I ♥ WMRN Promotional Button (WMRN-2026-049) is a promotional button associated with WMRN-AM / WMRN-FM, preserved within the WMRN Promotional Ephemera Collection. Dated unknown, the item contributes to the documentary record of WMRN station branding, listener engagement, and community-facing promotional material in Marion, Ohio.

The round white pinback button features a red heart graphic and red and black WMRN lettering. As a listener-facing giveaway or station identity item, it reflects how WMRN extended its brand beyond broadcasts into public appearances, contests, remote broadcasts, station events, and other community interactions.

Historical Significance

Small promotional artifacts such as buttons, stickers, and pins help preserve the visual language local radio stations used to build audience recognition. This button documents a compact, direct form of WMRN station identity: a message meant to be worn, shared, and seen in the community rather than heard only over the air.

As part of the archive’s growing ephemera collection, the artifact helps connect WMRN’s broadcast history to the everyday objects that carried station loyalty into Marion’s public life.

Exhibit Label

I ♥ WMRN Promotional Button. Date unknown. Promotional Button / Pinback Button. This item is preserved as part of the WMRN Radio History Archive.

The post I ❤️ WMRN Promotional Button first appeared on The WMRN Radio History Archive.

Buckeye Chuck Groundhog Day Promotional Buttons Collection (WMRN-2026-050) is a grouped promotional button accession associated with WMRN-AM / WMRN-FM, preserved within the Buckeye Chuck Collection. Dated 1993/1995, the collection documents WMRN’s long-running Buckeye Chuck Groundhog Day broadcasts, public appearances, and related station promotion in Marion, Ohio.

The accession consists of mixed-color pinback buttons connected to Buckeye Chuck events and WMRN promotion. These objects document the way a recurring broadcast tradition also produced physical memorabilia for listeners, participants, and community members.

Objects Included

• WMRN-2026-050.1 – Yellow 1995 “Will I see my shadow today?” button.
• WMRN-2026-050.2 – Blue 1993 Buckeye Chuck button.
• WMRN-2026-050.3 – Yellow 1995 “Will I see my shadow today?” button.

Historical Significance

Buckeye Chuck is one of the most recognizable recurring traditions associated with WMRN’s public identity. These buttons show how the Groundhog Day broadcast extended beyond the radio program itself into visible community promotion, event participation, and local memory.

Preserving the buttons alongside broadcast-related documentation helps show how WMRN built annual rituals through a combination of on-air coverage, civic participation, and tangible station-branded objects.

Exhibit Label

Buckeye Chuck Groundhog Day Promotional Buttons Collection. 1993/1995. Promotional Buttons / Pinback Buttons. This grouped accession is preserved as part of the WMRN Radio History Archive.

The post Buckeye Chuck Groundhog Day Promotional Buttons Collection first appeared on The WMRN Radio History Archive.

Hot Country 107 Prize Buttons Collection (WMRN-2026-051) is a grouped promotional button accession associated with WMRN-AM / WMRN-FM and the Hot Country 107 branding era, preserved within the WMRN-FM Promotional Collection. Likely dating from the 1990s, the collection documents station-branded prize and giveaway material in multiple color variants.

The buttons use fluorescent yellow, orange, and green backgrounds with Hot Country 107 branding and WMRN-AM identification. As prize or promotional giveaway items, they represent the kind of small-format branding material used to support audience engagement, remote broadcasts, contests, and station appearances.

Objects Included

• WMRN-2026-051.1 – Yellow Hot Country 107 prize button.
• WMRN-2026-051.2 – Orange Hot Country 107 prize button.
• WMRN-2026-051.3 – Yellow Hot Country 107 prize button.
• WMRN-2026-051.4 – Green Hot Country 107 prize button.
• WMRN-2026-051.5 – Yellow Hot Country 107 prize button.

