WNCX - History - Post Stern

Post Stern

With Stern's move to subscription radio, WNCX ended up carrying a morning show hosted by musician David Lee Roth, which began on January 3, 2006 and originated from Howard Stern's former flagship, WFNY-FM in New York, the former WXRK "K-Rock." Notably, David Lee Roth had been among the featured performers at Stern's Cleveland funeral 12 years earlier. (Coincidentally, both the WXRK calls and "92.3 K-Rock" nickname landed on the former WXTM in Cleveland, WNCX's sister station that also broadcasts at 92.3-FM.) Given WNCX's history and relative ratings stability, they were one of the few affiliates not re-branded as "Free FM," nor did they change format to a hot-talk format that was associated with the Free FM name. However, due to very low ratings and a critical drubbings in the press, Roth's show was canceled by syndicator CBS Radio on April 21, 2006. Roth's replacement in New York, Opie and Anthony - fired by CBS Radio three years earlier - aired on the morning drive on 92.3 (now WKRK-FM) until December 1, 2008, when Opie and Anthony were fired from WKRK, and the station switched to a format without live DJs.

Shortly thereafter, WNCX aired a locally-produced classic rock morning show with no regular host, and also used the slot for tributes to past Cleveland radio stations and personalities, with many of those personalities filling in during the slot. On July 27, 2006, the station announced that Wynn Richards, aka "Mud" would become the primary host of the new morning show, joined by Kim Mihalik (former sidekick to WTAM's Mike Trivisonno) and newscaster Mike Olszewski. Wynn previously worked at WWWM "M105" and at WGAR (1220 AM) back in the early 1980s.

Following the departure of Mud from the morning lineup, radio veteran Scott Miller was brought in to captain the three-person (Miller, Mihalik, and Mike) morning show. Kim Mihalik was dropped from the lineup in 2008, leaving the morning show to the duo of Miller and Mike Olszewski (a Cleveland native and former longtime WMMS jock) In March 2009, Olszewski departed and was replaced by local stand-up comedian Jeff Blanchard, of which the program was retitled "The 'NCX Morning Show."

On October 27, 2010, WNCX announced the hiring of radio personality Maxwell (Ben Bornstein) as host of the station's new morning show. The Maxwell Show, best known to area listeners as the former afternoon drive program at rival WMMS, began airing on WNCX on November 1. The move replaced former morning co-hosts Scott Miller and comedian Jeff Blanchard, along with show producer Dave Jockers. Regarding their dismissal, Program Director Bill Louis commented, "sadly, this a bottom-line business."

WNCX cancelled The Maxwell Show on August 25, 2011, less than ten months after the show's arrival at the station. Local media speculated that, in addition to "flagging ratings," WNCX cancelled the show to make room for "a new, high-profile, multi-person morning show" at sister station WKRK-FM (92.3 FM) as that station transitioned to a new sports format. On August 29, 2011, the morning shift was assigned on an interim basis to local radio personality Nard (Dom Nardella) – the former DJ and Program Director of WNCX sister station WKRK-FM during its years as an alternative rock outlet. The show was the first music-oriented morning show to air on WNCX since at least 1992, the year Howard Stern first began to air on the station.

On November 7, 2011, radio personality Slats (Tim Guinane), formerly heard on WNCX rival WMMS and WNCX sister station WXTM (now WKRK-FM), took over the WNCX morning shift. The new morning show is the sixth to air on WNCX following Stern's move to Satellite in 2006.