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97.7 FM Rebrands as WKRP-FM, Launches Classic Rock Tribute

5/5/2026

Summary

Ziesmann Launches WKRP

Jeff Ziesmann and Randy Michaels rebranded 97.7 FM as WKRP-FM on May 4 2026 after buying the letters from a Raleigh nonprofit.
The launch looped the WKRP theme from midnight until a 6 a.m. welcome by Gary Sandy.
WKRP-FM, which will play 1,800 rock and pop tracks from the 1960s-1980s and joins Ziesmann’s network with WOXY 94.5 FM in Englewood and WNKR 106.7 FM in Williamstown, is described by Ziesmann as a tribute, not a parody.

Summary

Oasis Secures WKRP

The Oasis secured an agreement with Oak City Media that lets its Ohio-Kentucky stations use WKRP call letters.
The donation was framed as buying the right to file an FCC application for letters, not a direct purchase.
97.7 WOXY-FM will become WKRP-FM from the former WPFB-FM tower in Middletown.
WYDB-FM (94.5) in Englewood will be retired.
The network will simulcast across Cincinnati, northern Kentucky and Dayton, reaching 135,000-145,000 weekly listeners.

Summary

WKRP Expands Coverage

WKRP's signal spans about 150 miles along I-75, from New Bremen to Monroe, Ohio, and from Sidney to Independence, Kentucky.
WKRP's on-air team—Dave Mason, Ernie Brown and John “BMAN” Beaulieu—brands the station as “the Oasis in a desert,” a fresh alternative in a musical desert market.
Station officials say the library holds thousands of 1960s-80s hits, far more than the few hundred songs typical of local FM outlets.

History

Historical Context

When Hugh Wilson’s sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati debuted on CBS on September 18 1978, its fictional call letters captured the radio industry’s imagination, prompting stations like Cincinnati’s WKRC to embrace the free publicity. After four seasons, the show’s cultural imprint led Oak City Media’s Oasis network, headed by Jeff Ziesmann and Randy Michaels, to secure the real WKRP call sign for 97.7 FM in 2024.

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Ziesmann Launches WKRP

Jeff Ziesmann and Randy Michaels rebranded 97.7 FM as WKRP-FM on May 4 2026 after buying the letters from a Raleigh nonprofit.
The launch looped the WKRP theme from midnight until a 6 a.m. welcome by Gary Sandy.
WKRP-FM, which will play 1,800 rock and pop tracks from the 1960s-1980s and joins Ziesmann’s network with WOXY 94.5 FM in Englewood and WNKR 106.7 FM in Williamstown, is described by Ziesmann as a tribute, not a parody.

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