Historical Significance

This collection documents WMRN-FM’s Hot Country 107 identity, one of the station’s major late twentieth-century branding eras. Prize buttons like these helped turn station slogans and frequency branding into physical objects that listeners could receive, wear, and keep.

As part of the archive’s promotional collection, the buttons help show how local radio marketing operated beyond broadcast audio: through color, typography, giveaways, and repeated public visibility at events across Marion and surrounding communities.

Exhibit Label

Hot Country 107 Prize Buttons Collection. Likely 1990s. Promotional Buttons / Pinback Buttons. This grouped accession is preserved as part of the WMRN Radio History Archive.

The post Hot Country 107 Prize Buttons Collection first appeared on The WMRN Radio History Archive.

Terry Cole Rotary International Radio Identification Button (WMRN-2026-052) is an identification button / broadcaster ephemera artifact associated with longtime WMRN broadcaster Terry Cole, preserved within the Terry Cole Collection. Dated unknown, the item documents the relationship between local radio identity, civic participation, and community presence in Marion, Ohio.

The circular Rotary International identification button bears the name “Terry Cole Radio” in the center field. The object connects Cole’s public role as a broadcaster with his civic identity, showing how WMRN personalities often appeared in community contexts where radio, service organizations, and local public life overlapped.

Historical Significance

This button helps document the public-facing role of WMRN broadcasters beyond the studio. Local radio personalities were often recognized not only as voices on the air, but also as civic participants, event hosts, public speakers, and community representatives.

As part of the Terry Cole Collection, the artifact preserves a small but meaningful piece of broadcaster identity: an object that links name, occupation, and community affiliation in one wearable form.

Exhibit Label

Terry Cole Rotary International Radio Identification Button. Date unknown. Identification Button / Badge. This item is preserved as part of the WMRN Radio History Archive.

The post Terry Cole Rotary International Radio Identification Button first appeared on The WMRN Radio History Archive.

WMRN Studios Promotional Postcard (WMRN-2026-043) is a promotional postcard depicting the WMRN AM/FM studio and transmitter facility located north of Marion, Ohio along U.S. Route 23. Produced during the later twentieth century, the postcard documents the exterior appearance of the station building, landscaped grounds, and visible transmission towers associated with WMRN broadcasting operations.

The reverse side describes WMRN’s service to a seven-county area in North Central Ohio and identifies the building as housing both AM and FM studios, offices, and transmitter facilities. Promotional postcards such as this were commonly distributed to listeners, visitors, advertisers, and station guests as souvenirs and promotional materials.

As surviving station ephemera, the postcard preserves the public-facing image and physical identity of WMRN during an important era of locally operated radio broadcasting in Marion, Ohio.

Historical Significance

This postcard provides visual documentation of the WMRN studio and transmission facility during the station’s later twentieth-century operation. The inclusion of the station building, transmission towers, and original promotional description offers historical insight into WMRN’s public identity, regional reach, and physical broadcast infrastructure.

Exhibit Label

WMRN Studios Promotional Postcard. c.1970s–1980s. Color postcard depicting the WMRN AM/FM studios and transmitter facility north of Marion, Ohio.

The post WMRN Studios Promotional Postcard first appeared on The WMRN Radio History Archive.

This official letter from the State of Ohio Treasurer’s Office, dated January 11, 1991, congratulates Charlie Evers on being named Marion’s “Man of the Year.”

Signed by Treasurer Mary Ellen Withrow, the letter recognizes Evers’ contributions to the Marion community, including his work in broadcasting and his involvement in civic and agricultural initiatives. It reflects the respect and recognition he earned both locally and at the state level.

Documents such as this provide valuable insight into the broader impact of WMRN personalities beyond the airwaves, illustrating how figures like Evers played meaningful roles in shaping their communities.

This document is preserved as part of the WMRN Radio History Archive.

Part of the Charlie Evers Collection

The post State of Ohio Letter Honoring Charlie Evers as “Man of the Year” — Mary Ellen Withrow (January 11, 1991) first appeared on The WMRN Radio History Archive.

