While “oWow Radio” will still cease all hosted programming on October 2, operator John Gorman has announced a partial reprieve from the previously announced planned shutdown of the Cleveland based AAA.

The station will continue with jockless music programming “during the month of October or as long as the station can financially and contractually endure.” Gorman writes “continuing the music is only one of the many programming and marketing elements of oWOW, NS does not incorporate the personalities, news, public service, regional information, opinions, and being live and local, which we have become known for. Personally, I have been privileged throughout my career to have worked with some of the best radio teams in the business – most notably WMMS and WMJI. Those station teams made me look good. And oWOW’s team is right up there with the best of the best.”

Original Report 9/23: One of the few locally focused and commercially operated webcasters is throwing in the towel due to the continued uncertainties of the COVID-19 pandemic.

AAA “oWow Radio” operated by longtime Cleveland programmer John Gorman will sign-off on Friday, October 2. oWow has operated since February 2015 with a fully-staffed presentation that included longtime Cleveland personalities Ravenna Miceli and Steve Pappas out of studios based at Cleveland’s 78th Street Studios art complex. The station also held weekly “oWOW Happy Hour” concerts each summer before this year and a monthly Blues concert.

Gorman programmed Rock 100.7 WMMS Cleveland from 1973-1986 and again from 1994-1996. He also launched Classic Rock 98.5 WNCX in 1986 and was VP/Director of Operations for Oldies 105.7 WMJI from 1989-1996. Original partner, the late Jim Marchyshyn, was Director of Promotions and Marketing for WMMS between 1982 and 1985 and worked with Gorman at CBS Radio Detroit from 1997-1999.

These are unprecedented times. After much consideration and weighing several factors in our industry, we recognized that continued operation of oWOW.radio is no longer viable in this negative business environment. Since we are not in a situation to influence the uncertainty of the future, we are unable to ride out the storm.

oWOW’s prime advertisers included retail stores, restaurants, events, concerts, and supplementary entertainment sources – categories most vulnerable during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

As a result, after five and a half years of continuous broadcasting, oWOW.radio will cease streaming on Friday, October 2. Our closing exemplifies the devastating economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Though this past summer’s online streaming ratings on oWOW were 20 percent above last summer’s numbers, the numerous business closures prevented us from converting those numbers in a stagnant advertising market.


In previous years, the summer months accounted for over 50 percent of oWOW’s annual revenue.

WOW Media, LLC was established 2014 by John Gorman and Jim Marchyshyn. oWOW, Cleveland’s first and most prominent commercial online radio station began streaming in February 2015. Gorman was the operations manager and program director of WMMS/Cleveland from 1973 through 1986 and as Vice President and Director of Operations for WMMS between 1994 and 1996 in the years when it was the most prominent radio station in Greater Cleveland. Gorman also debuted WNCX/Cleveland in 1986. Gorman was also Vice President and Director of Operations for WMJI/Cleveland from 1989 through 1996. Jim Marchyshyn was Director of Promotions and Marketing for WMMS between 1982 and 1985. Gorman and Marchyshyn also worked together for CBS Radio/Detroit between 1997 and 1999. Marchyshyn passed away in 2018.

oWOW, whose “Timeless Rock” format, adult contemporary rock, appealed to men and women, 45-65+ – the same audience that were active listeners of WMMS between 1970s through 1990s.

oWOW’s air staff included Ravenna Miceli, formerly of WMJI from 1989 through 1996, Steve Pappas, formerly of WQAL, from 1993-2005 and Westwood One syndication, 2005-2008.

Blues guitarist and Cleveland native Alan Greene hosted BluesTime, a three-hour Saturday and Sunday evening blues show. WKYC-TV health reporter Monica Robins hosted the Naked Brunch, a Sunday morning and evening show featuring two hours of acoustic, low tech, and demo music of popular songs and artists.

During the past three summers, oWOW featured a weekly “oWOW Happy Hour” live concert broadcast from the Music Box in Cleveland featuring both up and coming and established regional and national performers. oWOW also sponsored a monthly BluesTime concert at the Music Box. Both series were cancelled this summer due to coronavirus pandemic constraints.

In 2016, oWOW won Best Single Stream Webcaster of 2016 in the international RAIN Internet Radio Awards. In 2017 oWOW was awarded the Innovative Small Business of 2017 award by the City of Cleveland.

oWOW has been a strong partner of Greater Cleveland non-profit organizations, providing arts, culture, and social service organizations promotional support to reach key target audiences.

Each year, oWOW was the recipient of the gradual decrease of traditional terrestrial AM-FM radio juxtaposed by the rise of digital online stream usage on the other.

Initially, we had felt some trepidation when most retail stores and restaurants closed and most employers retooled their businesses to have employees working from home since our largest listening audience was between 9am and 6 pm weekdays. But the opposite occurred. Within a month, we noticed consistent audience increases from April on.

We were also hopeful that Congress with agree on another PPP package, which would have allowed us to remain on the air while considering other options for oWOW’s future.

The current principals of oWOW, including John Gorman, Ravenna Miceli, Steve Pappas and its financial partners will remain together to examine and pursue additional processes of returning oWOW to online and other broadcast platforms.