WOSL (100.3
FM) is a radio station licensed to
Norwood, Ohio
Norwood is the third most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and an enclave of the larger city of Cincinnati. The population was 19,207 at the 2010 census. Originally settled as an early suburb of Cincinnati in the wooded c ...
. The station is owned by
Radio One, and airs an
urban oldies
Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...
-leaning
urban adult contemporary
Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music ...
format.
Its studios are located at Centennial Plaza in
Downtown Cincinnati
Downtown Cincinnati is the central business district of Cincinnati, Ohio, as well the economic and symbiotic center of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. It also contains a number of urban neighborhoods in the low land area between the Ohio Ri ...
and the transmitter site is west of the downtown area.
History
The station began broadcasting on April 4, 1948, as WCNB-FM in
Connersville, Indiana
Connersville is a city in Fayette County, east central Indiana, United States, east by southeast of Indianapolis. The population was 13,481 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of and the largest and only incorporated town in F ...
. It was owned by The News-Examiner Company, publisher of the ''Connersville News-Examiner''. Studios were on the second floor of the News-Examiner Building, 406 Central Avenue in Connersville.
Mojo (2006-2012)
On September 2, 2006,
Radio One, Inc. acquired the intellectual property and call letters of WMOJ-FM from
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 8 ...
, and moved it from 94.9 FM to 100.3 FM. 100.3 had been moved into the Cincinnati market by Radio One, after it purchased the former WIFE-FM in
Connersville, Indiana
Connersville is a city in Fayette County, east central Indiana, United States, east by southeast of Indianapolis. The population was 13,481 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of and the largest and only incorporated town in F ...
.
Cumulus retained ownership of the 94.9 FM frequency, and after the
2006 Cincinnati radio station reorganization in which the 94.9 frequency was traded to
Entercom Communications
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
, 94.9 FM is now the home of
WREW
WREW (94.9 MHz, "Mix 94.9") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Fairfield, Ohio, and serving the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The station broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. The st ...
"Mix 94.9", an
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
station. That station is now operated by
Hubbard Broadcasting.
While WMOJ was on the 94.9 frequency, it was branded "Mojo 94.9", and aired a
rhythmic oldies
Rhythmic oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, R&B, disco, or dance genres of music. Playlists can span from the 1960s through the 2000s and, depending on market conditions, may be designed for African-American or Hispanic ...
format that appealed to both the black and white demographics. This station had very high ratings until its demise. After the station's move to 100.3 FM in 2006, the station took an
urban adult contemporary
Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music ...
format while retaining the "Mojo" branding and WMOJ call letters. WMOJ would also become the Cincinnati affiliate of the
Tom Joyner Morning Show
The ''Tom Joyner Morning Show'' is an American nationally syndicated radio program, hosted by veteran broadcaster Tom Joyner. The program, which aired on Urban contemporary- and Urban adult contemporary-formatted stations across the United States, ...
, which was simulcasted on
WDBZ
WDBZ (1230 AM) is an urban talk/urban contemporary-formatted radio station serving Cincinnati, Ohio. The station mostly plays urban talk while also providing urban oldies and urban contemporary gospel music. Owned by Urban One, its studios ...
(who originally aired it by itself). On December 6, 2010, WMOJ shifted its format to rhythmic oldies, still under the "Mojo 100.3" branding. The first song after the relaunch was "
Rock with You
"Rock with You" was written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. It was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. It was released on November 3, 1979, by Epic Records as ...
" by
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
.
The Fan (2012-2013)
On November 6, 2012, at 11:49 p.m., WMOJ began
stunting with
Christmas music as a prelude to a flip to
CBS Sports Radio on January 2, 2013, branded as "Holiday 100.3".
[ The final song on "Mojo" was " Caribbean Queen" by ]Billy Ocean
Leslie Sebastian Charles, (born 21 January 1950), better known by his stage name Billy Ocean, is a British recording artist who had a string of R&B international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British R&B singer-son ...
, while the first song on "Holiday" was "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
"Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" is a Christmas song written by Johnny Marks and recorded by Brenda Lee in 1958; it has since been recorded by numerous other music artists. By the song's 50th anniversary in 2008, Lee's original version had s ...
" by Brenda Lee
Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed onl ...
. The station's call letters were changed to WCFN on November 14, 2012, to reflect the forthcoming format. The station, as "FM 100 The Fan", launched at 12:01 a.m. on January 2. The final song played on "Holiday" was "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
"I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" is a Christmas song with music and lyrics by British songwriter Tommie Connor and first recorded by American singer Jimmy Boyd in 1952. The song has since been covered by many artists, with the Ronettes's 1963 ...
" by The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 (sometimes stylized as the Jackson 5ive, also known as the Jacksons) are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most o ...
. As of January 6, WCFN became the radio affiliate for road games and all playoff games of the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL
The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL).
The ...
. WCFN was also the Cincinnati affiliate for Miami RedHawks men's basketball
The Miami RedHawks men's basketball team — known as the Miami Redskins until 1997 — is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing Miami University. The school competes in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in Division I of the ...
.
Old School (2013-2017)
Shortly before noon on July 30, 2013, WCFN changed its format to urban oldies
Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...
, branded as "Old School 100.3". This ended the sports format after seven months due to low ratings—it received a 0.2 rating in its first month, and a 0.1 each month following until its demise. The call letters were changed to WOSL on August 15, 2013.
R&B (2017-present)
On January 5, 2017, WOSL shifted their format to Urban AC
Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...
, and rebranded as "100.3 R&B." Concurrently, the urban oldies format moved to sister WDBZ
WDBZ (1230 AM) is an urban talk/urban contemporary-formatted radio station serving Cincinnati, Ohio. The station mostly plays urban talk while also providing urban oldies and urban contemporary gospel music. Owned by Urban One, its studios ...
. With the format adjustment, Russ Parr
Russ Parr (born 1959 in California) is an American radio DJ, film director, writer, actor and television personality known for such television shows as ''Rock 'N' America''.
Career
Parr began as a Production Services Director at ABC TV.
Russ wa ...
was added to mornings on WOSL, while Tom Joyner moved back to WDBZ to host mornings. Radio One Revamps Cincinnati Pair
/ref>
References
External links
100.3 R&B
Information on WMOJ
*
{{coord, 39.122, N, 84.548, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
Urban One stations
Urban adult contemporary radio stations in the United States
OSL