As part of divestitures required by federal agencies to approve Clear Channel's purchase of Jacor, WENZ was purchased by Radio One on January 15, 1999. Radio One's station portfolio and programming philosophy targeted African American communities. As a result, WENZ dropped their modern rock format for mainstream urban featuring hip-hop and R&B on May 14, 1999, taking the "KISS 107.9" brand.http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1999/RR-1999-05-21.pdf One week later, Lorain–licensed WZLE (), itself now under Clear Channel ownership, switched formats from Contemporary Christian to CHR as "Kiss 104.9", then filed a cease and desist order against Radio One for usage of the "KISS-FM" brand, which Clear Channel claimed ownership of in the state of Ohio. WENZ rebranded to "Z 107.9" on September 1, 1999, resolving the dispute. Radio One was renamed Urban One in May 2018.
