Radio programmerJohn Gorman, known for stints at longtime Clevelandrock station WMMS and oldies station WMJI, states he first saw potential for Internet radio in the mid-1990s. Gorman recalls growing frustrated with the radio industry at that time, citing among other things a general lack of creativity, including for online streaming. He believes the success of Pandora and Spotify many years later helped establish Internet radio as a more viable alternative for radio listeners. On February 20, 2015, oWOW Radio launched in a small, temporary studio while construction continued on what is now the current 1,600-square foot facility located at the 78th Street Studios complex in the Gordon SquareArts District, part of the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood on Cleveland's west-side. Funding for oWOW Radio was acquired through private investors, traditional bank loans, and a small businessgrant from city of Cleveland. Serving as chief content officer, Gorman recruited former WMMS director of marketing Jim Marchyshyn to manage sales; the two function as oWOW's "principal partners". John Chaffee, formerly president of Malrite Communications, was announced as a consultant in late April 2015. Veteran local radio personalities were hired for regular on-air shifts, and illustrator David Helton, perhaps best known for designing the :File:1975 Year of the Buzzard - WMMS print ad.jpg|WMMS Buzzard, also designed the oWOW Radio logo. Gorman is critical of traditional radio, he compares terrestrial AM and FM stations to outdated fax machines, he also believes services like Pandora and Spotify have a limited ability to serve local markets. oWOW actively targets Northeast Ohio listeners. The local approach has been emphasized during what has been an "uphill battle" to find advertising clients. RadioInsight.com speculates that oWOW Radio may find a "niche local audience". oWOW Radio was awarded "Best Single Streaming Webcaster" by an independent panel at the 2015 RAIN Internet Radio Awards in Atlanta, Georgia. oWOW Radio was awarded the Small Business Innovation Award by the city of Cleveland May 10, 2017.
Current programming
oWOW Radio broadcasts what Radio Ink describes as a "macro-local" playlist. On-air talent include: former WMJI personality Ravenna Miceli; and former WQALmorning show producer Steve Pappas. Friday Night Live features recordings of live rock concerts. Blues Time features different shades of the blues hosted by Alan Greene. Naked Brunch hosted by Monica Robins features all acoustic, stripped down rock.
