Cumulus Media’s 99.5 WZPL and the Smiley Morning Show successfully concluded their 29th annual Make-A-Wish Request-A-Thon on December 5, 2025, raising an impressive $824,983 and granting 82 life-changing wishes for children served by the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Ohio, Kentucky & Indiana.
The marathon 36-hour live broadcast ran from 6:00 a.m. Thursday, December 4, through 6:00 p.m. Friday, December 5. For the entire duration, the station played any song requested by listeners who made a donation—no request was too painful (yes, even the Ohio State fight song aired) or too obscure (KPop Demon Hunters made the cut).
Listeners also queued up classics like N’Sync’s “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays” and everything in between.The Smiley Morning Show team—Dave Smiley, Nikki, Producer Will, and Toni—stayed on air live for the full 36+ hours, powered by caffeine and the mission to help as many Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio kids as possible.
Over its 29-year history, the WZPL Request-A-Thon has now raised more than $13 million for Make-A-Wish, positively impacting hundreds of children and families across the tri-state region.