oWOW Radio

oWOW Radio was a commercial Internet radio station based in Cleveland, Ohio, serving primarily Greater Cleveland and surrounding Northeast Ohio. Independently owned by Wow Media, LLC, the station streams an adult album alternative (AAA) format promoted as "timeless rock". The oWOW Radio studios and offices are located at the 78th Street Studios complex in Cleveland's Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood.

oWOW Radio
CityCleveland, Ohio
Broadcast areaGreater Cleveland
Northeast Ohio
Worldwide
FrequencyOnline only
BrandingoWOW! Cleveland
SloganTimeless Rock
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatAdult album alternative (AAA)
Ownership
OwnerWow Media, LLC
History
First air date
February 20, 2015
Last air date
October 2, 2020
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websiteowow.radio

History
78th Street Studios complex

Radio programmer John Gorman, known for stints at longtime Cleveland rock station WMMS and oldies station WMJI, states he first saw potential for Internet radio in the mid-1990s. Gorman recalls growing frustrated with the radio industry at that time, citing among other things a general lack of creativity, including for online streaming.[1] He believes the success of Pandora and Spotify many years later helped establish Internet radio as a more viable alternative for radio listeners.[2][3] On February 20, 2015, oWOW Radio launched in a small, temporary studio while construction continued on what is now the current 1,600-square foot facility located at the 78th Street Studios complex in the Gordon Square Arts District, part of the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood on Cleveland's west-side.[4]

Funding for oWOW Radio was acquired through private investors, traditional bank loans, and a small business grant from city of Cleveland.[5] Serving as chief content officer, Gorman recruited former WMMS director of marketing Jim Marchyshyn to manage sales; the two function as oWOW's "principal partners". John Chaffee, formerly president of Malrite Communications, was announced as a consultant in late April 2015. Veteran local radio personalities were hired for regular on-air shifts, and illustrator David Helton, perhaps best known for designing the WMMS Buzzard, also designed the oWOW Radio logo.[2][6][7]

Gorman is critical of traditional radio, he compares terrestrial AM and FM stations to outdated fax machines,[8] he also believes services like Pandora and Spotify have a limited ability to serve local markets. oWOW actively targets Northeast Ohio listeners.[9] The local approach has been emphasized during what has been an "uphill battle" to find advertising clients.[8][10] RadioInsight.com speculates that oWOW Radio may find a "niche local audience".[11]

oWOW Radio was awarded "Best Single Streaming Webcaster" by an independent panel at the 2015 RAIN Internet Radio Awards in Atlanta, Georgia.[12]

oWOW Radio was awarded the Small Business Innovation Award by the city of Cleveland May 10, 2017.

oWOW Radio will suspend operations, effective October 2, 2020.[13]

Current programming

oWOW Radio broadcasts what Radio Ink describes as a "macro-local" playlist.[14] On-air talent include: former WMJI personality Ravenna Miceli; and former WQAL morning show producer Steve Pappas. Friday Night Live features recordings of live rock concerts. Blues Time features different shades of the blues hosted by Alan Greene. Naked Brunch hosted by Monica Robins features all acoustic, stripped down rock.[7][15]

References
  1. Niesel, Jeff (February 21, 2015). "New Internet Radio Station From John Gorman Aspires to be Catalyst on the Local Scene". CleveScene.com. Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  2. Kleps, Kevin (February 20, 2015). "Locally Owned Independent Internet Station oWOW Brings 'Timeless' Rock Music to Cleveland". CrainsCleveland.com. Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  3. Hill, Brad (March 24, 2015). "Ex-radio pros start an Internet radio venture in Cleveland". RAINNews.com. RAIN News and RAIN Enterprises. Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  4. O'Brien, Erin (June 24, 2015). "New studios, listeners and partners for oWOW". FreshWaterCleveland.com. Fresh Water Cleveland. Archived from the original on June 27, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  5. "A New Era of Radio is Here with oWow Media". RethinkCleveland.org. City of Cleveland: Department of Economic Development. April 29, 2015. Archived from the original on June 15, 2015. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  6. "Wednesday, April 29, 2015". RadioInfo.com. Radio Info, Inc. April 29, 2015. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  7. O'Brien, Erin (February 18, 2015). "O-Wow: Former WMMS Program Director Set to Launch Internet Radio Station". FreshWaterCleveland.com. Fresh Water Cleveland. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  8. Kleps, Kevin (April 10, 2016). "CBS Radio dials up doubt for stations". CrainsCleveland.com. Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  9. Rowand, Daryl (March 20, 2015). "New Internet Radio Station Modeled on Heyday of FM Radio". HuffingtonPost.com. The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on March 23, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  10. Guth, Douglas J. (July 18, 2015). "Live Internet music station has local beat". CrainsCleveland.com. Crain Communications, Inc. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  11. Venta, Lance (February 18, 2015). "John Gorman Launching Cleveland Internet AAA". RadioInsight.com. RadioBB Networks. Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  12. "RAIN 6th Annual Internet Radio Awards". RAIN.com: Kurt Hanson's Radio & Internet News. RAIN News and RAIN Enterprises. September 2015. Archived from the original on February 7, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
  13. "Cleveland's oWow Radio to Cease Operations".
  14. "Former WMMS PD Debuts Stream". RadioInk.com. Radio Ink and MediaSpan. February 18, 2015. Archived from the original on February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  15. Niesel, Jeff (November 20, 2015). "oWOW to Broadcast Live Welshly Arms Concert". CleveScene.com. Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on November 22, 2015. Retrieved April 15, 2016.

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