A FORTY YEAR WCLV TIME LINE (1962-1992) 


July 1962: C.K. Patrick and Robert Conrad acquire WDGO (95.5 FM).

October 18, 1962: The Federal Communications Commission approves the transfer of the ownership of WDGO to Patrick and Conrad.

November 1, 1962: FCC approves the transfer of WDGO to Conrad and Patrick.

November 4, 1962: First day of broadcasting under the call letters of WCLV.

February 4, 1963: First FM Stereo broadcast by the Philadelphia Orchestra in Cleveland.

April 15, 1963: First complete broadcast on Cleveland radio of Wagner's Parsifal, the four hour, 45 minute masterpiece as performed at the 1962 Bayreuth Festival.

April 21-22, 1963: WCLV airs what is believed to be the first editorial comment ever aired by a Cleveland FM station on an important issue of the day, an attempt to amend the Constitution with the purpose of setting aside the U. S. Supreme Court's one-man, one-vote decision. The Editorials are based on a New York Times news story. WCLV presents these editorial comments because as far as it could be determined, no Cleveland daily newspaper, radio or television station has carried any news account or editorial dealing with the subject. WCLV comments that, "…a story of this magnitude and with such important ramifications, ought not to be buried."

September 1, 1963: First issue of the WCLV Guide is published.

October 6, 1963: WCLV begins broadcast of the Philadelphia Orchestra's concert season; the first time the Orchestra aired its entire season coast-to-coast.

September 7, 1964: Tony Bianchi joins WCLV as announcer.

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. 

February 1, 1965: Heinen's begins sponsorship of Morning at the Pops. The grocery chain continued to be a WCLV spot advertiser and sponsor of Concert Hall .through 2003. 

September 19, 1965: WCLV, through a connection with a special international radio network, broadcasts live results of West Germany's parliamentary elections.

September 26, 1965: The first Cleveland Orchestra broadcast over WCLV is heard at 4:00 PM. The time and day has remained the same since then.

November 29, 1965: WCLV listeners in "near stampede" haste to Discount Records to purchase the new Baroque Beatle Book, following heavy play by the station of the Elektra release featuring Beatles' songs performed in the manner of Bach and Handel.

June 27, 1968: WCLV is the first U.S. radio station to be awarded the Beethoven Medal by Inter Nationes, the West German Cultural Exchange Organization. The station was commended for the promotion of German music and culture through the broadcast of concerts and programs from the West German Radio.

November 22, 1968: WCLV moves from its first home in the Eastgate Shopping Center to offices and studios in the Terminal Tower.

March 6, 1969: WCLV publishes the Hinckley Buzzard Day Coloring Book.

January 3, 1970: WCLV becomes the first FM-only commercial radio station to broadcast the Metropolitan Opera live, a performance of Verdi's Aida with Leontyne Price. Actually, the station began the Met broadcasts in December, 1969, but they were of recorded performances due to a strike by the Met musicians. The station has carried the Saturday Met broadcasts live ever since.

March 13, 1970: WCLV conducts the first Cleveland Orchestra Marathon in which listeners are invited to call the station with contributions to the Orchestra. WCLV announced a goal of $10,000, which was raised in the first 24 hours. The total amount raised in the first fund drive was $33,000.

March 22, 1970: WCLV broadcasts its first Karl Haas Adventures in Good Music. The station has carried and distributed the program nationally ever since.

July 30, 1970: George Szell, Musical Director of The Cleveland Orchestra from 1946, dies. WCLV stays on all night playing George Szell recordings. The following Sunday, the station presents a memorial program with a half hour montage of Szell interview and rehearsal segments and a broadcast of Szell conducting Mahler's Symphony No. 6.

October 9, 1970: WCLV begins its broadcasting of the prestigious Cleveland City Club Forum live from the City Club on Friday noon each week.

April 23, 1972: WCLV presents the first complete radio broadcast in the U.S. of the last recorded concert by George Szell and The Cleveland Orchestra, a concert given in Tokyo on May 22, 1970, shortly before Mr. Szell's death on July 30th.

September 2, 1973: WCLV broadcasts the world premiere of the Cleveland Orchestra's recording of Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet, the first commercial recording under the baton of Music Director Lorin Maazel.

March 26, 1974: The Ohio Senate passes a resolution praising and congratulating WCLV for its annual Cleveland Orchestra Marathon fund raising effort.

