A radio station known for its connection to a classic television comedy is finally heading to the city that made it famous. The call letters WKRP, popularized by the sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, are set to return to Cincinnati nearly five decades after the show first aired.
DP McIntire, who runs the nonprofit organization responsible for auctioning the call letters, confirmed the move. While he said he is unable to reveal details about when the change will happen or who will take over the station, he made it clear the plan is already settled. According to McIntire, WKRP will indeed be coming to Cincinnati after 48 years.
The call letters became widely recognized through the CBS sitcom that aired from 1978 to 1982. The show featured a struggling radio station in Cincinnati and helped launch the careers of actors including Loni Anderson and Richard Sanders. One of the most memorable moments involved Sanders’ character, news reporter Les Nessman, covering a disastrous Thanksgiving promotion in which live turkeys—unable to fly—were dropped from a helicopter.
McIntire said the show had a major impact on him growing up. He remembers watching the first episode with his parents and older sister and deciding immediately that he wanted a career in radio. By the end of the episode, he told his family that he planned to work in broadcasting and hoped one day to run a station called WKRP.
His radio career began early. At just 13 years old, McIntire landed his first on-air job as a news anchor at WNQQ “Wink FM” in Blairsville, Pennsylvania. Years later, in 2014, his North Carolina–based nonprofit obtained the WKRP call letters from the Federal Communications Commission. Before that, stations in Dallas, Georgia, and Alexandria, Tennessee, had used the letters.
McIntire recalled the moment he requested the callsign from the FCC. When speaking with a staff member in the agency’s audio division, he had originally suggested two sets of call letters but was told he needed a third option. Half joking, he added WKRP to the list if it happened to be available. About a minute and a half later, the staff member returned with unexpected news: the call letters were free, and he was now the general manager of WKRP in Raleigh, North Carolina.
WKRP-LP began broadcasting on November 30, 2015, at 101.9 FM. The “LP” designation stands for low-power, a category of radio stations created to serve smaller local audiences rather than large commercial markets. These stations are limited to nonprofit groups such as McIntire’s organization, Oak City Media, and focus heavily on local programming.
The station adopted the same playful spirit that made the television show popular. Among its programs was a two-hour show called “Weird Al and Friends,” which highlighted the comedic music of Weird Al Yankovic and similar artists. The station also held a yearly Thanksgiving turkey giveaway, though it avoided recreating the sitcom’s infamous stunt. Instead of dropping turkeys from helicopters, the station handed out grocery store gift certificates.
After a decade operating the station, McIntire, now 56, decided it was time to move on. His organization opened bidding for the use of the WKRP call letters across FM and AM radio, television, and digital television platforms.
Whoever ultimately takes over the callsign, McIntire hopes they will honor the legacy of the television series that inspired it. He said the show continues to hold a special place for many people and added that his team has been proud to care for that legacy during the past decade.