WDRK (106.5 FM) was a

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

Greenville, Ohio Greenville is a city in Darke County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is near Ohio's western edge, about northwest of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton. The population was 12,786 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Indigenous ...

, United States. It was last owned and operated by Lewel Broadcasting, Inc. The station operated for more than 25 years, much of the last decade in a fight with the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

over the renewal of its

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which va ...

History

WDRK began broadcasting April 14, 1962. Originally owned by John D. Kennedy and Lewis Froikin under the name Kennedy Broadcasting, Inc., it was the first radio station in Darke County, broadcasting from studios at the intersection of State Route 49 and

US 127 U.S. Route 127 (US 127) is a north–south U.S. Highway in the eastern half of the United States. The southern terminus of the route is at US 27 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The northern terminus is at Interstate 75 (I-75) near ...

. The owners bought FM station WMER in Celina in 1968. The name on the license was changed to Lewel Broadcasting in 1969; by this time, the station was run by general manager Lee Rutherford and program director Ron Rumley, both formerly of

WIFE A wife (: wives) is a woman in a marital relationship. A woman who has separated from her partner continues to be a wife until their marriage is legally dissolved with a divorce judgment; or until death, depending on the kind of marriage. On t ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. In the early 1970s, Rumley chose

Drake-Chenault Drake-Chenault Enterprises (originally American Independent Radio Inc.) was a radio syndication company that specialized in automation on FM radio stations. The company was founded in the late-1960s by radio programmer and deejay Bill Drake ...

's "Hit Parade" MOR automated format to significantly upgrade the sound. The two also renovated the studios, with a new station logo that recalled the former WIFE. In 1971, the FCC ordered WDRK off the air for failing to respond to repeated requests for information in connection with that year's license renewal, dismissing the renewal application for failure to prosecute; the station was allowed to continue and given a short-term renewal. The station received a normal renewal in 1973. In 1976, WDRK filed again to renew its license. The FCC, charging the station had falsified program logs and committed other violations, designated the case for hearing on May 26, 1977. Opposite the WDRK renewal application, Korin Broadcasting filed for a construction permit for a new station on the frequency. The commission found in March 1981 that Lewel was unqualified to be a licensee due to the repeated violations and granted the Korin application. While WDRK appealed the bid, it ran into other trouble.

Broadcast Music, Inc. Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 22.4 milli ...

sued WDRK in 1984 for playing 18 songs represented by the performing rights organization without a license. The station was able to remain on the air until 1989, as WLSN, the construction permit held by Korin, was still not built. WDRK signed off in 1989, leaving the 106.5 frequency vacant until WLSN finally signed on October 26, 1990.

References

{{reflist Radio stations disestablished in 1989 Greenville, Ohio DRK Defunct radio stations in the United States 1989 disestablishments in Ohio DRK Radio stations established in 1962 1962 establishments in Ohio