MEDINA'S RADIO STATION

WDBN - A Station of Firsts! 

17 October 1960, Medina's own WDBN quietly debuted at 94.9 FM. There was no ribbon cutting ceremony. No fan fare. No headlines in the Medina Gazette. It was 1960 and FM radio stations were the "sad sisters" of AM radio.

This ad that appeared in the 15 Dec 1960 edition of the Orrville Courier
Crescent  was the earliest mention I could find about the station.

In a year when songs like "Cathy's Clown" by the Everly Brothers and "The Twist" by Chubby Checkers and "It Was an Its Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" were on the top of the charts, WDBN was playing "beautiful music" - instrumental recordings of Montovani and Broadway tunes. No vocals.

Their target audience was adults. Music would last for 15 minutes and then there would be 2 minutes of commercials. 24 hours a day. Much of the programming was automated with staff only broadcasting the news.

But Ted Niarhos and his fellow investors must have had a crystal ball, because FM radio was just coming in to its own. Slowly, talk radio and news programs became the province of AM radio and music went to FM.

With a 188,000 watt transmitter, the station was the most powerful FM station in Ohio (or even east of the Mississippi). Providing a 50 mile radius listening area, people from all over north east Ohio could listen in. Later, the FCC would set wattage limits on FM stations, but WDBN was grandfathered in.

In 1961, the station provided the first stereophonic broadcast service in Ohio.

But it was early years yet for FM radio, and the station struggled financially. Especially after a fierce wind storm in February of 1967 blew down their tower and the insurance wouldn't cover the replacement costs. Once saved by advertisers & citizens of Medina County.

Medina Gazette 16 Feb 1967 p. 1. After a wind storm in February
 1967, the station transmitted on half power for six weeks
while a new 236,000 watt transmitter was installed.

After replacing the antenna, the station had better reception than ever, especially in the Cleveland area.

By 1966, Ted Niarhos bragged to BillBoard Magazine that the station had enough listeners to compete with AM stations for advertising dollars and it was #1 in their market, ahead of 20 AM stations.

Early in 1968, the FCC approved the sale of WDBN-FM to Robert Miller and his associated investors. The price? $1 million dollars! This was the highest price ever paid for a FM station at this time.

Because of a conflict of interest, Miller was also a part owner of WERE in Cleveland, Bob had to resign as officer of the Cleveland Broadcasting Inc and put his stock in that company into a irrevocable trust. The Miller family owned 34% of the Cleveland Broadcasting and Bob owned 46.57% of WDBN's stock, giving the Millers the controlling interest.

Miller was already known in broadcasting circles because of his involvement with WERE. He was the son of former Cleveland Mayor, Ray Miller and had interviewed Presidents Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy.

Meanwhile, Ted Niarhos moved to Florida and bought another radio station, but harbored fond memories of Medina. He still lives there.

Plain Dealer 12 May 1968 p. 168. Bragging: "#1 station in Medina, River Styx (where studio & transmitter are), Remson Corners & Barberton, Penninsula, Hudson. #2 with Akron adults. “Darn near tops in Cleveland”

WDBN acquired a number of nicknames during this period, among them, "The Miracle in Medina" and "The Quiet Island." While WDBN never stood for anything in particular, Bob Miller coined the term "Wonderful Days, Beautiful Nights" to describe the listening experience.

Plain Dealer 7 Nov 1973 p. 15

Plain Dealer 9 June 1971 p. 82

In 1971, the station was the first in Ohio to schedule broadcasts in four-channel stereo.

In  order to alleviate "holes" in their broadcast area caused by the hills and valleys of northern Medina and Summit counties, WDBN  revamped the transmission system in 1973. Previously, they had two 15,000 watt transmitters, one in River Styx and one in Guilford Township on Tower Road. These were replaced by three 25,000 watt transmitters and an improved antenna system that gave the station "America's most powerful transmitting system".

In 1975, the station attained a waiver from the FCC that allowed them to move their station offices from the transmitters at Tower Road in Guilford Township to Gateway Drive in Montville Township.

