Attendees of the organizational meeting for a new radio station in Wilmington.
Photo courtesy of Dee Jellison
By Dianne Bonecutter Garrett
For the News Journal
WILMINGTON — A new radio station — WIOH-LP 95.9 FM — is coming to Wilmington.
The project is being spearheaded by Paul Jellison and the Clinton County Amateur Radio Association (CCARA), which was established in 1962.
Low power stations are authorized for non-commercial operation at 100 watts or less. It depends on underwriters and donors to operate. The coverage area will be approximately 400 square miles, according to Jellison.
He shared, “With the opportunity to get a radio voice back to Wilmington, I felt it was something that the community needed. I presented the idea to the CCARA board last fall, and here we are. I’m humbled that the board saw fit to put me in place as the general chairman of the initiative.”
Jellison has 44 years in the radio industry, and about 50 years as a Ham operator. He has worked as a chief engineer for various stations, including WLW, iHeart and Clear Channel. He has also served as board member and advisor to FEMA and the White House Communication Agency, WHCA, as well as for the EAS alerting system, PEPAC, of which WLW is a primary insertion point for presidential access in case of emergencies.
He also serves the governor of Ohio by appointment as the State Emergency Communications Committee’s representative to the Ohio Amber Alert Advisory Committee, and Ohio Association of Broadcasters.
Interested parties attended an organizational meeting March 17. During Jellison’s presentation he said, “In creating a station we looked around the area, as well as the rest of the country. We found that in the vast majority of cases, stations have become over-researched clones trying to deliver essentially the same audience by playing the same few hundred songs repeatedly.”
“We also noted with great interest that there were thousands of familiar songs, that were huge hits in their day that just disappeared. These songs aged out as they got older, and didn’t ‘focus group test’ well with the audience that stations were seeking. There is a musical void.
“The goal is to create a much larger library, creating a more welcoming atmosphere for listening enjoyment. Music from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s will be at the forefront. The station will reach the community with local interests, including events, and opportunities for organizations and residents to have a voice.”
The recent events at Indian Lake highlight the need for a community voice in times of civil distress. The CCARA holds the FCC authorization, and has been an active resource since its inception. They are the voices you hear on the Ham radio repeater (if you have a scanner) gathering weather information, and funneling it into the National Weather Service. No one is paid for their many hours each year in service to Clinton County, and the region beyond.
A GoFundMe has been established for anyone wishing to help provide seed money. Underwriters and donors will be the funding sources. The station will be wholly manned by volunteers without any pay. Those interested can access the GoFundMe on the Facebook page for CCARA Low Power FM Radio Station. Anticipated on-air date is June 1.
Stay tuned.
