Radio WQRT-AM (Real Talk 1160)

WQRT (1160 AM) is a radio station licensed to Florence, Kentucky in the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area that carries a conservative talk format primarily from Talk Radio Network.



At 1180 AMWQRT originally signed on in 1984 as WFKB 1180 AM, a 1000 watt daytime-only station licensed to Florence, Kentucky. WFKB was required to sign off at sunset to protect WHAM in Rochester, New York which was - and is - the clear channel station on that frequency. WFKB was a full service station which served northern Kentucky, and offered news every hour along with Adult Contemporary, or MOR music.

WFKB changed to a country format by 1986, and was paired with WIOK-FM in Falmouth, Kentucky as an AM-FM combo. In 1987, WFKB was acquired by Amber Broadcasting. The format was changed to Adult Standards or Nostalgia, and the call letters were changed to WMLX to reflect a former station in the market that had done the same format.

In 1989, WMLX was acquired by Hoker Broadcasting, which also owned then-WOFX-FM at 94.9 MHz. The two stations were affiliated until 1992, when WOFX-FM was sold to Heritage Media. WMLX was then a stand-alone station, and was purchased in 1993 by KLM Communications, which was headed by Dr. Kenneth L. McDowell.New owner, new formatDespite the nighttime limitations, the station's new, more powerful signal caught the attention of Chancellor Media, which owned WUBE-AM & FM and WYGY-FM in Cincinnati. In 1995, WUBE-AM - at 1000 watts on 1230 AM - had begun running a sports-talk format known as "1230 The Score."

Programming consisted of "Imus in the Morning," The Fabulous Sports Babe, a local afternoon show, and network programming from One-On-One Sports in the evening and on weekends. Chancellor purchased WKYN in 1996 and moved "The Score" to the more powerful WKYN signal.

While the new "Score" was much more powerful during the day, WKYN's nighttime signal was lacking (as noted above) in areas north of the Ohio River and east of downtown Cincinnati where WUBE-AM had provided a strong signal.The home of the BengalsAt the conclusion of the 1996 NFL season, WKYN stunned the local radio and sports communities by winning the rights to be the official home of the Cincinnati Bengals for three seasons. The games would also be simulcast on powerhouse sister station WUBE-FM, the city's dominant Country station.

On Cincinnati Reds opening day in 1997, the station changed call letters to WBOB and became known as "1160 BOB." The station eventually dropped syndicated programming during the day, and ran a live and local sports talk format from 6:00 AM to 7:00 PM each weekday. There were also various live weekend shows. During this time, WUBE and WBOB became a sports combo, simulcasting some programs to make up for individual signal deficiencies. The stronger 1160 AM was known as "BOB", while 1230 AM was known as "BOB 2", similar to the ESPN and ESPN2 cable networks.

In 1999, WBOB's parent company - by then known as AMFM, Inc. - merged with Clear Channel Communications. Because Clear Channel already owned the maximum number of stations allowed in the Cincinnati market, WBOB was spun off to Salem Communications, along with sister station WYGY-FM (now WFTK and owned by Cumulus Media). WUBE-AM (now WDBZ) was sold to Blue Chip Broadcasting, while WUBE-FM was sold to Infinity Broadcasting.

Bengals play-by-play then shifted to competing all-sports station "1360 Homer" WCKY and "92.5 The Fox" WOFX-FM, both of which were owned by Clear Channel. In addition, WLW would also carry the games once the Reds season ended, giving the network three flagship stations. Most of the WBOB hosts also made the transition to WCKY at this time, which is still the arrangement, even though WCKY now broadcasts at 1530 AM. As of September 2008, the FM simulcast for Bengals games was moved to WEBN-FM 102.7. Due to the privatization of Clear Channel, the company is required by the FCC to divest WOFX-FM.History of the WDJO call signThe WDJO call sign was previously used by another oldies station on 1230 AM from 1985 to 1990 in the Cincinnati area which is now urban talker WDBZ.

The WDJO call sign was also used by 106.5 FM in Greenville, Ohio (Dayton market) when it aired a Jammin' Oldies format. That station is now WDSJ.