HISTORY OF BROADCASTING IN WEST VIRGINIA

History of
WBZE/WNEU/WUNI/WZMM/
WBBD/WOHZ/WKKX, Wheeling

This page is under construction, contributed by Clarke Ingram.

WBZE began broadcasting on 1470. An earlier assigned call, WJBT, was never used.

In 1971, the station, then using the call WNEU, bought the license of WHLL, which had gone dark, and subsequently moved to the WHLL 1600 frequency.

In 2017, WKKX-1600 was broadcasting a sports format.

New Wheeling Radio Station In Operation

The following article appeared in the Raleigh Register on April 8, 1963. Some names may be misspelled.

WHEELING (UPI) - Wheeling radio station WBZE, the state's newest radio station, has begun operation here under the direction of general manager John Johns. The station's programming is devoted to "Quality music, entertainment and news." Its principal stockholders arc Wheeling businessmen George Beneke, E. J. Flaccus and George Thieroff. Terry Flynn is news director, Dave Wayland program director, Bill Nuzum head of the broadcasting staff, and Chuck Howley and George Bland head the sales staff. The daytime station operates on a frequency of 1470 kilocycles from a newly-completed studio on Waddles Run in the Greggsville area. It is served by the news wires of United Press International, which also serves 33 other radio and television stations in West Virginia.

Wheeling Radio Station Sold

This article appeared in the Weirton Daily Times on Oct. 14, 1971.

WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The Federal Communications Commission has granted approval to radio station WNEU, Wheeling, W. Va., to purchase radio station WHLL, Wheeling, which has been silent since late May. Gene B. Johnson, president and general manager of WNEU, said the station will move its frequency from 1470 to 1600 on the dial and will increase power from the present 500 watts to 5,000 watts. The change will become effective Nov. 1. WHLL closed due to financial difficulties.

Radio Station Fails To Give Away Funeral

This article appeared in the Raleigh Register on June 1, 1977.

Radio station WNEU needed something more than the passing reminder to drive carefully over the Memorial Day weekend, so it decided to give away a free funeral. To get one, a contestant had to send in a postcard naming a beneficiary before he was killed in a traffic crash. No one won, so WNEU says its "Grim Reaper" contest achieved its goal. "Every radio station gets on the air and tells people to drive slow, but does that really do anything?" asked program director Mike McVay. "Does that accomplish anything? We felt we had to smack them in the face, and we have plans for other ear-catching promotions." McVay said only four persons bothered to enter -- all from WNEU's listening area in northern West Virginia and nearby towns in Ohio and Pennsylvania. A pedestrian was killed in Steubenville. Ohio, but no fatalities occurred in Ohio County, where WNEU is located. "I ran into so many people who would say to me: 'Gee, that contest is sick,'" McVay said. '"But you know, you hit me right in the face with it.' "I think it helped people realize that when they start driving they have to drive defensively and watch out for the other guy." McVay said. "In all honesty, we did not expect anyone to enter because it's almost like signing your own death wish," he added. "But the telephone response was great -- people calling in and saying, 'Did I actually hear what I thought I heard? We got a little criticism, but the positive comments were amazing."