Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

In 2005 WBWC celebrated it's 50th anniversary. It's been a station of many accomplishments, not least of all was their deal with The Rock n' Roll Hall of fame. College stations all over America have ties to record stores, venues, publications and more. But there is only one Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. And only one college station is permitted to broadcast from it's prestigious, almost holy halls.

In 1995, WBWC became the first college radio station to perform a remote broadcast from the Cleveland Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. I suppose being in Berea, very near to the world-famous museum helped. But WJCU, WCSB, WKSU, WZIP and NPR affiliate WCPN are all in the same metro.WBWC has gone on to do dozens of marathons, and minor events at the location. The stations ties to the museum are numerous and a point of pride. The specialty program "The Golden Age of Rock N' Roll" has been on the air 30 years. It's host B.R. Anthony spins pure classics: members of the hall of fame, and those that should be.

WBWC first signed on at Baldwin-Wallace College in March of 1958. It was one the first college station in the Cleveland area, and completely student-funded. In 1970 they set a record for longest continuous broadcast. They went stereo in 1975, and increased wattage to a neigh-audible 100 watts in 1981. In 2001 they became a legitamate Cleveland powerhouse, at 4000 watts.

Cleveland and Columbus, worlds apart...

I drove from Cleveland to Columbus Ohio today. I stopped and picked a small basket of rasberries at Rosby's and ate them while they were still warn from the sun, while driving South only looking at the road. It is not a great distance, maybe 120 miles center city to center city, but in radio terms they are different planets. Without getting into the fact that Cleveland is better. Allow me to explain.
http://www.rosbys.com/

Cleveland is saturated.. maybe over saturated in the non-commercial band. It is not as bad as Chicago but, what is? details below:
88.1 WZIP college U akron
88.3 WBWC -college Baldwin Wallace
88.7 WJCU -college John Caroll
88.9 WSTB -Streetsboro High school
89.1 WKSV -simulcast of WKSU
89.3 WCSB -college Cleveland State U.
89.7 WKSU -NPR talk & classical
90.3 WCPN -NPR talk & classical
90.7 WNRK -Classical
90.9 WCVJ -Christian AC
91.1 WRUW -College Case Western Reserve U.
91.3 WAPS -Triple A
91.5 WKHR -standards

... I'll admit they are all over the market and obviously not all of equal stregnth or HAAT. But as you travel even local roads the cross talk is incredible. On vacant frequencies you get a wash of multiple stations. many stations are only audible on some sides of some buildings. Every stations is on the first and second adjacent of two or three stations. Some of these are great stations, and I dont want to lose them... but curently it is difficult to listen to any of them at all.

Columbus is the opposite:
88.1 -religious repeater
88.5 WLRY -a WUFM repeater
88.7 WUFM -christian AC
89.7 WOSU -Classical
90.5 WCBE -NPR talk

So how does one market get over-served and one get under served?
... I have no idea. If I get brave maybe I'll ask he Old Akronite himself:http://ohiomedia.blogspot.com/