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On the air for 70 yearsPHOTOS PROVIDEDWEOL news staff in 1962, from left, John Christman, Todd Burke and Neil Zurcher.WEOL’s mobile van at the Lorain County Fair in the early 1960s.ELYRIA — On Oct. 17, 1948, WEOL AM-930 signed on-the-air from its studios in the Elyria Savings and Trust Building in downtown Elyria and it has been going ever since. Today, 70 years later to the day, the station will celebrate its 70th anniversary with an open house for the public.WEOL Station Manager Tim Alcorn said the station has seen its share of format changes over the years, going from easy listening to becoming a “real hot rocker” in the 1950s that played sock hops throughout Lorain County and as far away as Ontario, Canada. The station has put a heavy emphasis on local news and sports programming through the years.Now the station wants to give listeners an opportunity to celebrate its history“This is our public celebration for the listeners and anybody that has any sort of memories or history with the radio station,” Alcorn said. “We often think about the fact that as much as we transmit out there and our audience hears us, how often do they actually have an opportunity to come here and see how it works?”The open house will run 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the studio, 538 Broad St., Elyria. The staff has several activities planned for those who attend, including meeting on-air personalities, food and more.“We’re going to do a tour of the station,” Alcorn said. “As people come around into the production studios, we’ll give them an opportunity to make a recording — whether it’s a newscast, weather forecast or a commercial. We actually haveset up a broadcast table, so people can see what it’s like when we go out and cover a game. They can put the headset on and hear the studio coming back to them.”Until 9 a.m., visitors can watch Bruce Van Dyke and Craig Adams co-host “The WEOL Morning Show,” and 3 until 5 p.m. they can watch Andy “Bull” Barch and Matt Douglass co-host “Bull’s Eye on the Afternoon.” Alcorn said some may even be invited to go on air and share their memories of the station.Additionally, there will be “an incredible amount of history” to see, including pictures, artifacts and old equipment on display, Alcorn said.Over the years, radio has changed dramatically, according to Alcorn, but at WEOL some things haven’t.“The extraordinary part of the story is it has never changed ownership,” he said. “It’s a credit to the ownership group. It has had the same call letters, the same frequency and the same ownership since the day it went on the air. That is such a rarity in radio and really in anymedia.”WEOL is owned by the Lorain County Printing and Publishing Co., which also owns The Chronicle-Telegram and The Medina Gazette.Over the years, several personalities have gotten their start in radio at WEOL, including Alice Weston, Dick Conrad, Gary Short, Ron and Dick Barrett, Ron Penfound, better known as “Captain Penny” on WEWS-TV Neil Zurcher, Jeff Baxter, Jim Mehrling and David Mark. Some of those who previously worked at the station have told Alcorn they’ll be attending the open house today“We’re extraordinarily proud of the tradition of the radio station and how it has served this area and community with local news, local sports and local content,” Alcom said. “The history of some of the great personalities that have come through this radio station just goes on and on. I’m honored just to have a small part of it, knowing the history and impact this station has had.”Contact Scott Mahoney at 329-7146 orsmahoney@chroniclet.com. Follow him on Twitter @SMahoneyCT.WEOL celebrates with open house todayScott MahoneyThe Chronicle-Telegram
Newspaper Details
The Chronicle Telegram
Elyria, Ohio, US
Wed, Oct 17, 2018
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Nathan O.
OH, USA 08 Jun 2025
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