WERE is one of two Cleveland-area stations that carries The Rickey Smiley Morning Show,[2] syndicated personalities Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson, and is the Cleveland affiliate for Red Eye Radio.

[8][9] Operating initially with 250 watts around the clock, WSRS billed itself on-air as the "Community Information Voice of Cleveland", featuring a diverse lineup of block programming.

[17] The station engaged in an ad campaign with an area appliance store based on a "mystery song" of the day, this was intertwined with WSRS's afternoon lineup.

[19] In addition, the station hosted a nightly hour block at midnight devoted to music unpublished elsewhere; titled "Tune Quest," this program was sponsored by a local recording company.

[34] WJMO-FM would apply to move to 92.3 FM that July with increased power, and took the call sign WCUY on October 30, eventually adopting a jazz format full-time.

On January 26, 1972, WJMO and WLYT (92.3 FM)—the recently renamed WCUY—were added to a group of five Eaton-owned stations designated for hearing by the FCC.

[48] A similar investigation into on-air programs covertly broadcasting gambling information had already occurred at WOOK/Washington, D.C.[49] The FCC's review of WJMO and WLYT coincided with their reviews of WOOK over the aforementioned numbers racket and WFAN-TV/Washington, D.C. over charges of deceptive advertising, as well as three television stations also owned by United: WMET-TV/Baltimore, WMUR-TV/Manchester and KECC-TV/El Centro, California, over allegations that Richard Eaton engaged in bribery with ABC-TV employees so as to gain favorable terms for WMUR and KECC's ABC network affiliations.

[44] With the renewal hearings for both WJMO and WLYT forthcoming,[53] Perkins consulted a partner in the law firm he was affiliated with over the feasibility of installing a hidden microphone inside Hawkins' office, and connecting it to a secure phone line, so as to prove or disprove the payola rumors.

[54] Richard Eaton was also consulted for approval, but deferred to Perkins based on what was assumed proper legal judgement and interpretation of the Communications Act.

[54] The monitoring of Hawkins' office itself lasted between October 23 and November 9, 1972, when Eaton ordered the removal of the line after conferring with Perkins' law firm partner.

[54] The microphone was later discovered by a telephone company employee doing regular maintenance work at the station, who promptly notified the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

[53] Schecter and Rees pleaded guilty in federal court to the charges of bugging Hawkins' office on December 11, 1973;[56] both were fined $500, placed on one-year probation, and fired from their respective positions.

[54][57] Indictments were then returned against Silverman and Perkins in March 1974, both faced one count of illegally wiretapping and aiding and abetting;[58][59] the Department of Justice agreed to reduce the charges to a misdemeanor.

[62] Ultimately, the FCC could not find Eaton had any advance knowledge of the wiretapping, nor was there any direct culpability by United/Friendly outside of the misinterpretation of the Communications Act by Perkins.

[64] WJMO and WLYT were admonished for multiple violations of FCC rules, policies and the Communications Act to the point "...in combination, they establish a monumental record of licensee indifference to a variety of agency regulations and procedures.

[34] Due to Eaton's death, and amid questions over character appraisals for the rest of the United stations, coupled with concern over possible linkage to similar actions taken by the commission against RKO General, the FCC postponed a final license review for both WJMO and WLYT to the following June.

[78] Following Richard Eaton's death, and throughout the 1980s, surviving members of his family fought in court for control of the $50 million estate, the bulk of which were his radio holdings and cable system in New Hampshire.

[79][80] A 1985 Washington Post profile detailed the complexities of his continuously revised will, which stipulated that: Suburban Bancorp had to manage the estate; no money could be directly made available until 10 years after his death, taxes were paid, and after his first wife had also died; neither of his sons—including onetime WJMO overseer Pierre Eaton—could be promoted to lead United, deferring instead to executive Gerald Hroblak; and his second wife Elsa Hurtado Eaton[81] was prohibited from demanding a statutory one-third share of the estate, whereupon she and their four daughters would lose everything bequeathed to them.

[90] At the same time, WJMO began facing increasing ratings pressure from crosstown WZAK, which in 1981 successfully switched formats from block ethnic programming to urban contemporary.

[91] On January 22, 1990, WRQC changed their call letters back to WJMO-FM (92.3) and entered into a hybrid "Churban" Urban/CHR format with WJMO under the "Jammin' 92" brand, with both stations simulcasting during morning and afternoon drive time.

[92] At all other times, WJMO moved to a gold-based R&B oldies format with the "Solid Gold Soul" brand, having dropped most current music from their playlist,[93] while WJMO-FM continued with the hybrid CHR programming.

[99] Zapis held the remainder of equity and voting stock and was considered the key party in the new ownership, a joint sales agreement was also filed between the stations and WZAK allowing shared management and operations.

[103] The SCLC appointed a local group, dubbed NewCo, which directly had an input in stations' programming via a "black ribbon committee" that Zapis and Zebra stockholders were prohibited from serving on.

[102] WJMO replaced all remaining local music personalities in favor of ABC Radio Networks' "Urban Gold" service, purportedly due to the legal fees incurred.

[109] It was, at the time, the largest radio deal in Cleveland broadcasting history, and one of multiple ownership consolidation transactions spurred following passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

Radio One made the change after determining 1300 AM's coverage area better reached the south and west of Cleveland where Blacks were moving to, while research estimated the majority of listeners to WERE's talk format on 1300 AM would still be able to pick up 1490 AM.

[115] Duncan left the station on October 10, 2007, expressing criticism at management not supporting the show, allowing veteran talent to leave and having "an agenda";[116] community activist Basheer Jones was his replacement.