WCPN

WCPN
Simulcast of WKSU, Kent, OH
Broadcast area
Frequency104.9 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingWKSU Ideastream Public Media
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatPublic radio/talk
Subchannels
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
July 25, 1975
(49 years ago)
 (1975-07-25)[1]
Former call signs
  • WZLE (1975–1999)
  • WMTX (1999)
  • WAKS (1999–2001)
  • WCLV-FM (2001–2003)
  • WCLV (2003–2022)
Call sign meaning
"Cleveland Public Network"
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID70109
ClassA
ERP6,000 watts
HAAT97.41 meters (320 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°28′32.2″N 81°59′23.5″W / 41.475611°N 81.989861°W / 41.475611; -81.989861 (WCPN)
Links
Public license information
Webcast
Websitewww.wksu.org

WCPN (104.9 FM) is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Lorain, Ohio, featuring a public radio format as a repeater of Kent–licensed WKSU. Owned by Ideastream Public Media, the station serves the western portion of Greater Cleveland and parts of surrounding Northeast Ohio. By virtue of WKSU, studios are located at Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland,[3] while WCPN's transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of Avon. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WCPN broadcasts over four HD Radio channels and streams online.

Signing on in 1975 under the WZLE call sign, the station originally focused on Lorain County with a full-service format of local news and easy listening music dubbed "mellow gold". A 1983 sale of WZLE to a local non-profit Christian group saw the station switch to Christian radio programming, eventually focusing on contemporary Christian music by the early 1990s. Jacor's purchase of WZLE in 1998 resulted in a format change to contemporary hit radio as the first home of WAKS the following year. A complex seven-station asset swap involving Jacor's successor company Clear Channel, Salem Communications and WCLV (95.5 FM) owner Radio Seaway on July 3, 2001, resulted in 104.9 FM becoming the second home of WCLV and its classical music format. Converted to non-commercial status and donated to Ideastream in 2013, WCLV's programming and call letters moved to 90.3 FM on March 28, 2022; in turn, this station became a full-power satellite of co-managed WKSU, bearing the WCPN calls.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ECT19750726p16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WCPN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ Fybush, Scott (July 11, 2014). "Site of the Week 7/11/2014: Cleveland's Ideastream". Fybush.com. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via RadioBB.