This newspaper clipping promotes WMRN-AM 1490’s annual Groundhog Day tradition, inviting the public to visit the station and experience Buckeye Chuck’s official weather prediction.

The piece prominently features longtime WMRN personality Charlie Evers, who played a central role in the station’s live broadcasts and community engagement efforts. Events like these reflected WMRN’s identity as a true hometown station, where on-air programming and public participation often intersected.

Buckeye Chuck, Marion County’s official weather prognosticator, became one of the most recognizable and enduring traditions associated with WMRN. Coverage of Groundhog Day events drew listeners to both the airwaves and the station itself, reinforcing WMRN’s role as a gathering point for the community.

This clipping captures not only a seasonal promotion, but a broader snapshot of how local radio fostered connection, tradition, and shared experience in Marion, Ohio.

Part of the Charlie Evers Collection

The post “Come On Out to WMRN” — Buckeye Chuck Promotion Featuring Charlie Evers (Date Unknown) first appeared on The WMRN Radio History Archive.

This item represents a promotional matchcover produced for WMRN Radio in Marion, Ohio, likely distributed as part of the station’s advertising and sales efforts during the mid-20th century.

The matchcover prominently features WMRN’s dual-frequency identification:
• AM 1490 KC
• FM 106.9 MC

It also identifies the station as an “ABC station,” reflecting its network affiliation during the period.

Marketing slogans printed on the cover include:
• “Your Friendly Neighbor”
• “WMRN gives you news while it’s still news”
• “Let WMRN light your way to increased sales”

These phrases illustrate how the station positioned itself both as a trusted local broadcaster and as an effective advertising medium for businesses in Marion and surrounding communities.

The reverse side credits Universal Match Corp. of Cincinnati, Ohio, a major manufacturer of promotional matchbooks widely used across the United States.

This example is a salesman sample, meaning it was not distributed for public use but instead used by sales representatives to demonstrate promotional designs to prospective advertisers. As a result, it remains in unused, unstruck condition and is more scarce than standard issued matchcovers.

The item provides insight into WMRN’s mid-century branding, advertising strategy, and early FM presence. Exact production date is unknown.

The post WMRN Radio Promotional Matchcover (Salesman Sample) — Marion, Ohio first appeared on The WMRN Radio History Archive.

Description

This illustrated program cover promotes WMRN Radio’s sports coverage of events held at the Marion Coliseum in Marion, Ohio. The design features multiple vintage broadcast microphones labeled “WMRN,” a radio transmission tower, and a cartoon hockey mascot identified as a Marion Barons player.

The cover lists a price of 25 cents, indicating that the publication was likely sold or distributed to spectators attending sporting events. Graphics emphasizing radio microphones and broadcast imagery highlight WMRN’s role in covering local athletics.

Items such as this program reflect the station’s involvement in community sports broadcasting during the mid-twentieth century and illustrate how radio stations promoted live sporting events through printed materials and promotional graphics.

The post WMRN Marion Coliseum Sports Review Program Cover first appeared on The WMRN Radio History Archive.

Description

This official proclamation issued by the State of Ohio recognizes Buckeye Chuck for outstanding community service and his long-standing role in Ohio’s Groundhog Day tradition. The document was presented by Ohio Auditor of State Keith Faber on February 2, 2026.

The proclamation acknowledges Buckeye Chuck’s designation as Ohio’s official weather-predicting groundhog in 1979 and highlights his continued participation in annual Groundhog Day celebrations in Marion, Ohio for more than four decades.

The recognition also reflects the close historical association between Buckeye Chuck and WMRN Radio, which has broadcast and documented the Groundhog Day event for generations, helping preserve and promote the tradition as a distinctive part of Marion’s civic and cultural history.

The post State of Ohio Proclamation Honoring Buckeye Chuck for Outstanding Community Service first appeared on The WMRN Radio History Archive.