WDOK

The station signed on as WDOK-FM on October 4, 1954, simulcasting its sister station, WDOK 1260 AM. Eventually, WDOK-FM originated its own programming and featured a beautiful music format. It featured quarter hour sweeps of mostly instrumental cover versions of popular adult hits, as well as Broadway and Hollywood show tunes.

On December 12, 1965, the AM station changed its call sign to WIXY and adopted a Top 40 format. That allowed FM 102.1 to drop the FM suffix, now identifying as WDOK. The station was branded "Stereo Cleveland", with the slogan "Beautiful Music for the Lands of the Western Reserve."

Station personalities included Wayne Mack, the founder of WDOK's beautiful music format and producer of the many memorable monthly odes and station breaks that he composed and set to music; Ken Nordine (the famous voice of Word Jazz), Tom Armstrong, previously the morning host at WGAR AM in the 1940s and 50s; and David Mark, who also worked for Cleveland market "beautiful music" stations WQAL, WKSW, WJW (AM), and WDBN. The station was programmed by Peter Irmiter and Neil Hershberger after the station was no longer automated.

By the 1980s, WDOK had come under common ownership with WWWE 1100 AM. Both stations were sold on November 30, 1987 by Lake Erie Radio Company, owned by Art Modell and Al Lerner, to the Independent Group Limited partnership, owned by Tom Embrescia, Larry Pollock, and Tom Wilson.

By the mid-1980s, WDOK's beautiful music format had brightened to a more contemporary flavor, with more vocals being played and the instrumental selections reduced. Vocal artists included James Taylor, Elton John, Madonna and Lionel Richie. Ratings remained high. But the audience was getting older, while advertisers usually seek young to middle aged customers. WDOK made the final and complete switch to a soft adult contemporary format in 1987 with Sue Wilson as program director.

The station promoted its new AC format with TV commercials announcing that it was "coming out of the elevator" (as in "elevator music"). WDOK initially positioned itself midway between beautiful music (which continued for a few more years on former easy listening rival 104.1 WQAL) and the mainstream AC format played on 106.5 WLTF and 105.7 WMJI.

On January 9, 2012, WDOK debuted a new and more up tempo playlist (going from soft AC to more mainstream Adult Contemporary), re-branding as "The New 102". A new logo and imaging accompanied the changes.[4] On November 13, 2012, WDOK moved from its longtime studio home at One Radio Lane, off East Saint Clair Avenue in Downtown Cleveland, to the Halle Building on Euclid Avenue, also Downtown.

Sister station WQAL joined WDOK in the move, bringing all four CBS Radio stations in Cleveland located in the same building.[5]

On December 19, 2012, longtime WDOK morning host "Trapper" Jack Elliot announced that the station had opted not to renew the contracts of both he and cohost Jim McIntyre, much to the dismay of many listeners.[6] On April 3, 2015, WDOK rebranded as "Star 102".[7]

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom.[8] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[9][10]

Traditionally, WDOK plays Christmas music throughout the holiday season under the brand "Christmas 102", usually beginning around mid-November.[11] In December 2018, after the station did their annual switch to all Christmas music, WDOK decided to stop playing the well-known 1944 Christmas song Baby, It's Cold Outside, saying the lyrics seemed inappropriate in a time of the #MeToo movement, with increasing sensitivity and awareness of sexual manipulation and harassment of women.[12][13] The station's move sparked national, and even international, attention and controversy.[14][15]