November 29, 1974: Jazz Comes to WCLV. Designed to fill a noticeable gap in local broadcasting of regularly scheduled jazz programming – and responding to many listener requests – the station inaugurates a late Friday night jazz program called Jazz Comes to WCLV. The progeny of the program continues on Sunday mornings, Midnight to 6:00. 

October 13, 1975: WCLV received the Ohio Arts Council Award for Media Support of the Arts.

May 8, 1976: WCLV inaugurates a series entitled The Black Arts featuring Afro-American composers and artists. Host and producer is A. Grace Lee Mims.

May 19, 1976: WCLV and WVIZ-TV (Channel 25) co-operate to present the first ever radio-TV simulcast of a Cleveland Orchestra concert.

May 21, 1976: Cleveland City Club holds its first Forum outside the U.S. WCLV broadcasts the program live via satellite from London.

October 3, 1976: Chicago Symphony concerts begin on WCLV.

January 18, 1977: Live broadcast of Bellini's Norma from LaScala in Milan.

March 15, 1977: First WCLV/WVIZ-TV simulcast of a Metropolitan Opera – Puccini's La Boheme.

March 27, 1977: First broadcast of a concert by the Ohio Chamber Orchestra.

June 1, 1977: John Simna appointed WCLV Music Director.

November 11, 1977: A live broadcast by The Cleveland Orchestra of A Fanfare for WCLV written for the station's 15th anniversary by Matthias Bamert.

November 29, 1977: Mark Satola joins the WCLV staff.

September 18, 1978: San Francisco Symphony concerts begin on WCLV.

November 4, 1978: First daylong Festival Festival raised $8500 for Goodwill Industries.

November 14, 1978: King Kahlid of Saudi Arabia, while a patient at the Cleveland Clinic, tunes in to WCLV and hears a commercial for photocopy machines. He peels off $7000 in $100 bills and pays the sponsor in cash for two photocopy machines.

March 18, 1979: Total raised during the Cleveland Orchestra Marathons reaches the $1,000,000 mark during Marathon 10.

July 8, 1979: WCLV begins broadcasting The Milwaukee Symphony.

August 19, 1979: WCLV begins live coverage of the Casadesus International Piano Competition (now the Cleveland International Piano Competition).

October 20, 1979: First broadcast by The New Cleveland Opera Company (now the Cleveland Opera) – a performance of Menotti's The Consul.

November 10, 1979: First broadcast by The Cleveland Opera Theatre (now the Lyric Opera of Cleveland), a performance of Gilbert and Sullivan' s H.M.S. Pinafore.

November 11, 1979: WCLV presents the first Jewish Scene program.

September 10, 1980: A. Grace Lee Mims appointed arts reporter and begins Arts Log.

September 25, 1980: WCLV carries first live satellite broadcast by the Boston Symphony.

October 4, 1980: WCLV establishes the City Club Forum national satellite network.

October 5, 1980: WCLV begins distributing The Cleveland Orchestra Concerts via Satellite.

January 31, 1981: WCLV reports from The Cleveland Orchestra tour to Mexico City.

March 2, 1981: New York Philharmonic broadcasts on WCLV expanded to 52 weeks.

March 18, 1981: Wayne Mack, dean of Cleveland radio announcers, joins the WCLV staff.

April 9, 1981: A sponsor, office supplier F. W. Roberts Company, uses some of its own commercial air time to congratulate WCLV on its success and "on the significant and positive impact it has had on our community".

April 20, 1981: WCLV broadcasts City Club Forum from London as well as daily reports on the City Club tour.

June 4, 1981: WCLV Guide is published as part of Northern Ohio Live Magazine.

July 28, 1981: WCLV named Classical Station of the Year by Billboard Magazine. Cleveland Mayor George Voinovich designates WCLV Days in honor of the award.

December 10, 1981: WCLV records Cleveland's Singing Angels performing in the White House. Station broadcasts the event on December 20 and Christmas Day and distributes the program nationally.

January 6, 1982: WCLV debuts new national folk music and poetry broadcast At the Arabica, underwritten by the Ohio Arts Council.

January 12, 1982: WCLV Saturday Night, Cleveland's longest running program on a single station, clones national version called Weekend Radio, for distribution to such diverse markets as Fairbanks, Alaska; and Charleston, West Virginia.

May 20, 1982: WCLV makes available nationally via satellite the Oberlin College performance of Benjamin Britten's War Requiem performed at Trinity Cathedral, marking the 20th anniversary of the work's premiere in Coventry, England.

September 9, 1982: WCLV begins carrying The National Symphony broadcasts.

