It has been a month of Cindi Lauper following Billy Joel, and then Prince’s “1999” before “Don’t You” by Simple Minds.
Since Jan. 3, listeners have called and they have used the radio station’s social media platforms to request songs from the 1970’s, 80’s, and 90’s as soon as they hear the words “Good Morning WOMP Campers.”
And it has been a glorious month for John “Johnny O” Wilson and thousands of listeners throughout the Upper Ohio Valley and across the country.
“It’s been fantastic, it really has been,” Wilson said. “The response has been overwhelming, too, and not just from this area but across the country thanks to the stream on ShoutCAST Radio. I’ve heard from listeners from Daytona, Fla., from folks in Texas, and Arizona. So many people caught the news about the comeback on Facebook and I’m not sure how many requests I’ve received for the stream link, but it’s really out there now.
“When we lost power at our studios this past weekend, all I heard is that people needed their WOMP back on the air as soon as possible,” he said. “So many people checked in to make sure everything was OK and that WOMP was going to be coming back after the power was restored. We got it back on Saturday evening at 6:09 p.m. and the people were very happy. If all of our listeners could have seen the ice that was frozen to the tower, they would have understood why all of our stations were off the air. It was something to see, that’s for sure.”
Those Dance Nights
For many years at Wheeling Park’s White Palace, DJs from WOMP FM would play the top tunes from the 1980’s each Wednesday evening and teenagers from the entire area would attend.
There is a chance, Wilson explained, those evenings could return in some form, and “Johnny O” also is planning a “Greatest Hits Tour” throughout the Upper Ohio Valley.
“We’ve been discussing doing something with the old Park Dances, but I believe that could be done every five years or so because there’s a lot that goes into those events,” he said. “A group of folks did the Park Dances Revisited and that was a lot of fun, but I doubt it’s something that could work every year. But what we have found out is that time is what a lot of people do not have, but every once in a while, I think it would draw a big crowd and be a great party.
“We just got another batch of t-shirts in so we’ll start giving those away, and we do have some plans for the summer months,” Wilson revealed. “We’re going to do the ‘105 days of Summer’ again, and I have spoken with some folks who worked here in the past so we can try to get some of them back on the air in the future. Plus, we’re going to be adding programming for Friday and Saturday evenings that will be like the old WOMP FM Party Jams.”
The Appreciation
The comeback conversation began shortly after Ohio-Midland Media Group purchased the four stations based out of the Rock Hill studios in early August. Along with WOMP FM, the new owners operate Rage 96.5 FM, Biggie 105.5 FM, and River Talk 100.1 FM/AM 1290 in Bellaire. Ohio-Midland already owned The River 106.3 FM and River Talk 100.9 FM and AM 1430 at the time of the purchase.
Once “Johnny O” received approval to begin preparations to resurrect the legendary “Greatest Hits” format on 100.5 FM, 16-hour workdays became the norm for four months.
“That’s true, but I’m not complaining,” Wilson said with a smile. “My dad always told me that if you love what you do, it’s not a job, it’s fun. And trust me, bringing back WOMP has been the most fun I’ve had in my career.”
He arrives to the station around 3:30 a.m. each weekday to finishing prepping for the “Johnny O in the Mornings” show that begins at 5:30 a.m. and extends to 10 a.m.
“Thank you, Ohio Valley, for such a great response. It really has been incredible. I knew it would be pretty popular, but exceeded my expectations during the first month,” Wilson said. “The listeners can look forward to the stickers, the billboards, and the on-air contests so we can give away tickets and whatever else.
“This has really put me on Cloud 9 just as the greatest hits have for our listeners,” he added. “We can’t wait for the warmer temperatures so we can get out there again like we were in the old days. That way we’ll be able to experience the reaction in person and there’s nothing better than meeting the listeners and hearing their stories about WOMP FM when they were younger.”
