Sometime ago, NEO Airchecks promised an upcoming feature about Canton's onetime Top 40 powerhouse, WINW/1520. The aircheck in question was misplaced and therefore unavailable for posting here. Thankfully, another recording of the station commonly known as "Win-Wonderful" has found its way to the blog's editor. In this aircheck from May 1976, PD Jonathan Holly is at the helm for morning drive. This appears to be an edited version of a tape that was recently posted on Airchexx.com. Special thanks to Wes Boyd of Youngstown, Ohio for this submission.
Despite the restrictions of being a daytimer, WINW was still riding high in the Canton ratings book a little more than a decade after entering the market. Around the same time as this broadcast, Canton's WQIO/1060 switched to its popular "Q-10" Top 40 format. As a result, a significant number of WINW listeners defected to WQIO. While "Win-Wonderful" would soldier on under PD Keith London, WQIO's success would force WINW to leave the format by 1981. WQIO soon fell victim to the limitations of its daytimer status and emerging FM music formats in the market.
Repeated vandalism at the station's transmitter site knocked WINW off the air in September of 2010. Its urban gospel format briefly returned to the local airwaves, but again fell silent within a few months' time. The station's license was deleted by the Federal Communications Commission in March 2011. Owner Pinebrook pushed for reinstatement, and the request was later granted by the FCC. As of November 4, 2011, the station remains silent.
