| City of license | Eaton, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Dayton, Ohio |
| Branding | "Fly 92.9" |
| Slogan | "We Play Anything" |
| Frequency | 92.9 MHz |
| First air date | November 28, 1960 (as WCTM) |
| Format | Adult Hits |
| ERP | 40,000 watts |
| HAAT | 168 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 25043 |
| Callsign meaning | "We're Great Trails Z-93"(Former station branding) |
| Former callsigns | WCTM-FM (1959-1972) WJAI (1972-1984) |
| Owner | Main Line Broadcasting |
| Sister stations | WDHT, WING, WCLI-FM, WROU-FM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | fly929.com |
WGTZ "Fly 92.9"(for "Great Trails Z-93" the original call sign meaning) is a commercial FM station licensed in Eaton, Ohio at 92.9 MHz serving the Dayton and Springfield market area with an Adult Hits format. The previous CHR/Pop format commenced Sunday, March 15, 1984 at Noon when Dayton-based Great Trails Broadcasting owned the station at the time. First song played was Kenny Loggins "Footloose", kicking off 10,093 songs in a row. Fly 92.9 began airing on November 2, 2007 following a day of stunting, with the first song played being Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like An Eagle". It is currently owned by Pennsylvania-based Main Line Broadcasting.
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Founded in 1959 as WCTM co-founded by Stanley Coning and three other business partners (dba:Western Ohio Broadcasting Service Inc.) and took to the air in November 1960. WCTM-FM aired mostly beautiful music but was essentially a middle of the road format in the beginning. Its original FM tower still stands today on North Barron Street in downtown Eaton near the Norfolk Southern Railway crossing with the original call letters still intact. In the 1960s,Coning was locked out of the station in an attempt by his partners to take over the operation but were taken to court. Coning won and became the sole owner. He originally wanted an AM station first but was unable to obtain a license at the time so he went for the FM license. A serious heart attack in the early 1970s forced him to put the station up for sale while at the same time Great Trails was looking to acquire an FM station as a sister for its Dayton AM station WING when no more commercial FM frequencies in Dayton were available. WCTM-FM was the logical choice. Coning sold the station and eventually was granted an AM frequency several years after his health improved. WCTM-AM was on the air from 1981 until 2004 when he retired and sold the station due to failing health and age. That station is now WEDI simulcasting WBZI(AM) in Xenia with a country oldies format.
After the station was acquired the calls were changed to WJAI (for "Jai-Alai" a popular game in Florida.) Great Trails purchase of the station did not include the existing studio. Former owner Stan Coning obliged by constructing a temporary studio in the basement of his home in Eaton; the quirky studio consisted of a rack along the left wall with aged broadcasting gear, an ancient Gates "Yard" audio board in front, a washer/dryer and toilet along the back wall. Access to the basement studio was through a windowed sliding door. WJAI-FM remained at this location for nearly three years. Former owner, Stan Coning was employed as the on-site engineer, Program Director John Robertson rarely visited the studios, maintaining his Dayton, Ohio address. Robertson was a former WING-Dayton on-air personality, promoted to managing the station and its low-maintenance format. Robertson hired Doug Ritter (Doug Ritterling), as one of WJAI's first announcers- Ritter was only 16 years of age. Ritter later became a news anchor at WING-Dayton. Great Trails purchase of WJAI was motivated by a possibility of a transmitter power increase, and access to the much larger Dayton market. The power increase was finally approved by the FCC after a prolonged legal battle with owners of two Dayton stations; the owners protested establishment of a new competing station in the Dayton market.
WJAI's first "official" studios were moved to a movie theater which had been converted to an office building at the corner of Sommers and North Barron streets in downtown Eaton. The beautiful music continued under the new nickname "WJ-93" until 1979 when it switched to country music giving competition to WONE (AM) in Dayton and WBZI in Xenia (then at 95.3 FM.) By this time Kim Faris was on board doing mid-days as one of the first women DJs in the Dayton market area. She was joined by afternoon personality Ron Scott. Doug Davisson did the 7 to midnight shift after leaving WONE AM in the early 1980s. The studios would eventually move to its current location at 717 E. David Rd. in early 1986, where it would join clustermate 1410 WING AM.
In the early 1980s, the syndicated Al Ham's "Music Of Your Life" a big band/ballad-themed 1940s/early 50s format was gaining a following on stations in Indianapolis,Chicago and other market areas. WJAI did its own take on the format though they themselves furnished the music instead. The format ran from 1982 to 1984.
The Z-93 nickname has been used by many hit stations since the late 1970s in other radio market areas, so Great Trails gave the nickname a try while at the same time moving the Top 40 format over from WING to the newer FM. In the spring of 1984, the nostalgia format was dropped becoming WGTZ "Z-93" playing "Ten Thousand and Ninety Three In A Row" without commercial interruption.
The catchy top of hour legal ID "WGTZ, Eaton/Dayton and Springfield ALIVE!" first caught the attention of listeners that same year when there was no contemporary hit station in Dayton at the time. Earlier in the decade WING switched to adult contemporary mixed with oldies and the former WDJX in Xenia (transplanted to Beavercreek as WYMJ "Majic 104"...later "Oldies 104") followed suit. Former album rocker WVUD, then owned by The University of Dayton tried its hand as a hit format for a brief time but was later sold and became AC WLQT "Lite 100", and later, Lite 99.9.
