WIZE
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| City | Springfield, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Branding | WIZE AM 1340 |
| Slogan | Springfield's Classic Country |
| Frequency | 1340 (kHz) |
| First air date | November 1, 1940 |
| Format | Classic Country |
| Power | 1,000 watts |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 62208 |
| Callsign meaning | Pronounced as wise |
| Owner |
iHeartMedia, Inc. (Citicasters Licenses, Inc.) |
| Sister stations | WCHD, WRZX, WYDB, WMMX, WONE, WTUE, WZDA |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | WIZE 1340 |
WIZE (1340 AM) — branded WIZE AM 1340 — is a commercial radio station in Springfield, Ohio owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. as part of their Dayton cluster. The station's main format is classic country targeted towards Springfield, and their transmitter - and former studios - are also located in Springfield.
Prior to April 22, 2011, WIZE operated as a near 24-hour simulcast of WONE 980-AM, most recently, with sports talk programming from Fox Sports Radio, in addition to The Jim Rome Show.
The station took the air on November 1, 1940, and was very active in the community. Its founder and first owner was The Radio Voice of Springfield Inc.
In the station's early days, nationally known comedian Jonathan Winters had a program on WIZE. However, in the mid 1960s, WIZE adopted a Top 40 format, increasing its popularity and revenue. Under the leadership of Station Manager Steve Joos, listenership (and advertising revenues) grew to the point that WIZE was the most profitable station in the Great Trails Broadcasting chain. WING in Dayton, WCOL in Columbus and WGTZ, Eaton (formerly WJAI) were also owned by Great Trails.
The station was moved from its downtown location on West High Street to a location on Miracle Mile. In order to comply with zoning regulations, the building had to be set back from the road and had to look like a residence. As a result, WIZE's studios had a country setting while remaining in the city. Among the list of past employees include Jim Baldridge(later of WHIO-TV), Duke Rollins, Sonny Palmer, Paul Carman, Ron Allen (now with ESPN International),the late John Hall (John Stalder), Johnny Walker (DJ born 1942) (later of WKEF-TV), Lee Brenner (Lee Aufdenkampe), Fred "Buddy" King, John King (F. John Damewood), Geoff Davis, Jerry "T" Tritle, and Pat Barry (who achieved more recognition as a TV weatherman in Cincinnati). WIZE was also the home to news and sports director Gerry Allen (Gerry Pavelka) and notable news reporters Karen Anderson and Darryl Bauer (now of WHIO-AM). Will Harris also worked with Gerry Allen on high school and Wittenberg sports broadcasts in the 70's. He went on to work in Dayton at WHIO, WONE, WCLR (in Piqua) and WPFB FM (then known as the Rebel). He is now on the air and is one of the owners of Downtown Dayton Radio (DDR) which is an online radio station (www.downtowndaytonradio.com) dedicated to promoting events in Dayton.
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Wikipedia