A long-time radio institution in Bloomington isn’t going anywhere, just getting a facelift.
WGCL (98.7 FM/1370 AM) is changing its call letters to WWZN and going to a (mostly) all-sports talk format, starting Monday, Jan. 5. The station is a part of Sarkes Tarzian Inc, a family-run media company that owns radio and TV stations in Indiana and Tennessee.
And don’t worry, the usual broadcasts of local high school basketball and football games with Joe Smith and Dave Novak behind the microphones will continue. Bob Lovell’s Indiana Sports Talk will also remain in place every Friday after the games are done, with Saturday’s edition also added to the lineup.
Mike Glasscott’s afternoon show from 3-6 p.m. will remain in the Monday-Friday slot, though it now will be focused almost exclusively on sports. David Hays’ Money Show also remains in the mix. The move fills a void as Indianapolis sports talk stations do not reach the Bloomington area.
The former WGCL had been in a mostly syndicated news-talk format for many years before the change.
“Our team has been evaluating the programming on the 98.7/1370 frequency for the past year and realized that an all-sports format would offer much greater appeal to both audiences and advertisers,” general manager Brad Holtz said. “At a time of such polarization, we look to sports as a true unifier. Plus, we already had such a solid team in place.
“Kent Sterling is one of the country’s great sports radio programmers, Mike Glasscott lives and breathes sports, and Joe Smith is simply a legend. Making the move to all-sports became an easy decision.”
WWZN will also continue to be an affiliate for the Colts and Pacers, NCAA sports and the Indianapolis 500. No decision has been made yet on continuing the relationship with the Cincinnati Reds, Holtz said.
The day will start with program director Kent Sterling (9-11 a.m.) and Jim Coyle (1-3 p.m.) from Indianapolis. After Glasscock, the station will also feature Westwood One Sports personalities Drake C. Toll (6-9 a.m.), Nick Kostos (weekdays 11 a.m.-noon), Chris Bleck and Adam Abdalla (weekdays noon-1 p.m.) and Bet MGM Tonight with Brad Evans (weekdays 6-11 p.m.).
WWZN has been on the air since 1949, working under three different call signs: WTTS (1949–1984), WGTC (1984–1988) and WGCL (1988-2025).
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: WGCL radio has a new name and format. Here’s what the change means
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
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