[1] WBBY-FM's troubles began in earnest in December 1977, with a dispute between William S. Bates, the majority stockholder, and the other owners of the station.
On the 9th, the owners obtained a restraining order against Bates, saying he had "brought ridicule and disgrace" to the station, insulted customers, and made obscene gestures.
[6] In 1981, William R. Bates's share of WBBY-FM was involuntarily transferred to the QNP Corporation, a business of Richard (Carl) Nourse, as a result of divorce proceedings.
The review board, using an automotive metaphor, wrote that Nourse had been a mere "hood ornament" at WBBY-FM, spending most of his time in Marietta.
[9] After several appeals, the full FCC unanimously agreed with the review board in February 1990, finding "a pattern ... of deliberate concealment and false statements" by Mid-Ohio.