A WCLV TIMELINE: 60 YEARS
The Early Days (1962 – 1979)
November 1, 1962: FCC approved the transfer of WDGO (95.5FM) to Robert Conrad and C.K. Patrick, who changed the call letters to WCLV.
October 5, 1964: First Symphony at Seven concert sponsored by Cleveland Trust, Later Ameritrust, which was acquired early in 1992 by Society Corporation, later by KeyCorp. The program under KeyCorp’s sponsorship continues to air seven days a week.
September 26, 1965: The first Cleveland Orchestra concert broadcast over WCLV was heard at 4:00 PM. The time and day has remained the same since then.
January 3, 1970: WCLV became the first FM-only commercial radio station to broadcast the Metropolitan Opera live, a performance of Verdi’s Aida with Leontyne Price The station has carried the Saturday Met broadcasts live ever since.
March 13, 1970: WCLV conducted the first Cleveland Orchestra Marathon in which listeners are invited to call the station with contributions to the Orchestra.
March 22, 1970: WCLV broadcast its first Karl Haas Adventures in Good Music.
October 9, 1970: WCLV began broadcasting of the Cleveland City Club Forum, a tradition that continues.
March 16, 1973: John Simna became a member of the WCLV staff.
November 29, 1974: The station inaugurated a late Friday night jazz program called Jazz Comes to WCLV. After a lengthy hiatus, jazz recently returned to WCLV overnight with hosts Dan Polletta and John Simna. John, by the way, was appointed WCLV Music Director in June of 1977.
October 13, 1975: WCLV received the Ohio Arts Council Award for Media Support of the Arts.
May 8, 1976: WCLV inaugurated a series entitled The Black Arts featuring African-American composers and artists, hosted by A. Grace Lee Mims. Grace continued the show until her death in October of 2019. Today, Rob Grier’s In Tribute to A. Grace Lee Mims continues her legacy.
May 19, 1976: WCLV and WVIZ-TV (Channel 25) co-operate to present the first ever radio-TV simulcast of a Cleveland Orchestra concert. The following year, WCLV and WVIZ simulcast the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Puccini’s La Boheme.
November 15, 1977: Mark Satola joined the WCLV host staff.
August 19, 1979: WCLV began live coverage of the Casadesus International Piano Competition (now the Cleveland International Piano Competition).
The Middle Years
July 28, 1981: WCLV was named Classical Station of the Year by Billboard Magazine. Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich designated WCLV Days in honor of the award.
October 7, 1982: WCLV announced that it would begin 24-hour broadcasting on November 2. The station had been signing off at 2:00 AM, and signing on at 6:00 AM.
January 18, 1983: Robert Conrad was named Classical Music Program Director for 1982 by Billboard Magazine.
October 11, 1984: WCLV receives its second Governor’s Award for Media Support of the Arts from the Ohio Arts Council.
December 3, 1985: At noon, ground was broken for WCLV’s new $1.6 million studio and transmitting tower on Emery Industrial Parkway in Warrensville Heights. The station began broadcasting from the new facility the following September.
April 21, 1989: The 20th WCLV/Cleveland Orchestra Marathon raised $150,281 in pledges, bringing the total raised for the 20 Marathons to $3,000,000.
August 18, 1989: Albert Petrak retired as morning air personality, a post AP had held since 1976. (He joined the station in 1972.) Rebecca Fischer took over as the morning host the following month.
September 10, 1990: WCLV won the prestigious Gabriel Award for Radio Stations for 1990. It’s the second such award for the station, the first coming in 1985.
June 14, 1991: WCLV received the Gold Medal award for Best Classical Format from the 1991 International Radio Festival of New York.
October 23, 1991: WCLV broadcast live and nationally a concert from the Cleveland Museum of Art, marking the Museum’s 75th anniversary.
November 29, 1992: Rob Grier joined the staff of WCLV, first working in the syndication department and later, as a host.
April 21, 1993: The 24th WCLV/Cleveland Orchestra Marathon originated from Tower City and featured live broadcasts by The Cleveland Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra and the Cleveland Youth Wind Symphony. Some 10,000 crowd into the Fountain area of The Avenue for the Orchestra concert conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy. $175,000 was raised for the Orchestra.
November 11, 1993: WCLV News Director Hugh Danaceau, who joined the station in 1980, was inducted into Cleveland’s Press Hall of Fame.
June 15, 1995: WCLV was honored with a GoldWorld Medal as “Best Classical Music Station in the World” by the New York International Radio Festival.
September 9, 1995: WCLV received Marconi Award as Classical Station of the Year from the National Association of Broadcasters.
October 29, 1995: WCLV received its third Gabriel Award for Radio Station of the Year from the National Catholic Broadcasters Association.
