Music fans in Columbus rejoiced over the weekend when the radio station formerly known as CD102.5 announced it was coming back to the airwaves.
The alternative rock station, whose call letters are WWCD, abruptly switched to an online-only model at the start of the month after an issue with the owner of its FCC license. Now, they’ve returned to terrestrial radio on 92.9.
This is its third frequency--it started out on 101.1 (which now carries WOSU Classical) before moving to 102.5. WWCD tried to purchase the license for that frequency, but couldn’t raise the money to do so.
“The problem is FCC licenses are expensive, they’re not cheap. You have to go through a lot of hoops to get them, and you know, I’m working class, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth,” says WWCD CEO Randy Malloy with a laugh.
Malloy says they believe they'll be able to buy 92.9's license.
“This time we have a much more reasonable price. The economics are a lot better and we truly believe that the advertisers we’ve spoken to are willing to support us, and we’ll be able to succeed to do this,” he says.
And Malloy says the outpouring of support the station has gotten in the last month is proof an independently-owned station has staying power, even in a world of satellite and Bluetooth streaming.
“That local community connection is what radio is so good at, and I don’t see the need for human nature to suddenly change and not want that connectivity,” he says. “That’s why independent radio has done so well and survived where it has. Because of that local connection."
