WHIO (AM)
| Company type | Commercial radio station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1935-02-09 |
| Headquarters | Dayton, Ohio , United States |
Area served | Dayton, Ohio and surrounding areas |
| Owner | Cox Media Group |
WHIO (1290 kHz), marketed as AM 1290 and News 95.7 WHIO, is a commercial radio station based in Dayton, Ohio. It broadcasts a news/talk format simultaneously with its sister station, WHIO-FM 95.7. Both stations are under the ownership of Cox Media Group. Their studios are situated within the Cox Media Center on South Main Street (Ohio State Route 48) in Dayton.
Operating at a power of 5,000 watts, WHIO transmits with a non-directional signal during daylight hours. At night, it switches to a directional antenna system utilizing a three-tower array to reduce interference. The transmitter facility is located on East David Road in Kettering.
Origins as WLBW in Oil City, Pennsylvania
The station's beginnings trace back to Oil City, Pennsylvania, where it was known as WLBW. To establish a new broadcasting presence in Dayton, Cox acquired WLBW from the Petroleum Telephone Company, ceasing the Pennsylvania operations and relocating the license to Dayton.
Transition to Dayton, Ohio
WHIO was the inaugural station of Cox Radio, founded by company originator and Ohio Governor James M. Cox. It commenced broadcasting on February 9, 1935, with its first studios housed in the Dayton Daily News building downtown. Initially transmitting at 1,000 watts on 1260 kHz—the former frequency of WLBW—the station shifted to its current frequency of 1290 kHz following the 1941 implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA), which reallocated frequencies for approximately 90% of AM stations nationwide.
At its inception, WHIO was affiliated with the NBC Red Network and also carried select programming from the NBC Blue Network. During the 1940s, it transitioned to the CBS Radio Network, airing CBS’s variety of dramas, comedies, news segments, and sports during the height of radio’s "Golden Age." As network shows migrated to television, WHIO evolved into a full-service format that combined middle-of-the-road music with news and sports coverage.
Expansion into FM and Television
In 1946, Cox Radio introduced FM station 99.1 WHIO-FM, which initially simulcasted the AM content. By the 1960s, this FM station adopted a beautiful music format before switching to country music in 1989 under the call sign WHKO.
Cox further expanded into television in 1949 by launching WHIO-TV on Channel 13 (later Channel 7). The TV station aligned with CBS, reflecting WHIO’s radio network affiliation. Since their establishment, WHIO-TV along with WHIO AM 1290 and WHKO FM 99.1 have remained continuously owned by Cox.
Notable On-Air Figures
Among WHIO’s distinguished broadcasters was Lou Emm, who hosted programs from the early 1940s until retiring in 1992. His influence was widely acknowledged within the industry; multiple Dayton stations observed moments of silence following his death.
Phil Donahue began his career at WHIO during the 1960s as host of "Conversation Piece" before advancing to television and national syndication success. Winston Hoehner served as news director for a quarter-century and earned induction into the Ohio Associated Press Broadcast Journalism Hall of Fame.
During the 1960s and ’70s, WHIO established regional news services such as "The DP&L News Network," later followed by "The Newscenter 7 Radio Network" in the 1990s—both initiatives broadened its coverage across the Miami Valley market.
FM Simulcast
On October 30, 2006, Cox Radio ceased operations of WDPT "95.7 The Point" and began simulcasting WHIO's news/talk programming under the newly assigned call letters WHIO-FM. Broadcasting with an effective radiated power of 50,000 watts, WHIO-FM broadens its reach throughout south-central Ohio and extends into Eastern Indiana, providing audiences the option to listen via AM or FM frequencies.
Programming
The weekday lineup commences with The Miami Valley's Morning News, hosted by Larry Hansgen, Brittany Otto, and Jeremy Ratliff. During the afternoon commute, listeners can tune into the locally produced talk show The Evening Edge Todd Hollst. The remainder of the schedule features nationally syndicated programs such as Brian Kilmeade and Friends, The Erick Erickson Show, The Sean Hannity Show, Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla, and Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. Weekend programming emphasizes specialized subjects including finance, health, and gardening, along with rebroadcasts of weekday content. Though WHIO-AM-FM affiliates with Fox News Radio in Dayton, the majority of news updates are presented by local anchors.
WHIO-AM-FM act as the principal stations for University of Dayton Flyers football and basketball broadcasts and also air Cleveland Browns NFL games within the local market.