WPAY (1520

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...

) is an 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 radio ...

licensed to

Rossford, Ohio Rossford is a city in Wood County, Ohio, Wood County, Ohio, United States, located along the Maumee River in the Toledo metropolitan area. The population was 6,293 at the United States Census 2010, 2010 census. The town includes the intersection o ...

, serving the

Toledo metropolitan area The Toledo Metropolitan Area, or Greater Toledo, or Northwest Ohio is a metropolitan area centered on the American city of Toledo, Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the four-county Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) had a population of 646,604. I ...

. It is owned by

Relevant Radio Relevant Radio (corporate name Relevant Radio, Inc.) is a radio network in the United States, mainly broadcasting talk radio and religious programming involving the Catholic Church. It is the largest Catholic radio network by owned station base. R ...

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The county seat of Brown County, it is at the head of Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It is above sea lev ...

History

WTTO

1520 AM in Toledo, Ohio was established in 1966. Its first call letters being WTTO, it was known as "Weetow 15" with a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

format to compete with 1470 WOHO (now defunct) and 1560 WTOD (Now WWYC). It also competed with 800 CKLW from Detroit/Windsor, Ontario. The station had its studios on the 4th floor of the Commodore Perry Hotel in Downtown Toledo.

WTUU

In 1975, the call letters were changed to WTUU. The station switched to a country music format becoming known as "Fun Country W-15-2".

WANR, WGOR, WVOI

Sometime later, 1520AM adopted an all-news radio format with the call letters WANR featuring programming from NBC Radio's News and Information Service. The news format was unsuccessful and the station was sold. The call sign was changed to WGOR in 1976; the station took on a religious format. With yet another change in ownership, the call letters were later changed to WVOI. In 1981, after WKLR 99.9 FM, dropped it's Rhythm and blues format, in favor of country music. WVOI launched an urban contemporary music format. This format was successful and lasted until the later part of the 1990s.

Dominion 1520

In 1998, the calls were changed to WDMN (which stood for Dominion) when the Cornerstone Church of Maumee Ohio acquired the station. The station took on a Gospel music format.

1520 WNWT Talk Radio

In April 2008, WDMN dropped Gospel music and changed its format to talk radio. The format was a combination of progressive and conservative talk radio programming. Some traditional and smooth jazz was played on the weekends. The station was also an affiliate of

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by the M ...

. On July 1, 2008, the station changed its calls to WNWT.

Sale to Education Media Foundation

On January 22, 2009 it was announced that the

Educational Media Foundation Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest ...

had purchased WNWT. On April 23, 2009 WNWT's talk format was dropped and it started airing K-Love.

Formats 2014-2021

On April 26, 2014, WNWT became an affiliate of Urban Family Talk. On March 15, 2017, the call letters were changed to WPAY. On March 8, 2018, Urban Family Talk was dropped in favor of

Radio Nueva Vida Radio Nueva Vida (''New Life'') is a Spanish-language Christian radio network based in Camarillo, California, United States. It is owned and operated by The Association for Community Education, Inc., a California non-profit 501(c)(3) organization ...

, a Spanish-language Christian format. On September 25, 2018, the station flipped to EMF's new

K-Love Classics K-Love Classics was a Christian classic hits radio network owned by Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and was carried over FM stations, translators, and HD subchannels in the United States. Such stations include WAIW 88.1 in Wheaton, Illino ...

network. On June 7, 2019, WPAY reverted to Urban Family Talk. On August 2, 2019, WPAY returned to ''K-Love Classics''. In November 2020, the Educational Media Foundation phased out its K-love classic format in favor of Christmas music. On January 1, 2021, Christmas music gave way to an all '90s Christian music format, now known as K-Love 90s, "The Best Songs from the Decade Defined Christian Music".

Fusion Radio acquisition

On November 10, 2020, it was reported by Radioinsight.com that the Education Media Foundation traded WPAY and translators 92.1 W221BG Toledo and 103.3 W277BI Toledo to Fusion in exchange for 103.3 W277AE Madison WI. No cash was exchanged between the two parties. The swap was consummated on July 15, 2021 and the next day, the station fell silent. On June 12, 2022, WPAY and its translator, W221BG, returned to the air simulcasting Delmarva Educational Association’s Christian talk and teaching format, heard on WTOD. On September 5, 2022, WPAY began playing a 2000s Rhythmic heavy playlist as it prepared for a relaunch as "Party 103.3" on September 6 at 10:33 a.m., fed to W277BI. The format continues to offer 2000s Rhythmic songs in addition to newer songs. The format launched with 10,000 songs in a row, with "

Get Ready for This "Get Ready for This" is a song recorded by Belgian/Dutch music group 2 Unlimited. It was released in 1991 as the lead single from their debut album, '' Get Ready!'' (1992). Originally, the single was produced as an instrumental, titled the "Orc ...

" by

2 Unlimited 2 Unlimited are a Belgian/Dutch dance music act, founded by Belgian producers/songwriters Jean-Paul De Coster and Phil Wilde in 1991 in Antwerp, Belgium. From 1991 to 1996, Dutch rapper Ray Slijngaard and Dutch vocalist Anita Doth fronted the a ...

being the first song played. W277BI is now fed by WTOD-HD2.

Sale To Relevant Radio Incorporated

On October 18, 2022, it was reported by radioinsight.com that Fusion Radio had sold 1520 WPAY along with translator 94.1 W231EF to Relevant Radio Incorporated of Green Bay Wisconsin. On October 21, 2022 WPAY went silent. Relevant began broadcasting Catholic based religious programing on November 1, 2022.

Translator

References

External links

* * {{Religious Radio Stations in Ohio PAY (AM) PAY (AM) category:Relevant Radio stations Radio stations established in 1966 1966 establishments in Ohio