ThisWeek Community Newspapers

Thursday, September 21, 2006

By RANDY NAVAROLI
ThisWeek Staff Writer

Columbus CIty Council approved a zoning variance request Sept. 11 that moves WVKO (1580 AM) one step close to returning to the airwaves from a new home in Northland.

The station's owner and Columbus Urban Growth Corp. finalized a lease agreement for the nine-acre site at 2708 Morse Road the next day, Sept 12.

Urban Growth owns the Morse Road property that WVKO hopes to move its operation to some time this fall.

The historic but financially troubled local radio station has been off the air since May 5 and has been seeking zoning variances that would allow it to move to the new site on Morse Road from its previous home in Upper Arlington.

The 50-year-old station, now owned by Bernard Radio LLC, was seeking rezoning and variance approval from city council to move its operations and four 150-foot antennas to the site on Morse Road, just west of Chesford Road.

Bernard Radio asked the city to allow it to occupy the Morse Road site, despite the fact that the property is not currently zoned for such use. The undeveloped site is zoned L-AR-3, which is a limited apartment residential district. Council's approval comes with the caveat that Bernard Radio must apply for permission to rezone the site as a commercial planned district within six months.

Columbus Urban Growth Corp. spokesman MIke Duffey declined to disclose the terms of the lease agreement between Urban Growth and Bernard Radio.

"Urban Growth considers this a productive, unobtrusive use of the land," he said. "The site couldn't be used for too many other things and we think it's a better use of the land than just leaving it as is."

Duffey said Urban Growth will retain ownership of the site and will review the lease agreement as necessary to ensure that WVKO is meeting its terms, including shielding the adjacent Brandywine Meadows subdivision from its operations.

"Bernard has agreed to install fencing along the northern boundary of the site, which borders on the neighborhood." Duffey said. "Most of the people in the neighborhood seem comfortable with the agreement."

Council tabled Bernard Radio's zoning variance request in May to further explore the plight of the station and its significance to its listening audience. The station has had a number of owners in recent years.

Before being bought by Bernard, it was owned by Stop 26-Riverbend, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July 2005. Bernard is currently waiting for the FCC to approve its request to transfer the radio licenses, although former station owner Percy Squire has petitioned the FCC to deny the request. He has also challenged the station's sale in U.S District Court.

WVKO was pulled off the air in May by a bankruptcy trustee overseeing the the station's financial reorganization. Trustee Brad Scher said he took the action because the station's financial condition continued to worsen and because its lease in Upper Arlington was due to expire at the end of May 2006.

Until it went off the air, WVKO had a gospel format that included local religious and political talk shows. It was also the home of Capital University's Crusader Radio Network and broadcast Columbus Clippers games.

According to Scher, the station plans to return to the air sometime this fall, although it may shed its talk and entertainment focus to pursue a more financially viable format.

<center>rnavaroli@thisweeknews.com