Great Trails also owned Z-93's then sister stations WCOL and WXGT in Columbus. WCOL 1230 AM was Columbus' heritage Top-40 station through the 1970s. WCOL-FM 92.3 played album-oriented progressive rock music. Largely because of the demise of AM radio, Great Trails abandoned Top-40 music on its AM station and moved it to its FM signal. WCOL-FM changed its call letters to WXGT and became more commonly known as 92X, Columbus' first and most popular contemporary hit station. It was largely due to the success of 92X that Great Trails made the decision to bring the format to Dayton. WXGT and WGTZ were virtual clones of each other, using similar playlists, imaging, jingles and even station logos. On November 1, 2007, "Z-93" began a countdown clock to a new format.
King and Dorsey (originally afternoons at WING) came to Z-93 in 1984 being the first "Morning Crew" for a year. They were followed by "Dr. Dave" Gross and Wild Bill taking the reins from March 1985 until 1987, when it became known as simply "The Z Morning Zoo". During their first ratings sweep, "Dr. Dave" and Wild Bill doubled the morning show's arbitron ratings, and within one year became the first morning show in Dayton radio to unseat the #1 ranked WHIO morning show (hosted by Lou Emm for over 40 consecutive years). Alan Kaye replaced Wild Bill as Dr. Dave's side-kick in November 1987. Dr. Dave would leave in March 1990, replaced briefly by Humble Billy Hayes.
In June 1990, night jock Joe Momma replaced Hayes. Todd Hollst, who was doing overnights, began producing comedy bits doing stunts for the show. In March 1991, Alan Kaye would be fired under controversy, which would result in a later lawsuit from Kaye, which he would win. Joe Momma's new co-host was Sandy Donovan.
In March 1992, Jeff Wicker was hired as the new Z-93 Morning Show host, and Momma and Donovan were fired, and the "Z Morning Zoo" name was permanently retired. Kim Faris, who had been doing news at the station since Marita Matray departed in 1990, was named Wicker's new co-host, along with Producer Dave. Booger Johnson would later replace Dave in 1995 as Morning Show Producer. Wicker left the station in August 1995, replaced briefly by The Hawkman, and then Jack Pohl, with the morning show being called simply "Jack and Kim in the Morning".
After Pohl left to take the position of Sports Director at local TV station WDTN-TV 2 in 1997, he was replaced by comedians Rob Haney and Chili Challis, who along with Faris would be referred to as "The Z-93 Morning Show". Haney left WGTZ in March, 1998, and was replaced by long-time afternoon drive host Sean Roberts. Challis would leave in mid-1998. Roberts left in June 1999.
After two months of Scott Sharp subbing, Jim Wheeler was hired in August, 1999, and the show would now be known as "Jim and Kim in the Morning". Campy moved over to Z-93 after WING-FM changed formats in August 2001 and became the third host, along with Jim and Kim, and the show became known as "Z-93 Mornings with Jim, Kim, and Campy". Wheeler would leave in mid-March, 2002, and the show was known as "The Morning Z with Kim and Campy."
Faris was moved to middays in August, 2002(See below), leaving Campy solo in the morning as a search for a new morning host was underway. Scott Mallory was eventually hired and debuted on Monday, March 17, 2003, and the show would be known until the end of Z-93 (on November 1, 2007) as "The Morning Z with Mallory and Campy". Kim Faris stayed on at the station doing mid-days until 2006 when she was inducted into the Ohio Broadcasters Hall Of Fame. She announced her departure from the Z-93 airstaff in December of that year and thanked her many fans who sent in countless letters and e-mails thanking her for a job well done. In 2007, Faris was also inducted into the Dayton Area Broadcasters Hall of Fame. She was joined by fellow broadcasters from WING's hit music era including Kathy O'Conner Bow, Charlie Reeder, Bill Nance and Reetha Phillips. Faris returned to the air in the summer of 2007 as the morning personality of competitor WLQT, where she remains on-air today as the afternoon host.
Its studios are located at 717 E. David Road in Kettering, the same location as its AM sister WING with its transmitter moved in 1985 to Brookville between Eaton and Englewood, where it broadcasts at 40,000 watts. It currently shares its studio location with Rhythmic CHR WDHT "Hot 102.9" and Urban AC 92.1 WROU-FM.
On May 17, 2007 Philadelphia-based Main Line Broadcasting announced the acquisition of Radio One's stations in the Dayton and Louisville market areas.[1] Main Line took over the Dayton stations on September 14, 2007.[2]
On Thursday, November 1, 2007, all of the Z-93 DJs were let go or reassigned within the Main Line / Dayton radio cluster. The last song played on Z-93 was "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day, followed by an announcement that Z-93 would be changing formats the following day.
According to the Dayton Daily News on Nov. 2, 2007, Z-93 was expected to switch to a Variety Hits format as "92.9 Jack FM," this according to Radio Online.[3]
At Noon on Friday, November 2, 2007 "FLY 92.9" debuted with the tag line "We Play Anything." The first song played was "Fly Like An Eagle" by The Steve Miller band, followed by Sugar Ray's "Fly", and Bryan Adams "Summer of '69" after a full day of on-air "stunting" using a synthesized-like countdown voice and Pink Floyd "On The Run"-styled electronic sweeps.
In August, 2008, Danielle became the first on-air personality, airing from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturdays. In January, 2010, Christina was added as Morning Traffic Reporter/Board Operator.
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