Memories of WAX/WAOH-TV Akron

[Scott2011]

Depending on where you live in Northeast Ohio, you may or may not be familiar with WAX Channel 35 and WAOH Channel 29 in Akron.  The station is now affiliated with the Retro Television Network (RTV), but during its run as an independent station, it had aired a lot of local and syndicated programs that some may not be familiar with, but I actually remember most of.

In the early 1990s, when Channel 29's call letters were WAI, one thing they did broadcast was high school football from the Akron/Canton community.  I personally don't remember high school football being on the station because I didn't know Channel 29 even existed until the mid-'90s (shows how little known it was/is).  But here are some clips I found on YouTube from that era during one of those football games:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iy41e0rLUg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7ntYV78Mhg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwLJy5wK39A

The majority of WAOH's (current) "YouTube existence" comes from after the launch of WAX Channel 35, which broadcasts the same exact programs, and during the branding of "The CAT" (Cleveland Akron Television Network).  But here's a small sample of the local programs and obscure syndicated programs they broadcast in the mid to late '90s:

The Son of Ghoul Show (as far as I know, this is actually still on the station)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIzRfVbiQHI

Main Floor (fashion newsmagazine)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJKUA7iOGLU

Roc (reruns of the Fox sitcom from the early '90s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzHob_oh7D0

Coast Guard (one of the many reenactment-oriented shows of the '90s, e.g. Rescue 911, Top Cops, Real Stories of the Highway Patrol, etc.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMeIeitKpt0

ECW wrestling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BGs9k0j5YA

Crime Strike (America's Most Wanted type show)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8p3yDFq0c78

Babewatch (if this show didn't bring in any viewers to this ailing station, nothing would, LOL)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6XGfiZMGeM

Handy Randy's Auto Care (still on today and actually also had a short run on the now-defunct WOAC Channel 67 during their Shop at Home days)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFw1Yl4d__c

Victory Chapel (I think this religious program also ran on WAKC beforehand, but I could be wrong...also, this promo is from 2006, but I know it was on much earlier than that)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VidNr_5VDEM

WOIO CBS 19 News simulcasts (they also did the same with WUAB Channel 43's Ten O'Clock News, but they dropped these simulcasts shortly after the turn of the decade)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M32Pt-F3kM

Animal Rescue (now on Saturday mornings on Fox 8, this was one of several Alex Paen shows on The CAT)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F02eHIaAUGg

Travel Travel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFtmcSzNGq8

Other things I remember about WAX/WAOH are their simulcasts of Much Music video programming in the mid-'90s, other local call-in shows like Dining Out with Steve, simulcasts of the now-defunct All News Channel, and the station's affiliation with America One and the Urban American Television Network.  Another show I remember seeing was U.S. Bounty Hunters, which later aired in reruns on the now-defunct Fox Reality Channel under the title America's Hardest Bounty Hunters.

Anyone remember anything else about WAX/WAOH that I don't? Probably a long shot since it's an obscure low-power station, but whatever.

[Nathan Obral]

WAOH/W35AX always has been directly co-owned with WNIR/100.1, which of course has always driven the Media-Com bus. Today, it mostly pipes in programming from Retro TV Network outside of the aforementioned Son of Ghoul and Steve French's weekly sports talk show.

Actually, it always surprised me that WNIR never has had any of their talk programming directly simulcast on WAOH/W35AX. But that's just me.

[OhioMediaWatch]

Is 29/35's master control at Broadcast Park?  Or is it at the 29 transmitter site (at the WNIR tower in Brimfield)?  If the latter, that'd explain why you have never seen WNIR TV simulcasts...they would basically not have the link to do so, being Kaiser Bill TV, after all.

They must have some affiliation with America One, even if they don't run the programming full-time anymore.  A1's coverage of the Canadian Football League playoffs showed up a few weeks ago - the finals right before the Grey Cup.  It was confusing me, since I was in TWC's Akron service area and forgot where they had put WOIO/19 - I was looking for the Browns game.

As it turns out, 29 is on 11 on the Akron system now (WOIO is 9). Here at the OMW World Headquarters(tm), WOIO is on 4 (analog), and Kaiser Bill Retro TV is nowhere to be found.

As Nathan mentioned, 29/35 still runs both the Son of Ghoul and Steve French's Sportstalk.  Like all local talk shows that have ever been done there, there's no connection to Steve's radio duties on WNIR in the morning, and the set is an empty black room.  Well, at least it was the last time I was able to go through the static.

The replay deal with WOIO/WUAB didn't last long.

[Nathan Obral]

Don't forget this promo for "The Lighter Side of Sports:"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eo4oIjuxScQ&feature=related


And yes, that's the same Mike Golic whose brother Bob now WORKS at WNIR as their afternoon-drive host! (The show led to Mike's entry into ESPN/ESPN Radio.)

[Nathan Obral]

They must have some affiliation with America One, even if they don't run the programming full-time anymore.  A1's coverage of the Canadian Football League playoffs showed up a few weeks ago - the finals right before the Grey Cup.  It was confusing me, since I was in TWC's Akron service area and forgot where they had put WOIO/19 - I was looking for the Browns game.

