R.I.P.: Bo Wood, WEBN Founder, A Cincinnati Radio Original

Frank Wood III (1938-2025)

Frank E. “Bo” Wood III, known as Frank Wood Jr., the founder of Cincinnati’s iconic rock radio station WEBN-FM, died on Tues, at age 83 after battling Alzheimer’s disease for several years. 

Wood, alongside his father, Frank Wood Sr., launched WEBN in 1967, initially broadcasting classical music and jazz from a blue house in Cincinnati’s Price Hill neighborhood. Under Wood’s leadership, WEBN transformed into a pioneering FM rock station, dubbed the “lunatic fringe of American FM radio,” known for its irreverent humor, creative stunts, and influential rock programming during the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s. 

He hosted the station’s first rock show, “The Jelly Pudding Show,” under the pseudonym Dr. Michael Bo Xanadu, playing progressive rock tracks like Jefferson Airplane and The Grateful Dead, which shifted WEBN’s focus to album-oriented rock despite his father’s preference for classical music.

Wood’s vision extended beyond radio. He conceived the Western & Southern/WEBN Fireworks, a synchronized music and pyrotechnics show that became a Cincinnati tradition, drawing up to 500,000 people annually since its inception in 1977. His innovative approach included creating fictitious products like “Brute Force Cybernetics” for tongue-in-cheek ads and fostering a culture of risk-taking, mentoring talents like his sister Robin Wood, Eddie Fingers, and Jay Gilbert. 

Colleagues praised his genius for hiring creative people and supporting their bold ideas, with Jay Gilbert noting, “Frank was one of a kind, a visionary, a ringleader, a smart businessman, a prankster, and a friend.”

Wood sold WEBN to Jacor Communications in 1986, later becoming Jacor’s president and leading the acquisition of WLW-AM.

His eccentricity and whimsy shaped WEBN’s zany reputation, with stunts like the fictional Fool’s Parade and securing all tickets for The Police’s 1984 Cincinnati concert. Appointed Cincinnati’s honorary “Commissioner of Fun” in 2014, Wood’s legacy includes transforming local radio and community events. 

He is survived by his wife, Mary, and daughters Robin Wood, Lydia Wood-Spalding, and Ellen Goodman. WEBN’s statement vowed to honor his “outrageous-ness, creativity, and passion.”