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DAYTON AREA BROADCASTER’S HALL OF FAME

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WDAO FM

WDAO-FM Dayton's Stereo Soul GIANT!!

Some college radio textbooks would have you believe that "Urban Contemporary" radio began as an outgrowth of the disco format of the 1970's. We'd like to respectfully disagree.

Radio aimed at the African-American audience has been around since about the time the DJ was invented in the 1950's. Stations like WGCI in Chicago, WAOK in Atlanta and others entertained that audience, as well as a good portion of white teenagers who found they just "dug" the music.

The only issue with some of these early, legendary Urban stations was that, all too often, the stations were relegated to "high on the dial" AM frequencies which made listening a challenge in some portions of big cities.

But, in 1964, something happened that began to change that. And it began in Dayton, Ohio. When owner H.K. "Bud" Crowl got a license for a 50,000 watt FM station at 107.7 on the dial. Searching for a format that would make the station unique, Bud hired legendary WING DJ Gene "By Golly" Barry as a radio consultant and the decision was made to put on the air an FM station aimed at the African-American audience.

The call letters they came up with were "WDAO", which stood, simply for "DAyton, Ohio" (there are wags out there that would try to convince you otherwise, but they are just dead wrong).

The station began in a tool room in the back of the then-WAVI building...then moved to a trailer...and eventually, moved to the completed WAVI Broadcasting Corporation building at 1400 Cincinnati Street in Dayton.

Oddly enough, some of the first WDAO jocks were actually white. Bill "Biggie B.C." Carr and Barry, himself to mention a few. But, that did change. As the station grew, it would sport a more racially-integrated staff. And Barry moved over to Crowl's WAVI in 1970.

10-77, WDAO ("50 thousand watts - soundin' like a million!") became a powerhouse FM. At times during the 1960's and especially in the 1970's as FM music radio began to take off, WDAO would, at times, sport double-digit ratings, and often competed with WHIO AM-FM for the #1 ranking.

During a good portion of the 1970's, WDAO's programming was headed up by John C. "Turk" Logan (now "Dr. John C. Logan" at Central State University.) So big did 'DAO's influence become on the music of the day that artists like Bootsy Collins, Lakeside, Heatwave, Parliament, The Ohio Players, and others might not have been as big as they became had WDAO not spun their tunes. To get your song added on "DAO" got artists noticed. Many urban stations of the day looked to what WDAO was adding.

The WDAO legend on FM continued until WAVI and WDAO were sold in the early 1980's. The new owners, intending to change the format on 107.7, spun WAVI off to its' new owner, Jim Johnson (who spent many years selling commercials on WDAO-FM). Johnson retained WDAO's "intellectual property", and had the FCC reassign the WDAO call letters to WAVI's frequency at 1210 AM. It remains there today, and is still popular with Dayton's urban adult audience with a musical blend of Urban Adult Contemporary, Soul, Jazz, Blues and Gospel and yes, even talk programming. But, the legacy of WDAO proved that format could work on FM, and thus, more stations came on the air with full-fidelity stereo broadcasts, and continued to prove the Urban format got listeners, ratings and revenue.

The photos below come from the collection of Dr. John C. "Turk" Logan, who we thank for his contribution.

WDAO-FM Staffers at an event on Courthouse Square Downtown-1970's

We know WDAO-FM played some "hot music", but radioactive? On the left, WDAO-FM Music Director Langford "The Man" Stevens, with on right, WDAO-FM Program Director, Turk Logan.

Brother Stanley Henry, Dayton's veteran Gospel radio personality, entertained WDAO listeners weekdays from 5-6 AM and, on Sunday morning from 5 AM till Noon.

Long time WDAO-FM Program Director "Turk" Logan in the programming offices in the WAVI/WDAO building at 1400 Cincinnati Street in Dayton.

And just who knew WDAO was a powerhouse radio station?
Eddie Levert and the "Mighty"O' Jays visit outside the WAVI/WDAO studios.

"Dynomite!!!" Jimmie, "JJ" Walker with Turk Logan in the WDAO-FM Control Room.

Turk Logan (left) with the man who brought us the "Theme From Shaft", Issac Hayes.

Turk Logan (3rd from right) with Clarence "Satch" Satchell of the Ohio Players (at far left)

The sound quality is a bit thin, but here is an early 1980's air check of WDAO-FM. In the "air chair", from studios at 1400 Cincinnati Street is weekend jock Greg Abbott.