Alternative rock station CD 92.9 to switch operators the end of January

Alternative rock station CD 92.9 will switch to new management after the longtime operator departs the end of the month.

Randy Malloy, president of WWCD, will no longer operate the station, after failing to reach an agreement with Delmar Media, which owns the station and holds the Federal Communications Commission broadcasting license.

Malloy was in the middle of a six-year lease but said in a social media post that he was "unable to finalize an agreement" to continue the remaining three years and was stepping away from the station Jan. 31.

Malloy said in the statement that CD 92.9 tried its best to remain on the airwaves, but was unable to do so.

"It pains me once again (to) announce our departure from the airwaves," said Malloy, who could not be reached for additional comment Friday.

The decision ends Malloy's 33-year run at WWCD. The station, which calls itself "one of Ohio's last independently operated radio stations," began in 1990 as CD 101.1, then became CD 102.5. It went off the air on Nov. 1, 2020 but returned a month later after striking the deal with Delmar.

Delmar plans to continue broadcasting a similar alternative rock format when it takes over Feb. 1, according to the company's partners, Mark Litton and Brent Casagrande.

"Delmar Media is happy to report that it will continue the legacy of WWCD by debuting a new and refreshing version of The NEW WWCD," the company said in a news release. "The NEW WWCD will continue its support of local artist(s) and some of the legacy programs that have made the station a favorite of central Ohio radio listeners."

Litton said Delmar may tweak the format and will drop the paywall for the streaming version, but expects things to remain largely the same as they were under Malloy.

"I wouldn’t say we’re going to continue exactly what he’s doing," Litton said, "but we feel there’s enough audience that we’re going to continue our version of the format."

Casagrande said the call name may switch from CD 92.9 to Alternative 92.9 but otherwise the station will be familiar to listeners.

"He couldn’t have been there 33 years without an audience," Casagrande said. "It’s a format that Columbus wants, so were not going to get rid of the format."

mferench@dispatch.com

@MarkFerenchik

jweiker@dispatch.com

@JimWeiker

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: CD 92.9 to continue alternative rock format under new operators