WEOL moves to digital streaming in June

ELYRIA — Lorain County's AM/FM news, sports and talk radio station WEOL will move to a fully digital format early next month. WEOL, owned by the Lorain County Printing and Publishing Company, which also owns The Chronicle-Telegram, has sold its FCC license and will be found only on its app or website once the sale is finalized. St. Peter the Rock Media, a Catholic AM radio station based in Broadview Heights, purchased WEOL's FCC license for an undisclosed price. The license allows it to operate on AM 930 and 100.3 FM. "As we're looking to move things forward, digital is the place where radio's going, the same way it is for a lot of traditional media," said Bill Hudnutt, Lorain County Printing and Publishing Company president. "It's taking a leap, of course, but at the same time, what we're looking to do is not unheard of." Lorain County Printing and Publishing Company also owns The Chronicle-Telegram, the Medina Gazette, WLKR Radio and K96 FM Radio. The change to digital only affects WEOL. The radio station's financial situation played a part in the decision, Hudnutt said, but it was not the only factor. "There's a lot of equity in the WEOL brand, we've been around for over 75 years," he said. "The heart and soul (of the station) is local sports and community news and we can still carry the mission forward doing it online." Once the switch occurs, listeners will tune into WEOL not by searching via radio dial, but by pulling up the station's app on their phones or listening to it via a web browser. Lorain County Printing and Publishing Company leased the space WEOL was in previously; the towers on the Elyria station already have been dismantled and staff moved to The Chronicle-Telegram's office in Elyria. Gerald Monroe, chairman of St. Peter The Rock radio station's parent company, said in a statement that it was an honor and privilege for his station to succeed WEOL on the AM 930 and FM 100.3 signals. "We are looking forward to serving the community for years to come, bringing the good news of our lord and savior Jesus Christ," Monroe said. WEOL On-air contributor Jared Kozar said listeners who are used to the current programming at WEOL will see a new focus on community news and sports in the station's new digital age. "If you're comfortable with WEOL's product now, you'll be comfortable next week," Kozar said. While the sale means coverage of Cleveland sports teams like the Guardians and Cavaliers no longer will anchor the station, it plans to double down on local high school sports while exploring other content options, Kozar said. As time goes on, digital broadcasting will open up coverage options — as a single person can operate the equipment from a game or event — and may give way to other coverage areas. "You're going to have somebody like Rocco (Nuosci) maybe develop some more products for him to talk about that he's not currently exploring," Kozar said. "He's got a wealth of knowledge in terms of racing and that's a sport that we never would have thought to tackle previously." The change is a chance to "home grow" new products and shows, Kozar said, which may include content shared between The Chronicle-Telegram's sports desk and WEOL. Hudnutt said it may take time to grow the infrastructure, but digital streaming allows WEOL to broadcast from anywhere its hosts have a stable internet connection. As for sponsors and advertisers, the digital platform will see hosts read during games like the traditional advertising on WEOL while offering the chance to provide digital marketing on its website and in the app. The switch has been in the works for about 18 months, Hudnutt said. He assured listeners the "DNA of WEOL is going nowhere." He compared it to The Chronicle-Telegram and Medina Gazette's switch to print and e-edition papers — both still carry the same local news coverage readers rely on the same way WEOL will broadcast the games and talk radio listeners care about. "The same way it is expensive to run a press is the same way it is expensive to maintain tower sites," he said of the radio station. "... There comes a point where you can either use your resources to maintain what you have or invest moving forward." The WEOL app is available for free in the Google Play and Apple App stores. Contact Carissa Woytach at cwoytach@chroniclet.com.