WBLL

WBLL
Bellefontaine, Ohio;
Frequency	1390kHz
Branding	106.9 The Bull
Programming
Format	Country music
Affiliations	Cleveland Guardians Radio Network; Ohio State Sports Network
Ownership
Owner	V-Teck Communications
History
First air date	February 14, 1951
Former call signs	WOHP (1951–1969); WTOO (1969–1981); WTCY (1981–1983); WOHP (1983–1988); WPKO (1988–1989)
Call signmeaning	WBeLLfontaine
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	69627
Class	D
Power	500watts(day); 81 watts (night)
Translator(s)	106.9W295CI (Urbana)
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen live
Website	www.peakofohio

WBLL(1390AM) is an Americanradio stationinBellefontaine,Ohio.It currently broadcasts withcountry musicprogramming, along with certain sporting events (Cleveland Guardiansbaseball, local high school sports). The station is owned by V-Teck Communications, and is the sister station ofWPKO98.3 FM.

History

WBLL originally signed on the air in 1951 with the call letters WOHP (for "Ohio's Highest Point" ). It was the first radio station licensed to Bellefontaine since station WHBD relocated toMount Orab, Ohioin 1929 (later known asWPAYinPortsmouth, Ohio).

In the late 1960s, the station's callsign changed to WTOO (for "Top Of Ohio" ), in 1981 to WTCY (for "Top (of Ohio) CountrY" ), and then switched back to the WOHP calls on February 14, 1983, with a gospel format. On February 19, 1988, the station became WPKO, in recognition of its sister station,WPKO-FM.The call letters became WBLL on May 12, 1989.

Joe Rockhold was a disk jockey at WOHP in the 1950s where he launched his broadcasting career. Shortly before the decade was over he became a staff announcer (and eventually became best known as children's show host "Uncle Orrie" )at Dayton'sWHIO-TVwhere he remained until his retirement in 1969. Rockhold however remained active in broadcasting throughout his retirement atWSRW (AM)inHillsboro, Ohiobefore his death in 1981.

On January 28, 2004, V-Teck Communications applied for aconstruction permitfor a transmitter inGrandview Heights, Ohio.This transmitter would be well within theColumbusmetropolitan area. TheFCCacknowledged the CP request on November 17, 2004, and further acknowledged an application for a major modification to a licensed facility on January 21, 2005. This may indicate plans by V-Teck to effectively move the station from Bellefontaine to the Grandview Heights-Columbus area.

While the license location for the newest application is in Grandview Heights, the major modification request is for 39°53′39″N83°05′30″W/ 39.89417°N 83.09167°W/39.89417; -83.09167,placing the new transmitter (if built) nearGrove City, Ohio.This is southwest of Columbus; Bellefontaine and the present transmitter are to the northwest of Columbus.

For a brief time in the mid-1970s, WTOO set trends by breaking several songs before the major stations in Cincinnati, Columbus and Cleveland. This was under the management of Program and Music Director David Mark early in his career. Mark eventually became one of the country's major voice-over announcers and, beginning in the 1990s and well into the 2000s, was the promotional voice of Fox TV network stations and many UPN TV network stations across the country.^{[citation needed]}

The WOHP callsign was later used at an FM station inPortsmouth, Ohioas a repeater of the former WCDR "The Path" (nowWKCD) inCedarville, Ohiowhich is nowWSGR,formerly part of the Contemporary ChristianK-LOVEnetwork.

TheWOHPcallsign is now being used at a low-power FM station inHuntsville, Ohio.

TheWTCYcallsign is now used by a Catholic FM station inTraverse City, Michigan.

On January 3, 2018, WBLL flipped from its talk format to country music as "106.9 The Bull".

AM 1390 timeline

WBLL has had several ownerships over the decades

1950s- Founded in 1951 by C.H. Chaimberlain, (later acquired by Lake Erie Radio and TV Inc.) as WOHP.
1960s- Purchased in 1961 by Hi-Point Broadcasting.
Early 1970s- Purchased by WOHP Inc. Callsign switched to WTOO in 1969. FM sister WOGM (98.1 mHz is founded in 1969)
Mid 1970s-early 80s- Purchased by Triplett Broadcasting. WOGM becomes WTOO-FM by 1976. WTOO-AM becomes WTCY in 1981. AM callsign reverts to WOHP in 1983.
Late 1980s-present- Purchased by V-Teck Communications, Callsign switched to WPKO-AM in 1988 and again in 1989 to the current WBLL.

(source:Broadcasting Magazine yearbooks)