BITS OF WCLV HISTORY

The original WDGO building at Eastgate Shopping Center. In November of 1962, WDGO became WCLV and the call letters were changed. The building was torn down in the 1990s and replaced by a Target® store.

Jack Benny being interviewed by Martin Perlich, probably about 1966. Perlich was the host of The Perlich Project, an eclectic program heard from 11:00 PM on Friday to 6:00 AM on Saturday. Martin was also the original host of the Cleveland Orchestra intermission features, for which the Benny interview was being taped. He is now a freelance broadcaster in Los Angeles.

WCLV's Robert Conrad and Issac Stern during a "Compact Disc Festival" held at Disc Records at Severance Center Shopping Mall in 1984.

Frank Porath, Rena Blumberg and WCLV co-founder C. K. (Pat) Patrick during a live WCLV broadcast of the City Club's Anvil Review, which was presented annually from 1978 to 1993, with a reprise in 2002.

The grand finale to the 1993 WCLV Cleveland Orchestra Marathon at The Avenue in Tower City. The Cleveland Orchestra was conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy, and broadcast live by WCLV.

Bill Rudman and Eric Cobel during a taping before a live audience of a special Broadway Melody (now called Footlight Parade) at Cain Park's Alma Theatre in August of 1996. The almost-annual event celebrated Footlight Parade's 25th anniversary on June 28, 2008.

The first WCLV Celebrate Life Red Cross Blood Drive took place at Executive Caterers on January 29, 1998. One hundred and forty three pints of blood were collected. The goal was 95 and half. Over the years, the WCLV blood drives have collected over 10,000 pints of blood. Here with the WCLV Goody Bags lined up are former WCLV account execuive Andrea Conrad Bachman and the present Vice President and General Manager Jenny Northern.

Leonard Bernstein being interviewed by WCLV's Martin Perlich on the occasion of a New York Philharmonic concert at Public Auditorium in September of 1963. It was during the course of this interview that Bernstein discovered that the Cleveland impresario had been promoting a performance of the Robert Schumann Symphony No. 3 ("Rhenish")—not of the William Schuman Third Symphony, which the NY Phil and Bernstein were in fact going to play. Bernstein was not amused.

On October 25, 1996, WCLV presented a live re-creation of the legendary War of the Worlds broadcast from 1938—the drama that created panic among many American radio listeners. The WCLV broadcast, originating from Kulas Hall at the Cleveland Institute of Music, caused no panic in Cleveland, but did raise $20,000 for the Great Lakes Theatre Festival. Here sound man Frank Porath creates the sound of walking through snow

Actress Claire Bloom visited WCLV in 1993 when she appeared at the Great Lakes Theatre Festival.

Flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal signing LPs at a record store in Golden Gate Shopping Center during a WCLV "meet and greet" in the early 1980s.

WCLV President Robert Conrad and the late Karl Haas during the recording session of Karl's best selling CD The Story of the Bells. WCLV and Karl Haas produced three CDs over a three year period in the middle 90s. Unfortunately, they are all out of print. The picture was taken at Audio Recording Studios, owned by Bruce Gigax, Audio Supervisor of The Cleveland Orchestra. This is the studio where the Orchestra broadcasts are edited.

The late pianist Eunice Podis, the late comedian Victor Borge, and WCLV's Robert Conrad at a Cleveland International Piano Competition fundraiser held at the Pavilion Mall in Beachwood in June of 1995. WCLV raised $51,000 at the three day event.

TV entertainer and record producer Mitch Miller, famous for his Sing Along with Mitch show, leading the crowd in a Sing Along at Parmatown during a WCLV/Cleveland Orchestra Marathon in 1978. WCLV air personality Tony Bianchi listens in. Tony retired in March of 2001 after 37 years in front of the WCLV mikes.

Broadcast Central for the 1992 WCLV/Cleveland Orchestra Marathon, which was broadcast from Tower City. (L to R), Dick Bogolmony, then Musical Arts Association President, now Chairman of the Board; the late Dick Kaye of WCRB, Boston, and annual Marathon participant; WCLV announcer Tony Bianchi; and WCLV's A. Grace Lee Mims.

On December 20, 2002, The Cleveland City Club celebrated its 95th birthday with a reprise of the live WCLV broadcast version of the Anvil Review, a series of satirical skits about politics and social mores. (L to R) Seriously studying their scripts are WCLV's Bill O'Connell and Jacqueline Gerber. Adding emotional punch to a line is Plain Dealer columnist Dick Feagler.

Albert Petrak ("Ole AP"), one of WCLV's most popular personalities, started his WCLV career in the early 60s as the host of a weekly New Records show on Sunday nights sponsored by Discount Records, where AP was employed. By the 70s, he was working full time at WCLV, and continued, with a couple hiatuses, until his retirement in 2003. He is best remembered as the host of First Program, where his "Up, up, up" either charmed or irritated listeners—as did his penchant for reading on the air memos from Robert Conrad concerning not playing sopranos before 9;00 AM.

In 2006, A. Grace Lee Mims celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Black Arts on WCLV. Here she is with the distinguished Cleveland architect Robert Madison during a reception at the WCLV studios in honor of the anniversary