WEDI (1130 kHz "Real Roots Radio") is a daytime-only commercial AM

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

, licensed to

Eaton, Ohio Eaton is a city in, and the county seat of Preble County, Ohio, United States, approximately 24 mi (38 km) west of Dayton. The population was 8,375 at the 2020 census, down 0.4% from the population of 8,407 at the 2010 census. Eaton's ...

History

WEDI began in 1981 as

WCTM WCTM were the call letters assigned to an FM radio station, and later an AM station, both licensed to Eaton, Preble County, Ohio, United States. WCTM-FM WCTM (92.9 FM) was originally a station built by Stan Coning and three partners organized ...

, a continuation of a

beautiful music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator mu ...

format which aired originally at 92.9 FM (the present-day

WGTZ WGTZ is a commercial FM station licensed in Eaton, Ohio at 92.9 MHz serving the Dayton and Springfield market area with an adult hits format, branded as "92-9 Jack FM." It is currently owned by Portland, Oregon-based Alpha Media. Its stu ...

) where the WCTM calls originated in 1959. In June 2004, while battling with health problems and age, Stanley Coning, the owner, operator, chief engineer and announcer of "Radio Ranch 1130 WCTM", announced his official retirement from radio broadcasting and bid farewell to his many listeners. Stanley Coning died on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2010, at his Eaton residence and is buried with his wife Helen in neighboring West Alexandria. The transmitter site and three towers (home built by Coning himself) remain located in the Preble County rural community of Glenwood, just east of Eaton. Its "figure 8" east to west directional pattern allows the station to be heard as far west as Greenfield in Central Indiana, as well as in London, Ohio. The Brownfield Network was carried by the former WCTM throughout the 1980s and 90s. Since the purchase of the Eaton AM outlet, WEDI (through originator WBZI) revived the WCTM tradition serving its eastern Indiana listeners airing Brownfield Network programming in addition to the Ohio Ag Net (the direct descendant of the original ABN) for Ohio farmers.

Classic Country Radio

The station returned to the air in July 2004 as WEDI, now owned by Town and Country Broadcasting. Its current format, "Classic Country Radio", consists of country oldies from the 1950s up to the 1980s as well as bluegrass and

country gospel Christian country music (sometimes marketed as country gospel, gospel country, positive country or inspirational country) is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as (in terms of t ...

music. The station is the Western Ohio/Eastern Indiana repeater of

WBZI WBZI "Real Roots Radio" is a daytime-only AM broadcasting station in Xenia, Ohio, United States, at 1500 kHz operating with 500 watts. Its current owner Town and Country Broadcasting operates it with a country oldies format serving Greene, C ...

(AM) 1500 in

Xenia, Ohio Xenia ( ) is a city in southwestern Ohio and the county seat of Greene County, Ohio, United States. It is east of Dayton and is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area, as well as the Miami Valley region. The name comes from the Gree ...

, which serves Xenia, Springfield, eastern Dayton and surrounding areas.

WKFI WKFI (1090 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Wilmington, Ohio, and serving the eastern suburbs of the Dayton metropolitan area. The station is owned by Town And Country Broadcasting, Inc. It is simulcast with co-owned WBZI 1500 AM ...

(AM) 1090 in

Wilmington, Ohio Wilmington is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,660 at the 2020 census. At city entrances from state routes, county roads, and U.S. highways, the city slogan of "We Honor Our Champions" is ...

is the other repeater, serving southwestern Ohio and portions of Northern Kentucky as well as metropolitan Cincinnati.

Real Roots Radio

On March 23, 2018, WEDI rebranded as "Real Roots Radio".Ohio Classic Country Trimulcast Rebrands as Real Roots Radio
Radioinsight - March 23, 2018 WEDI is simulcast on 105.5 FM (translator W288DJ) also in Eaton. The call sign WEDI had once been assigned to the passenger liner SS ''America'' of the United States Lines.

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References

External links