Indeed, they have been affiliated with America One for a long time. America One supplied most of that syndicated programming during the early "CAT" era, including that airing of "ECW Hardcore TV" at 10PM Friday (most stations normally reserved it for 2AM and hoped the FCC never noticed).

As it turns out, 29 is on 11 on the Akron system now (WOIO is 9). Here at the OMW World Headquarters(tm), WOIO is on 4 (analog), and Kaiser Bill Retro TV is nowhere to be found.

And that's always been WAOH/W35AX's main handicap. They were lucky enough to get coverage on the Akron TWC system... but nowhere else. Not only is Cleveland such a heavily-cabled market, W35AX's signal from the WBNX (IIRC) tower was always crappy at best.

If W35AX signed on in 1981, when Cleveland and most suburbs hadn't been cabled yet, it *might* have had a shot. A remote shot, but still, a shot nonetheless.

[OhioMediaWatch]

There appears to be no interest from Time Warner in expanding 29/35's footprint to the former Adelphia Cleveland system...though it would probably fit well with the various local digital TV subchannels just below 1000 in the lineup.

Maybe they'll add them in Cleveland when the place finally GOES digital?   Though I don't believe Radio Shack is selling LPTV digital transmitters, yet.

IIRC, the station is also on TWC's Kent and Macedonia systems...but they haven't cracked the Cleveland nut yet.

[DrC]

Indeed, they have been affiliated with America One for a long time. America One supplied most of that syndicated programming during the early "CAT" era, including that airing of "ECW Hardcore TV" at 10PM Friday (most stations normally reserved it for 2AM and hoped the FCC never noticed).

That show was the reason I had an A/B switch installed to get 35 over the antenna in Euclid.  Haven't watched wrestling in at least 10 years, but I loved some late-90s ECW.  They folded in early '01, but would have never survived the 2004 Nipplegate content purges anyway.  They really pushed the limits then, violence and content-wise. 

Quick question for folks who might know...I recently heard a 1992-ish tape of Howard Stern's radio show where a caller who was listening on 'NCX said "We used to get your TV show here on channel 29".  They would have been talking about Stern's 1990-92 syndicated show based out of WWOR in NYC.  Couldn't figure out if Stern's early 90s TV show actually cleared WAOH (would have been WAI then), or if 29 was just the channel position for WWOR on their cable lineup.  Anyone know?  Sounds like a show WOAC would have picked up rather than WAI...

EDIT: Quick note re: 29/35 on cable in Cleveland...Wide Open West carried them on cable in the Cleveland suburbs for a long time.  They were on channel 99 when I had WOW service in Garfield Heights between '04-'05.  WOW was the only Cuyahoga County system that carried 29/35 to my knowledge, besides Cox who I think put them on the digital tier sometime around '08. 

[wffm78]

What a great thread!  I forgot they carried Howard Stern, but they did.  They also carried a series of bikini contest shows in the mid to late 90's, along side Howard's show that they called Babewatch.  A whole lot of T&A, and in the days before the internet, probably a great way to get audience for a low power station.   I worked for a company that advertised on that station at the time.

29 NEVER carried any WNIR shows live, but for a while they did simulcast the TV audio on 1520AM.   The idea was to have paid for infomercials/talk shows you could watch on TV, or hear on the radio.  Similar to the Auto Talk or Sports Talk shows.  It never did go anywhere, but made for some interesting radio when they simulcast old westerns over the air...horseback riding is not made for radio listening!

Their studio is a small room in back of the WNIR studios...most likely an old storage closet.  As for cable coverage, from what I was told at the time, the station bought access on Time Warner in Akron.  Since most of their advertisers are Akron based, maybe that's why you never see them on most Cleveland cable systems.  Not sure if that's still the case...

[DrC]

What a great thread!  I forgot they carried Howard Stern, but they did.  They also carried a series of bikini contest shows in the mid to late 90's, along side Howard's show that they called Babewatch.  A whole lot of T&A, and in the days before the internet, probably a great way to get audience for a low power station.   I worked for a company that advertised on that station at the time.

Thanks for clarifying that for me!  I was well outside of 29's broadcast radius at the time (ch. 35, which I could get, didn't show up until Spring of '96) but that 1992 tape of Stern piqued my interest.  I've seen stations in classic TV listings posts that I never imagined would have carried Stern's syndicated early-90s "Channel 9 Show" (the most glaring being an ABC affiliate in Greensboro/High Point, NC who programmed it against SNL). 

Kinda on that subject, WNIR carried the Tom Leykis show for about a year, back around 2000.  I remember some callers into Howie Chizek's show would complain that Leykis was too risque, which always surprised me since Howie strayed into "blue" territory pretty frequently.  Of course, a lot of the fun of Howie's show is the callers who don't get it. 

[OhioMediaWatch]

Howie can do blue and not be blatant about it. Leykis was "can I sign your rack?"  Ironically, the pre-hot talk Leykis may well have been a better fit on WNIR...

Well, if the 29/35 studio is at Broadcast Park, then the Expense Kaiser Bill Won't Pay For would be equipping the WNIR studio for cameras.

I have heard for ages that WNIR paid TWC for cable channel 14 in Akron (now 11), but at least one source I have there vehemently denies it.  Maybe it's a trade deal for doing local radio spots?  Tom Cullison's voice used to be heard on those TWC spots...