October 7, 1982: WCLV announces that it will begin 24-hour broadcasting on November 2. The station had been signing off at 2:00 AM, and signing on at 6:00 AM.

October 7, 1982: General Sales Manager Harry Dennis is inducted into the Broadcasters' Hall of Fame in Akron.

January 18, 1983: Robert Conrad is named Classical Music Program Director for 1982 by Billboard Magazine.

February 23, 1983: WCLV is one of the first stations in the country and the first in Ohio to be equipped to play digital compact discs.

June 10, 1983: Baldwin-Wallace College awards Robert Conrad an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degree in recognition of WCLV's 20-year contribution to the cultural scene and quality of life in Cleveland.

January 1, 1984: Sohio begins national sponsorship of the Cleveland Orchestra broadcasts.

October 3, 1984: Ameritrust celebrates 20th anniversary of its sponsorship of Symphony at Seven.

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 is broken for WCLV's new $1.6 million studio and transmitting tower on Emery Industrial Parkway in Warrensville Heights.

May 10, 1986: Cleveland Institute of Music awards C. K. "Pat" Patrick an honorary Doctor of Music Degree for guiding WCLV to its position as one of the leading classical radio stations in the nation.

September 30, 1986: At 11:00 AM, WCLV beings broadcasting from its new 13,000-square-foot facility. Next to the studio/office building is WCLV's new 610 foot (haat) tower and antenna. The new building provides more than three times the space of the Terminal Tower facility.

November 18, 1986: At a concert at Fairmount Temple, The Cleveland Chamber Music Society honors WCLV for the 24-year association with the classical music station.

May 21, 1987: Hugh Danaceau, WCLV News Director since 1980, is the recipient of the first Bud Wendell Excellence in Business Journalism Award. Presenter is the Ohio Business Show.

August 7, 1987: WCLV celebrates its 25th Anniversary with WCLV Night at Cain Park.

October 31, 1987: WCLV presents Ann Mortifee in concert at the Hanna Theatre. Concert is taped by WVIZ-TV for national broadcast.

April 24, 1988: WCLV presents the first live radio call-in show to be broadcast in both the United States and the Soviet Union. The program, Worldtalk, enabled citizens of each country to question each other directly.

May 23, 1988: WCLV begins its first All-Request Week. The station traditionally had devoted Monday holidays to listener requests.

June 12, 1988: WCLV presents the first broadcast outside of Chicago and New York of music from Digital Audio Tape (DAT).

July 26, 1988: WCLV achieves the largest audience for classical music between the East Coast and Chicago and the largest audience in its history. WCLV's weekly cume in Cleveland and Akron was 145,000.

April 1, 1989: WCLV carries the Metropolitan Opera's first broadcast in 14 years of the complete Ring Cycle of Richard Wagner.

April 21, 1989: The 20th WCLV/Cleveland Orchestra Marathon raises $150,281 in pledges, bringing the total raised for the 20 Marathons to $3,000,000.

August 18, 1989: Albert Petrak retires as morning air personality, a post AP had held since 1976. He joined the station in 1972, and was named Music Director in 1973.

September 4, 1989: Rebecca Fischer takes over as morning host.

September 27, 1989: WCLV introduces CIM Live, a series of nine live concerts per year from The Cleveland Institute of Music.

October 5, 1989: WCLV and AmeriTrust celebrate 25th anniversary of Symphony at Seven, the longest running radio sponsorship in Cleveland.

November 20, 1989: WCLV begins broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Previously, the station went off the air on Mondays form 1:00 AM to 5:30 AM for transmitter and technical maintenance.

May 26, 1990: Final broadcast of WCLV Saturday Night, the weekly three-hour program of folk music, comedy and odds and ends. It is replaced by its one-hour national version Weekend Radio. WCLV Saturday Night had been broadcast each week since September of 1962 (beginning on WDGO).

July 30, 1990: Special programming marks the 30th anniversary of the death of George Szell, Cleveland Orchestra Musical Director from 1946 to 1970. Included was a broadcast of Mr. Szell's final appearance with the Orchestra at Severance Hall on May 7, 1970.

August 1, 1990: Via satellite, WCLV begins the first northern Ohio broadcasts by the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

September 3, 1990: WCLV begins producing and distributing Salzburg and Vienna Festival concerts to American stations.

September 10, 1990: WCLV wins the prestigious Gabriel Award for Radio Stations for 1990. It's the second such award for the station, the first coming in 1985. The Gabriels are given by the National Catholic Association of Broadcasters to honor radio and TV programs that creatively reflect human values.

