasional local content.
Cleveland origins as WJAY
The station was launched in Cleveland, Ohio, as WJAY on January 7, 1927, owned by the Cleveland Radio Broadcasting Corp., a division of the Zenith Electronics Company, owner of WJAZ in Chicago. WJAY signed on during a chaotic period when most government regulation had been suspended and new stations were free to be set up with few restrictions. WJAY transmitted on a self-assigned frequency of with studios and transmitter located at the Hollenden Hotel. Guy Lombardo, already a performer at WTAM, joined WJAY at launch for an additional weekly music program. WJAY intended to broadcast with 5,000 watts, which would have been more powerful than WTAM's then-power of 3,500 watts. However, WJAY only was able to operate with 1,000 watts but was still heard throughout much of the eastern United States. WJAY established a link with WJAZ in Chicago and also sought an affiliation with NBC's WJZ chain, which ultimately deferred to sign a Cleveland affiliate as neither WJAY or WHK transmitted with 5,000 watts, the network's threshold.
Following the formation of the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), a series of temporary authorizations were issued beginning on May 3, 1927, with WJAY reassigned to the more traditional . The FRC originally intended WJAY to timeshare with WHK on when issuing the first major frequency reassignment on June 1, 1927, but WJAY instead shared time with WFJC in Akron on , an arrangement that did not please either station. WJAY was one of 164 stations named in the FRC's General Order 32, which threatened to deny their permanent license applications for failing to meet a "public interest, convenience, or necessity" standard now set by the FRC. WJAY successfully petitioned the FRC during a July 1928 public hearing that it should remain licensed.
A restructuring in early 1928 saw area real estate firm The Knight-Norris-Gibbs Company assume control of WJAY; Knight-Norris-Gibbs president J. H. Jones, Jr. became president of the station and Frank Potter, a hardware store owner, became station treasurer. WJAY's studios were moved to the Knight-Norris-Gibbs offices in the Wurlitzer Building, then to the top floor of the Schofield Building, along with their transmitter relocated from the Hollenden. The wire antenna on the Schofield was constructed in 1909 by United Wireless Telegraph Company for experimental wireless radio transmissions.
On November 11, 1928, the FRC implemented a major reallocation of station transmitting frequencies, as part of a reorganization resulting from its implementation of General Order 40. WJAY was assigned to 1390 kHz in a timeshare with WHK,"Broadcasting Stations", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission (June 30, 1928), page 185. but after WHK protested this, WJAY was moved to , again in a timeshare with WFJC. This move immediately resulted in heterodyne interference from both WJAY and WHK. By March 1929, the FRC moved WJAY to which resolved the issues with WHK but created pre- and post-sunset interference with WTMJ in Milwaukee. To alleviate the interference with WTMJ, WJAY moved again on January 1, 1930, to , narrowly beating WAIU in Columbus, which sought the same frequency.
Takeover by Frank Potter Jones resigned as president of WJAY on March 27, 1930, and was succeeded by William R. Orr. Jones's departure precipitated the bankruptcy of Knight-Norris-Gibbs three weeks later, a casualty of the Great Depression. Despite this, Orr began spending on a rebuilding of WJAY's studios and transmitter and took over operations of WALR in Zanesville in July 1930. Orr sought to purchase WALR and construct a station in Toledo with aspirations of an eight-station network operating on the same frequency.
Potter filed a receivership lawsuit against Orr and secretary Clayton Townes, alleging Orr and Townes purchased common and preferred stock in the station in violation of state law and that additional stock had been issued without proper compensation. Common Pleas Judge George P. Baer issued a temporary injunction against Orr and Townes preventing them from selling or purchasing stock; three days later, he issued an injunction preventing Orr's removal as president. The latter was delivered by a deputy sheriff to WJAY's studios one minute before a board meeting was to begin. Potter obtained another injunction against the board two weeks later after learning Orr had support of the station's directors and could oust him. On October 11, 1930, Potter acquired majority control of WJAY, and Orr and Townes resigned, ending all litigation.
WJAY held an option to purchase WALR and in November 1930 transferred it to an Akron group that sought to move it to that city, and WALR owner Roy W. Waller filed to sell WALR to the Akron concern. WJAY ceded control of WALR back to Waller at the end of 1930, having lost $5,000 in five months. Townes filed for a temporary injunction to prevent a sale claiming the option was in his name and not the station's. Unsuccessful in obtaining an injunction, Townes became part of a Cleveland group seeking the frequency for a new Cleveland station; this, along with the Akron group and a Zanesville group vying for the frequency, resulted in a combined hearing on them and WALR's license by the FRC. The FRC denied Waller's request to sell WALR on December 31, 1931.
WJAY distinguished itself with ethnic block programming, starting in 1929 when Stanley Altschuler joined as the "International Tenor". Altschuler oversaw development of specialized programs based on ethnicity, and striving for authenticity. Wayne Mack began his 67-year broadcasting career in 1931 as an ethnic announcer at WJAY, and with Frederick Wolf, co-founded WDOK in 1950. While not linked with a major chain, WJAY affiliated with the short-lived American Broadcasting System, operated by Fort Industry Broadcasting owner George B. Storer, at the start of 1935. WJAY also carried various regionally-syndicated programs. Potter controlled WJAY until an illness-induced retirement; Monroe F. Rubin, married to Potter's daughter, took over as majority owner by 1932.
Attempted frequency realignment and purchase by the Plain Dealer Rumors of WJAY being purchased by WHK as a secondary outlet had been hinted at by Cleveland Press columnist Norman Siegel as early as March 1933. By February 1934, Siegel reported the deal was "on the completion point". Announced one month later, WHK's purchase of WJAY was tied to the potential creation of a statewide radio network. WJAY, along with WAIU in Columbus and WKBN in Youngstown, proposed a three-way frequency swap to the FRC in 1934: WJAY would take WAIU's frequency of , WAIU would take WKBN's frequency of , and WKBN would move to , with WAIU and WKBN operating full-time and WJAY until Los Angeles sunset. Additionally, The Plain Dealer, owner of WHK and WAIU, would acquire majority control of WJAY and pledging $25,000 in escrow to construct a new transmitter for WKBN. Rubin would maintain a 25 percent minority stake in WJAY and acquire stakes in WHK and WAIU.