Wooster Radio celebrates 75th year in operation
Wooster Radio has long been known for its sports coverage, including the current staff of assistant general manager-sports director Mike Breckenridge, left, Ron Hamilton, Pete Norman and Dean Paolucci.
Wooster’s WWST radio station got off to the worst start imaginable soon after going on the air for the first time on Sept. 17, 1947.
Its 375-foot-tall tower blew over during a wind storm the very next day.
The Dix family, which still owns the station today, and its employees were undeterred. A temporary tower was installed, and they were back on the air a day later and haven’t stopped broadcasting since.
Now officially named Wooster Radio (WQKT-WKVX), the station will mark its 75th anniversary this fall.
Thanks to some forward thinkers over the years and many dedicated employees, Wooster Radio has become one of the most respected mid-sized stations in the state.
It has been a trusted station for covering news and events, ranging from the flood of 1969 to 9-11 and the COVID pandemic, its Miss WWST beauty pageants in the 1950s and ‘60s to school closings, and pro, college and high school sports.
WQKT-FM 104.5 has played country music since changing its call letters from WWST in 1983, and WKVX-AM 960 spins classic pop and rock of the 1970s through ‘90s.
Assistant general manager-sports director Mike Breckenridge admitted it’s an advantage to be Wooster’s only radio station but said throughout the decades the station has never taken that for granted.
“I think because we are the one station in Wayne County, there is more attention focused on the local aspect,” said Breckenridge, who has been at the station since 1989. “Although there are other options for stations with music and news in this region, you can’t get local.
“That’s always kind of been our focus through the years is doing local things because we know that’s what people want. Talking to people and knowing people who are now parents and grandparents, it’s nice to go through the generational gap.”
General manager Kelly Gearhart has worked for the station since 2019 and is striving to continue the station’s tradition.
“It’s amazing the following that we have and how often people out in the community say things like, ‘Oh, I listen to you for football. I listen to you for the Browns. I love your high school coverage. I like your music format.’” Gearhart said. “It’s nice to walk into businesses that are playing WQKT and see what a solid presence we have in the community. That’s what’s made us successful for the past 75 years.”
A stroke of genius in the mid-1960s has helped WQKT-104.5 FM to have one of the strongest signals in the region.
“Someone here was very smart in the 1960s, when the FCC asked us if we wanted to boost our FM signal,” Breckenridge said. “It was just AM then; FM wasn’t really a thought.
“We were able to boost our FM signal from marginal to 52,000 watts at that time. It was very forward thinking because that enables us to have one of the stronger FM signals you can find in Northern Ohio. We can get an hour (broadcast) in any direction. The FM band, as it turned out, is a more clear, better overall signal than AM.”
Gearhart said people can listen to WQKT anywhere if they can get WQKT.com or the WQKT app.
“You can stream our audio from any device, computer, smartphone or smart speaker,” Gearhart said. “We stream both AM and FM, and we actually have people that listen to it from overseas. We’ve started to livestream sporting events with video to go with our radio broadcasts. We can see reports on where our listeners are watching or listening to the stream. It’s amazing to see how many people are streaming and from where.”
Sports country
One of the most popular aspects of Wooster Radio has been its sports coverage.
Wooster Radio’s biggest claim to fame is it’s believed to be the longest running, continuous affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians, known as the Indians before this year.
“We went on the air after baseball was over in 1947, so the first year we could start doing select games was in 1948,” Breckenridge said. “We’ve had the Indians on every year since.”
Unfortunately, the station hasn’t been able to top that first season carrying the Indians. The 1948 Tribe won the World Series, which the franchise hasn’t been able to do since.
WQKT also covers the Browns, Cavaliers, Ohio State, The College of Wooster and high school sports.
Well-known Orrville resident Kent Smith said Wooster Radio has become intertwined into the fabric of this area over the years.
“(Wooster Radio) is how people stay connected,” Smith said. “It just adds so much. I couldn’t even begin to guess how many hours I’ve listened to their station over the years.
“As a former athlete, coach, athletic director and being just a sports fan in general, WQKT is what you tune into to hear the news or listen to games. I remember when they had the Roy Bates show. Even if people disagreed with him, they kept listening to hear everything he had to say that day.”
From mainstays such as Ken Nemeth, Galen Swartzentruber and Dan Earich, and Sports Talk with Bates and Jon Myers to the current team led by Breckenridge, Ron Hamilton and Pete Norman, WQKT has covered many of the biggest games in Wayne and Holmes history.
“I was very lucky to have great mentors when I started as a young kid,” Breckenridge said. “I never had any aspirations of staying here for 33 years, but I’ve worked with a lot of good people, the community has been good to me and I realized I was in a good spot.”
Changing times
As Wooster Radio plans festivities to recognize its Diamond Anniversary, Gearhart said they also have their eyes on the future. That will include remodeling and modernizing the studios and changing the name from Wooster Radio to Q Media Wooster.
“We know the radio industry is changing, and there are more ways to consume music and content,” Gearhart said. “Q Media Wooster encompasses radio broadcasting, livestream video services and digital marketing solutions.
“We’ll still have 104.5 WQKT FM sports country and 960 WKVX AM Classic Hits, but you will see us coupling our live sports broadcast with video streaming. Plus, we can now offer businesses the opportunity to target new audiences with digital advertising.”
To contact Gearhart about Wooster Radio or share memories of the station, email kgearhart@wqkt.com or call 330-264-5122.
Aaron Dorksen can be emailed at AaronDorksen24@gmail.com.