September 18, 1990: Telarc International, Cleveland-based Grammy Award-winning record company, announces it will begin national sponsorship of Weekend Radio, the first week in October.

November 3, 1990: News Director Hugh Danaceau marks his 10th year with WCLV.

February 9, 1991: WCLV carries the 1000th Texaco sponsored live broadcast from The Metropolitan Opera, a performance of Mozart's The Magic Flute. The first Texaco sponsored Met broadcast was on December 7th, 1940.

April 2, 1991: WCLV carries the live broadcast of Defense Secretary Dick Cheney's speech to the City Club Forum. The following day, it broadcasts the City Club's special series on the Bill of Rights.

April 8, 1991: Your Cleveland Orchestra/WCLV Marathon moves to Tower City and The Avenue. Concert by The Cleveland Orchestra draws more than 10,000.

April 10, 1991: For the third year in a row, concert by L'Orchestre de Paris are produced and distributed nationally by WCLV.

June 14, 1991: WCLV receives the Gold Medal award for Best Classical Format from the 1991 International Radio Festival of New York.

July 6, 1991: WCLV holds nationwide search for host for Mozartwoche series. Names Caitriona Bolster of KWAK in Eugene, Oregon, and begins production and national distribution.

October 5, 1991: WCLV begins production and national distribution of the Detroit Symphony, under the sponsorship of General Motors.

October 23, 1991: WCLV broadcasts live and nationally a concert from the Cleveland Museum of Art, marking the Museum's 75th anniversary.

January 2, 1992: Despite a weak 1991 economy and a 3.5 percent downturn in radio advertising nationally, WCLV reports it had a record year in 1991, posting a 17 percent increase in local ad revenue.

March 19, 1992: WCLV's Jewish Scene receives a National Commendation Award from the American Women in Radio and Television. The program was the winner of the radio magazine category for its Women in Our World feature.

May 18, 1992: C. K. "Pat" Patrick retires as President and steps away from day-to-day involvement in the station's management. He continues as shareholder and assumes the post of Chairman of the Board. Robert Conrad, who had been Vice President and Program Manager, becomes President. He continues to supervise the station's programming, operations and syndication service as Broadcast Manager. Richard G. Marschner joins WCLV as Executive Vice President and General Manager. Marschner formerly was a partner in Media Services Group, a broadcasting station brokerage and financial consulting firm. Prior to that, he was Vice President and General Manager of WFMT, Chicago.

May 21, 1992: News Director Hugh Danaceau receives Distinguished Service Award from the Cleveland Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

June 1, 1992: WCLV presents more than 75 hours of performances from The Cleveland Orchestra broadcast tape library during the first two weeks in June. This was a way of thanking listeners who $171,156 during the 23rd WCLV/Cleveland Orchestra Marathon. The total raised during the 23 Marathons come to $3,388,971.

June 10, 1992: Dennis Miller is named Vice President for Syndication. He had been Manager of WCLV's syndication arm, WCLV Seaway Productions since 1981. Under his direction, WCLV Seaway Productions has become one of the nation's largest distributors of culturally oriented radio programs, with over 500 stations carrying one or more of WCLV's programs each week.

July 3, 1992: WCLV thanks AmeriTrust for 27 years of sponsorship of Symphony at Seven. The sponsorship baton passes to Society National Bank.

September 26, 1992: Broadway School of Music and the Arts receives $15,000 from the Great WCLV Record Sale during which 10,000 LPs from the station's record library are sold to listeners.

October 7, 1992: C.K. "Pat" Patrick inducted into Broadcasters Hall of Fame in Akron.

October 24, 1992: As part of its 30th anniversary celebration, WCLV holds its first open house for listeners at its Warrensville Heights studios.

November 7, 1992: As part of the station's 30th anniversary celebration, WCLV presents a concert by the Ohio Chamber Orchestra conducted by Karl Haas.

December 27, 1992: A Blossom Music Festival production of Puccini's Tosca brings an end to the nine year run of Cleveland Orchestra concert sponsored by BP. National Cleveland Orchestra broadcasts continue, however, with a 13 week series of encore programs featuring historic performances of music by Mozart produced by WCLV.

December 31, 1992: WCLV presents a New Year's Eve Goon Show Marathon featuring the popular BBC radio show of the '50's starring Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Spike Milligan. For those not familiar with the Goons, the station presented an introduction to the series by writer Fred Haines, originally broadcast on KPKFK, Los Angeles, in 1963.