Mid-Ohio's Bobby McFerrin Station

When OMW posted the item below about WQIO/93.7 Mount Vernon stunting, we'd forgotten that we can pick up the station - at least enough to confirm its stunting - right here down the street from OMW's northwest Akron World Headquarters. And indeed, now that we've heard it with our own ears...it's a Bobby McFerrin "Don't Worry, Be Happy" marathon on the station formerly known as "93Q".

The changes are listed in a bit more detail by Dylan McCament in Friday's Mount Vernon News. (Thanks to Radio-Info Cleveland board regular Nathan Obral for the tip.)

It turns out the move displaces four station personalities, including veteran Mount Vernon radio voice Ron Staats, who's been with the stations for nearly 30 years. It would seem that Staats will return in some capacity, as soon as he and new owner BAS Broadcasting figure out how. BAS's CEO - Tom Klein - tells the News that they're looking to cut expenses, which would presumably signal that the new station will have a satellite-delivered format, as has been rumored in the region.

Two other ex-93Q folks are staying with Clear Channel, as they're reportedly heading for Mansfield's Y105 (WYHT/105.3). That station has recently moved more towards CHR, as it's picking up the listeners abandoned by the former Kiss FM 98.3/107.7 combo. Those two stations were recently bolted onto classic rock WFXN/102.3 Galion as "The Fox Rock Network". Oh, and an early Sunday morning tip of the hat to an OMW reader who corrected us on the calls of the original "Fox" rocker - 102.3 shed the WGLN calls it had for 5 years, according to the FCC, in early 2002. It's now WFXN-FM, so a Clear Channel AM in Moline IL could pick up the WFXN(AM) calls.

Klein repeated WQIO's current stunting theme - "don't worry, be happy" - and says they'll be unveiling changes at noon on Monday. Through the static, if we aim the car in the right direction, OMW will try to listen...