The station remodeled the studios in 1981 to provide cleaner brighter sounds.

Pam Miller, who was Program Director at the time of the 1981 remodel.
Medina Gazette 25 Nov 1981 p. 11.

Battle of Antennas

In 1982, the FCC approved WDBNs request to increase height of antenna from 300 to 700 feet & move it to Paradise Road in Montville Township. What seemed like a simple request at the time became much more complicated:

• Believing the radio station is a public utility, Miller did not seek zoning permit from the township.
• Montville Township officials sought an injunction as they opposed the move and did not believe that a radio station was a public utility. 
• FCC said it was not clear if township officials have zoning authority over broadcast towers. 
• Medina County Common Pleas Court Judge Neil Whitfield said WDBN could be considered a public utility and would not have to seek zoning permission from the township.
• Montville Township Trustees appealed. 
• The Appeals court sent the issue back to Medina County Common Pleas Court.
• The Case went back to Appeals court & they ruled WDBN was not a public utility.
• In 1984, WDBN said it will take its case to OH Supreme Court but later dismissed the case.

Picture of this promotional button provided courtesy of Max Grubb, who was the Account Executive  in the 1970's and 80's.

Meanwhile, also in 1982, the NAACP filed a discriminatory hiring case against WDBN and four other radio stations because no minorities worked at the stations. The group maintained that the stations' licenses should not be renewed. The NAACP said that hiring at the station should reflect the  employment pool represented by standard metro area of the broadcast area, which for WDBN included Cleveland and Akron, both of which had significant black populations.  The NAACP representative admitted that no one from their group had ever examined the company's employment records.

The Millers believed that the case was prompted by the publicity surrounding their zoning issues and their request for their license renewal. WDBN had had black employees in the past and had made efforts to employ black people. Over the years, they had offered jobs to several African Americans who had turned down the employment opportunities. The Millers blamed the station's rural location.

The American Legal Foundation, a conservative public-interest law group that fought inaccuracies in the media, came out in support of WDBN.

It was found that the NAACP case was misguided and contained no substance. WDBN's license was renewed unconditionally. The station made some adjustments to their hiring practices, like reaching out to Reverend Burton of the Medina Second Baptist Church,  to further encourage minority employment.

Photo of promotional mug provided courtesy of Max Grubb.

Because of the popularity of the station and in FM radio in general the station was experiencing windfall profits. With those profits, the Millers decided to broaden their market in 1985 by buying other radio stations. They bought WKSW-RM in Urbana in November and had plans on acquiring more Ohio Stations.

By 1985, WDBN boasted 250,000 listeners per week.

Deregulation of the industry in the 1980's made it much easier to buy and sell radio stations. The Millers received a great offer and sold WDBN in 1988 for 4.5 million to Thom Mandel.

The station changed to “adult Contemporary” format and became Mix 94.9  and the call sign changed to WQMX. The station moved east into Summit County.

WQMX switched to country format on Dec. 6, 1993 - “Akron’s Own Country”

SOME OF WDBN-FM'S FIRSTS:

1. Pioneer FM stereo station – first in Cleveland Metro area & Ohio in 1961
2. 1961 first stereophonic broadcast service in Ohio.
3. Bought for $1,000,000 in 1968, highest price ever paid for a FM station at that time
4. 1971 first in Ohio to schedule broadcasts in four-channel stereo.
5. 1973 "America's most powerful transmitting system".

