WNNF

WNNF (94.1 FM) is a radio station with a country music format in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. Its studios are located in North Cincinnati and the transmitter site is just northeast of downtown.

WNNF
CityCincinnati, Ohio
Broadcast areaCincinnati, Ohio
Frequency94.1 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingCat Country 94.1
Slogan53-Minute Mega-Music Cat-A-Thons Every Hour!
Programming
FormatCountry
Ownership
OwnerCumulus Media
(Cumulus Licensing LLC)
WGRR, WOFX, WRRM, WFTK
History
First air date
1955 (as WSAI-FM)
Former call signs
WSAI-FM (1955-1983)
WKXF (1983-1985)
WWNK (1985-1997)
WVMX (1997-2007)
Call sign meaning
W NiNety-Four-One
Technical information
Facility ID59593
ClassB
ERP16,000 watts
HAAT264 meters
Transmitter coordinates
39°6′59.00″N 84°30′7.00″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteCat Country 94.1

History

The station started in 1955, and in the early 1970s, switched to a Top 40/Oldies format. In 1976, the station became WSAI-FM and played Rock n Roll. In 1981, the station changed to a country format, and became WKXF ("Kix 94.1"). During late summer 1985, the station briefly switched to a CHR format branded as "K-Rock 94". Several weeks later on August 26, 1985, the station switched to Adult Contemporary WWNK ("Wink 94.1").[1] This lasted until September 19, 1997, when WVMX ("Mix 94.1") made its debut with a hot adult contemporary format that was patterned after then-sister station WMVX in Cleveland.[2] In 2006, the station started leaning towards Rhythmic AC after the station had begun carrying Whoopi Goldberg's Wake Up With Whoopi show. The station became "Radio 94.1" at Noon on September 10, 2007, changed call letters to WNNF and dropped Goldberg's show as the station flipped to Modern AC. The first song on "Radio" was "Possession" by Sarah McLachlan.[3][4] On August 1, 2008, then-owners Clear Channel put WNNF up for sale, along with sister station WOFX, to settle regulatory issues involved with the company's sale to private equity firms. On January 3, 2009, Cumulus Media was chosen as a buyer and swapped 5 of their radio stations in Wisconsin to make this transaction complete.[5]

On March 8, 2009, the station began calling itself "Renew 94.1", asking listeners' input on what path the station should take on its website.[6] Later that month, it relaunched its format as "Frequency 94.1", but with a slight difference than what it was as "Radio".[7][8] The station had a slight adult album alternative (AAA) lean, patterned from Cumulus's recently launched AAA stations in Houston and Nashville, which later evolved into a full-fledged AAA in late 2009, dropping most pop acts and leaving competitor WKRQ as the only hot AC station in Cincinnati. It was one of two commercial AAA stations in Ohio, the other being WNWV in Cleveland. The station's ratings began falling during this time.

On May 18, 2011, at noon, after playing "Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town" by Pearl Jam, WNNF began stunting with a "wheel of formats" that was predominantly classic country, oldies, all Michael Jackson, CHR, smooth jazz, urban oldies and urban AC, as well as playing news and history bits from Cincinnati history. The station promoted a new format that would be launched on May 20 at 9:41 AM.[9] At exactly the promised time, the station flipped back to Hot AC as "Journey 94-1: 90's, 80's, & Now!" with a heavy emphasis on 1980s and 1990s music. The first song aired on "Journey" was "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey.[10][11] Throughout its run as "Journey", the station's ratings were not satisfactory, usually peaking below a 2 share (#18).

On New Year's Day, 2012, at Noon, without warning, WNNF changed its format to country, branded as "Great Country 94.1".[12] The final song on "Journey" was "I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas, while the first song on "Great Country" was "This Is Country Music" by Brad Paisley.

On February 7, 2014, at 5 PM, after playing "Friday Night" by Eric Paslay, WNNF rebranded as "Nash FM 94.1", following a trend established by other Cumulus-owned country music stations.[13] The first song on "Nash" was "Radio" by Darius Rucker.

On October 1, 2019, WNNF rebranded as "94.1 Cat Country" with generally no other changes to the schedule. The station's playlist also shifted to a model each hour where commercials play in a seven-minute block, with the remaining 53 minutes consisting of uninterrupted music.[14]

Other logos
  • Logo used from 1997 until September 2007 during the "Mix" era.
  • Logo used from September 2007 until March 2009.
  • Logo used as "Journey 94.1" from May 2011 to January 2012.
  • Logo as Nash FM, January 2014 to October 2019.

References
  1. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1985/RR-1985-08-30.pdf
  2. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1997/RR-1997-09-26.pdf
  3. https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/57/wvmx-cincinnati-becomes-radio-941/
  4. http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/29847/cincinnati-change-mix-94-1-morphs-to-radio-94-1
  5. Ownership swap is in the works for 5 area radio stations - Green Bay Press-Gazette (released January 3, 2009)
  6. http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/54406/wnnf-asks-for-listener-input-on-renew-94-1?ref=search
  7. https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/803/whats-the-frequency-cincinnati/
  8. http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/55135/wnnf-becomes-frequency-94-1?ref=search
  9. http://fmairchecks.com/2011/05/31/94-1-wnnf-cincinnati-stunt-loop-5192011/
  10. https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/32922/cumulus-changes-the-frequency-in-cincinnati/
  11. http://formatchange.com/wnnf-becomes-journey-94-1/
  12. http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/55108/journey-94-1-cincinnati-flips-to-great-country/#.TwDMzZiqC70
  13. Nash Comes to Cincinnati
  14. WNNF Cincinnati Drops Nash For Cat Country
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