Parkersburg man starts radio station dedicated to golden oldies, local content

Joe Leto compares the radio station in the back room of his Parkersburg home to a microbrewery – small-scale but crafted with the utmost care, love and attention.

Broadcasting live on 1680, KOIW reminds listeners of a simpler time, where family time was centered around the radio and episodes of Hop Harrigan.

Leto pumps out those classics around the clock with a help of the radio mixing board in his home and a nine-foot antenna in his backyard.

His catalog of 30,000-plus “Golden Oldies” preserves classics such as Captain Midnight and Paul Harvey and big band hits.

Leto didn't start the station for income or personal gain. He wanted to keep alive an art that is becoming less common every day.

"These old treasures which are in the archive and are lost pretty much to this generation and the generation before that...have the ability to rebroadcast and get it out there," he said. "They did so much in those programs. There is so much talent."

Read the full article in the June 7 edition of the Eclipse.