WSRS's establishment on the class C local channel frequency of 1490 kHz was made possible in part after WGAR (AM) had completed a frequency switch from 1480 AM to 1220 AM two and a half years earlier. 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. WSRS's staff announcers also included the first male and female African-American announcers in Cleveland radio: "Walkin' Talkin' Bill Hawkins", who later worked for multiple radio stations at the same time, and whose on-air presentation has been seen as a significant influence on Alan Freed; and Mary Holt, who initially played country music, later becoming a newscaster at different radio and television stations in the market. By 1949, Sague entered into an alliance with other foreign language/ethnic radio programmers, including WOV (AM)/New York City and stations in Boston, Scranton, Pennsylvania and Detroit, titled the "Foreign Language Quality Group", with intent of launching a broadcast network of their own.