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Draft:WKLR-FM

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WKLR-FM was a pioneering soul and R&B formatted FM radio station based in Toledo, Ohio, that operated during the late 1960s on 99.9 MHz. Branded as KOOLER Radio and later Super Soul KLR, it was Toledo’s first full-time urban contemporary FM station, designed to serve the city’s African-American and progressive music audiences.

WKLR-FM played a key cultural role during the civil rights era by offering around-the-clock broadcasts of soul, funk and jazz at a time when Black voices and music were largely underrepresented on FM radio.

History

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WKLR-FM began as the FM counterpart of WTOD (AM), both operated by Booth American Broadcasting. It officially launched a new soul format in 1966 under general manager Robert Martz and was located at 3225 Arlington Avenue, sharing facilities with WTOD-AM."Legal Notice: WTOD/WKLR License". The Toledo Blade. July 19, 1967. p. 52.

An early promotional ad described the format as “24 Hours of Super Sonic Soul,” featuring artists like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, The Temptations and Otis Redding."WKLR 999 FM Soul Survey – July 1, 1968". Las-Solanas.com. Retrieved June 20, 2025 from https://las-solanas.com/arsa/surveys_item.php?sv=17603

Popular on-air personalities included Calvin "Baby" Richards, Chuckie Chuck Welch, and Mark Lawrence Vosko (billed as "Motivating Mark Lawrence"). Other WKLR DJs such as Russ Charles, Ty Amos, and Rita Mur-Ray hosted their own shows in 1967 and 1968.

A devastating fire in March 1968 destroyed the shared WTOD/WKLR facilities, briefly knocking both stations off the air."$75,000 Fire Gags 2 Stations". The Toledo Blade. March 18, 1968. p. 17. Though KOOLER Radio returned, it struggled to reclaim its previous audience and advertising support in a rapidly shifting radio landscape.

Transition to WKKO

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In the early 1980s, Booth American repurposed the 99.9 MHz frequency for country music as "K100." The FCC formally changed the call sign from WKLR to WKKO in 1986."WKLR Becomes WKKO". The Toledo Blade. March 7, 1986. p. 33.

Legacy

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WKLR-FM is remembered as Toledo’s earliest FM soul station and a cultural landmark that gave voice to Black music, DJs and community life in the pre-syndicated radio era. Its legacy is preserved in public library archives, aircheck recordings and retrospective journalism.

The Toledo Lucas County Public Library features WKLR in its 2021 retrospective "A Week of African American Music History.""A Week of African American Music History". Toledo Library Blog. February 26, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2025 from https://www.toledolibrary.org/blog/a-week-of-african-american-music-history

Veteran DJ Chuckie Chuck Welch’s career is profiled in the Sojourner’s Truth: "Chucky Chuck: The Voice of the Juice". Retrieved June 20, 2025.

Archival WKLR audio playlists are hosted on Mixcloud ("The Big Soul Rocker") and SoundCloud ("WKLR Soul Archives"). Retrieved June 20, 2025.

References

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WKLR July 1968 Soul Survey at Las-Solanas

WKLR Mixcloud Archives

WKLR SoundCloud Archives

Sojourner’s Truth – Chucky Chuck Profile

WTOD (AM)

WKKO

Markie Mach (talk) 03:28, 21 June 2025 (UTC)