January 14, 1996: WCLV broadcast the Cleveland Orchestra’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Concert live for the first time from Corey United Methodist Church.
November 4, 1996: WCLV became a pioneer by being the first station in the world to feed its air signal to the world wide web in full fidelity and stereo, using the AudioActive system developed by Cleveland’s Telos Systems.
May 1, 1998: Bill O’Connell became WCLV’s new Program Manager, only the second one in the history of station. (The first was Robert Conrad.)
March 3, 2000: Rebecca Fischer, host of WCLV’s First Program since 1989, retired. Tony Bianchi, a voice on WCLV since 1964, retired almost exactly one year later.
New Dial Position, New Address, New Ownership (2001 – 2012)
April 16, 2001: Jacqueline Gerber joined WCLV as host of First Program. She’s now often referred to as “The Queen of the Morn.”
July 3, 2001: WCLV-FM moved from 95.5 FM to 104.9 FM, part of a complicated three-way deal affecting seven radio stations in Cleveland and Akron.
October 12, 2001: At a reception at the Cleveland Museum of Art, the stockholders of WCLV-FM donated the station to the new non-profit WCLV Foundation. This gift, valued at $14.5 million was designed to preserve the classical format on the radio in Cleveland.
January 5, 2003: Albert Petrak (“Old AP”) retired (again!) after 34 years at WCLV. (And this time he stayed retired.)
August 14, 2003: WCLV began broadcasting in HD, the second station in Ohio and the third classical station in the nation.
February 5, 2005: WCLV began two weekly broadcasts of concerts by The Cleveland Orchestra, with the addition of Saturdays from Severance at 8:00 PM.
February 6, 2005: Long-time classical music radio personality Karl Haas, host of Adventures in Good Music, heard on WCLV and radio stations throughout the world, died in Detroit at the age of 91. WCLV had carried and distributed AIGM since 1970. The show remained on the air until June of 2007.
July 15, 2010: WCLV was The New Yorker’s ”Classical Pick.”
July 28 & 30 2010: WCLV broadcast live the final solo round of the first Cooper International Piano Competition; three finalists perform with The Cleveland Orchestra and Jahja Ling.
October 16, 2010: WCLV conducted The Great WCLV Garage Sale including items from Radio Ranch in preparation for the station’s move to The Idea Center® at Playhouse Square.
December 8, 2010: At 10:00 AM, WCLV went on the air from its new studios at The Idea Center® at Playhouse Square in downtown Cleveland.
January 8, 2011: WCLV President, Robert Conrad, received the 15th annual Cleveland Orchestra Distinguished Service Award.
October 1, 2011: Ownership of WCLV transferred from the WCLV Foundation to Ideastream.
November 1, 2012: WCLV celebrated its 50th Anniversary with an open house and a day of live musical performances at the Idea Center.
January 1, 2013: Ideastream begins operating WCLV as a noncommercial radio station.
Recent Past
December 17, 2013: WCLV hosted the Baldwin Wallace Men’s Chorus in a live performance of holiday music. The program was also filmed, with excerpts broadcast on WVIZ’s Applause show.
September 10, 2014: WCLV began broadcasting the weekly series, Cleveland Ovations featuring performances by ensembles living and working in Northeast Ohio. The series continues under the name Ovations.
November 2, 2015: WCLV hosted a live performance by the Cleveland Women’s Orchestra. Part of the Violins of Hope project, the concert was a tribute to the Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz.
June 7, 2016: From the Top tapes a show at the Idea Center.
October 5, 2017: WCLV celebrated the anniversary of the debut of Monty Python’s Flying Circus with Python Trivia, songs and sketches. (raspberry)
In November of 2018, Ideastream launched the podcast series, I’m Robert Conrad, stories from the life of a broadcaster who knew at age 5 that radio was his destiny.
July 23, 2018: John Mills joined WCLV, starting as the overnight host.
January 31, 2019: The Ohio Music Education Association presented WCLV with its Industry Service Award in recognition of the station’s decade of supporting High School students who achieve a level of excellence in music performance.
In April of 2020, WCLV began broadcasting the daily Lunchtime with the Cleveland Orchestra, part of an effort to keep the Orchestra top of mind despite its inability to present live concerts due to COVID.
November 2021: WCLV’s longtime engineer, Randy Davis (Jacqueline Gerber often referred to him as “Stretch” on the air) retired. Rest in Peace, Randy.
Present Day
April 2022: WCLV presented 30 Days of Apollo’s Fire in honor of the ensemble’s 30th Anniversary Season.
On March 28, 2022, WCLV moved from 104.9 to 90.3 FM, providing more listeners in Northeast Ohio an opportunity to listen to the station over the air.
November 1, 2022: WCLV celebrates 60 years on the air. Same call letters, same format!