More than four decades after the fictional WKRP signed off, the call letters are alive on Cincinnati radio. On Monday morning, three stations owned by Jeff Ziesmann flipped to the iconic WKRP branding, transforming the former “The Oasis” adult-hits outlets into a real-world version of the station made famous by the 1978–1982 CBS sitcom “WKRP in Cincinnati.” The move drew an immediate surge of listener reaction, with Ziesmann saying the stations’ phone lines were “mobbed” by callers enthused about the nostalgic rebrand.
The stations — serving Cincinnati, northern Kentucky, and Dayton, Ohio — will continue their existing music format, a mix of hits from the 1960s through 1980s with an emphasis on the 1970s, while simulcasting under the WKRP name. The call letters had previously belonged to a low-power FM station in North Carolina, WKRP-LP, operated by a nonprofit. Ziesmann said his group obtained the right to use the letters by making a donation to that nonprofit, which cooperated in the application to the Federal Communications Commission. Because full-power stations are in a different regulatory class, the same call sign can be used simultaneously.
The original WKRP was a sitcom staple, known for its colorful characters including bumbling newsman Les Nessman, played by Richard Sanders. Sanders, reached by email, delivered a line that could have come straight from the show: “I have spoken with Les Nessman regarding the resurrection of WKRP in Cincinnati. After the failure of his dream to replace Walter Cronkite on the CBS evening news, he is hopeful that he can resume his duties as the News, Sports, Weather, Traffic, and Farm Report Director at WKRP.”
Sanders added, in another nod to the series’ running joke about more music and less Nessman, “I think we can all hope that WKRP will return to the airwaves with more music and Les Nessman.”