SOURCES:

• Brewer, Mary Jane, “Public Servant Pamela Miller Gets the Job Done: Medina Local Legends” Cleveland.com, 20 Feb 2018, accessed: https://www.cleveland.com/medina/2018/02/local_legend_pamela_miller_ded.html
• “MILLER, Raymond Thomas” from Encyclopedia of Cleveland History, Case Western Reserve University, accessed: https://case.edu/ech/articles/m/miller-raymond-thomas
• "Robert McBride Miller" Akron Beacon Journal, 27 Aug, 2006 accessed on: www.legacy.com
• "The Dividends of Automation" Broadcasting, 31 July 1967 accessed: https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1967/1967-07-31-BC.pdf 
• Brack, Ray "FM Broadcasters Pain Bright Future" in BillBoard, 9 Apr 1966, page 30 accessed at: https://bit.ly/2Z1oEa0 
• "$1-Million FM Sale Sets New High" Broadcasting, 15 Apr 1968, p. 46, accessed: https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1968/1968-04-15-BC.pdf
• "VOX JOX" BillBoard, 18 Dec. 1965, p. 49, accessed: https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1968/1968-04-15-BC.pdf
• "WDBN-FM", Cleveland Broadcast Radio Archives, accessed:  http://www.cleve-radio.com/index2.htm#WDBN-FM
• "WQMX" WikiWand, accessed https://www.wikiwand.com/en/WQMX
• "WQMX" Wikipedia, accessed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WQMX
• "Top 100 Songs of 1960", Bob Borst's Home of Pop Culture, accessed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WQMX
• Grubb, Max, interview with Kathy Petras via phone, 7 Aug. 2019. 
• Miller, Pamela, phone conversation with Kathy Petras, 13 Aug. 2019.
• "Bennet's Furniture advertisement" Orrville Courier Crescent, 15 Dec 1960, p. 14, accessed from NewspaperArchive.com. 
• Medina County Gazette
• "County Suffers Extensive Wind Damage", 16 Feb., 1967, page 1.
• "Salmagundi" (editorial", 10 Jan. 1968, p. 2.
• "Purchase of WDBM Approved by FCC", 12 April 1968, pp. 1 & 3.
• "The Miracle of Medina WDBN", 26 March 1969, p. 3.
• "WDBN At Half Power For Week", 15 Aug., 1970, p. 2.
• "WDBN To Finalize Change of Location", 29 March 1975,p. 12.
• "Anniversary WDBN Celebrates No. 18", 18 Oct. 1978, p. 25.
• Long, Pam, "WDBN Upgrades Sound", 25 Nov., 1981 p. 11.
• Long, Pam, "Court Battle in Making? WDBN Tower Approval Signals Fight", 22 Sep. 1982, p. 1 & 7.
• Nofel, Pete, "NAACP Files Against WDBN", 29 Sep. 1982, p. 1.
• Nofel, Pete, "Foundation Lends Support to WDBN" 9 Oct. 1982, p. 3.
• Long, Pam, "WDBN Can Build Tower", 31 Dec 1982, p. 1 & 18.
• "Montville Appeals WDBN Court Ruling", 11 Mar., 1983, p. 1'
• Bailey, Steve, "Appeals Court: WDBN is Not a Public Utility", 2 Sep 1983, p. 1.
• Bailey, Steve, "Montville, WDBN Fight On", 30 Nov. 1983, p. 3.
• Bailey, Steve, "Appeals Court Nixes WDBN's Tower", 20 July 1984, p. 3.
• Bailey, Steve, "Public Status WDBN to Seek Higher Ruling on Utility Claim", 26 July 1984, p. 1.
• Bailey, Steve, "WDBN Drops Court Appeal", 26 Sep. 1984, p. 1.
• Webb, Dennis, "WDBN Looking At New Markets", 12 Nov. 1985, p. A-1.
• Plain Dealer
• "Pendulum", 11 April 1967, p. 41.
• "The Miracle in Medina", 12 May 1968, p. 168.
• "WDBN, Medina's FM Voice", 9 Jun 1970, p. 80.
• WDBN Advertisement", 9 June 1971, p. 82.
• "The Struggling Years at WDBN Have Finally Paid Good Dividends", 22 May 1970.
• "Medina's WDBN-FM Now Is Beaming More 'Structured" Adult Music", 16 Apr. 1972, p. 21-E.
• Hart, Raymond, "WDBN To Improve Signal Next Week", 28 Mar. 1973, p. 39.
• "WDBN-FM Stereo" advertisement, 7 Nov. 1973,p. 15.