Broadcast area Dayton, Ohio HAAT 146 meters Frequency 106.5 MHz Format Classic hits Area Dayton Slogan Dayton's Greatest Hits | ERP 50,000 watts Facility ID 67615 City of license Greenville Owner iHeartMedia Inc Branding Big 106.5 | |
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First air date April 15, 1962 (as WDRK) Former callsigns WDRK (1964–1989)
WLSN (1990–1997)
WBKI (1998–2003)
WDJO (2003–2005)
WDSJ (2005–2014)
WOLT (5/2014-6/2014) | ||
WRZX (106.5 FM, "Big 106.5") is a radio station licensed to Greenville, Ohio serving most of the Dayton metropolitan area with a rimshot signal. The station is owned by the Aloha Station Trust. Its studios are located in Kettering, Ohio (with a Dayton address) and its transmitter is in Greenville.
Contents
- Early history
- Smooth jazz and easy listening WLSN
- Buckeye Country and Jammin Oldies
- Smooth jazz returns
- Back to country music
- Change to classic hits
- References
WRZX is licensed by the FCC to broadcast in the hybrid digital HD format.
Early history
The station's history dates back to 1962 as WDRK "The Brightest Spark In Darke (County)" known for its upper-case "W-spark" logo (possibly inspired by a similar logo used by the former WIFE in Indianapolis) when its studios were located in Greenville, Ohio (its city of license) and was operated by Lewell Broadcasting.
The station switched from traditional middle of the road to adult contemporary in 1972 when it aired the automated "Hitparade" package produced by Drake-Chenault Enterprises throughout a good part of the 1970s. The adult contemporary format however was tweaked by switching to locally produced automation tapes before the end of the decade. It later switched to a satellite country music format in the 1980s and later an oldies format in the late-1980s.
During this time WDRK was cited by the FCC in the late 1970s for leaving the transmitter unattended overnight and making false entries on its logs claiming otherwise. The station's owners fought a long battle with the FCC to keep it on the air until around 1989 when WDRK went silent and never returned to the air.
Smooth jazz and easy listening WLSN
A newer station in its place emerged in 1990 as WLSN, owned by Treaty City Broadcasting airing beautiful music mixed with smooth jazz with a taller and more powerful transmitter installed north of Greenville replacing the less powerful WDRK tower on the south edge of town. Around this same time the former WHIO-FM switched from a similar format to country as WHKO "K-99.1 FM."
Buckeye Country and Jammin' Oldies
In 1997 WLSN was sold to Jacor Communications, later becoming WBKI ("Buckeye Country 106.5") in 1998 competing with WHKO until the merger with Clear Channel becoming WDJO (a call sign used previously at 1230 AM in Cincinnati) as "Dayton's Jammin' Oldies 106.5." But eventually, the late 1960s and '70s rhythmic oldies format failed to attract sizeable listeners. The WDJO calls themselves have since moved back to a station licensed to Cincinnati at 1480 AM, as a 1950s' and '60s' oldies station.
Smooth jazz returns
When a group of listeners of the former WLSN joined together and complained about the lack of smooth jazz in the Dayton market, it was recommended that it would go back to what it was a decade earlier. Thus it became WDSJ which enjoyed a considerably large following in the Dayton market, eastern Indiana and the northern suburbs of Cincinnati since its switch to smooth jazz.
WDSJ aired programming from Broadcast Architecture's "Smooth Jazz Network."
Back to country music
On Friday May 1, 2009 the smooth jazz format ended at 5pm Eastern time according to the WDSJ website.
It became "106.5 The Bull" with a country music format and a new website which went online on the morning of May 2, 2009.
Change to classic hits
On March 25, 2010, WDSJ changed their format to classic hits, branded as "Big 106.5". They are using Premium Choice with voicetracked DJs.
On May 26, 2014, 106.5 changed callsigns from WDSJ to WOLT.
On June 20, 2014 106.5 changed callsigns from WOLT to WRZX. The WOLT callsign is now assigned to the former WRZX 103.3 FM in Indianapolis.