WLW - "The Nation's Station"

"The Nation's Station"

WLW currently broadcasts using 50,000 watts of power, the maximum allowed for an AM clear channel broadcaster under current FCC rules.

The high power broadcasts led WLW to call itself "The Nation's Station." WLW also broadcasts using the HD-Radio digital system. Like other stations owned by Clear Channel, WLW uses the iHeartRadio platform to stream its webcast. For a time in the early 1960s, WLW called itself the world's highest fidelity radio station.

WLW powered up to higher wattage a few times during World War II in order to send special broadcasts to American troops in Europe, but has not broadcast regular programming at 500 kW since. The 500 kW transmitting equipment was maintained into the 1960s by site engineers, but it was never operated on-air after 1943.

After sundown, the 50 kW signal can be heard across much of the eastern half of the United States and Canada, and as far west as Denver, Colorado. In 1985 overnight host Dale Sommers received a call from Hawaii on his overnight program. It is believed WLW can be heard, regularly, in at least 38 U.S. states at night, and the station refers to this in some advertising.

The station's first 50 kW transmitter, made by Western Electric, is still functional at 83 years of age and sees occasional service, including on December 31, 1999, when it was powered up and helped to bring WLW into the new year on January 1, 2000. The station's unusual diamond-shaped antenna (designed and erected by Blaw-Knox Tower company) is one of eight still operational in the United States and is featured on the official seal of the City of Mason.

WLW carries games of the Cincinnati Reds, which makes it among the last of the clear channel AM radio stations to carry live Major League Baseball games. Over the years, WLW has also carried Cincinnati Bengals games, University of Cincinnati football & basketball games, Xavier University basketball games and the games of the Cincinnati Royals (now the Sacramento Kings) of the National Basketball Association.