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'WKRP' Theme Living On The Air – In Commercials For Carpet Cleaning

Every "WKRP in Cincinnati" opened with the camera zooming in on the WLWT-TV tower in Fairview Heights.
Courtesy 20th Century Fox
Every "WKRP in Cincinnati" opened with the camera zooming in on the WLWT-TV tower in Fairview Heights.

Baby, if you've ever wondered, wondered what company would use the iconic WKRP In Cincinnati theme song in its advertising campaign….

Well, the answer is Teasdale Fenton Carpet Cleaning & Restoration.

Radio advertisements hit the airwaves this week, with new lyrics for the WKRPtheme song. TV spots will fill the air starting Wednesday Nov. 7 – the day after Election Day, when all the political ads stop polluting the airwaves.

"Baby, if you’ve ever wondered how my floors remain so clean,"the jingle begins.  It ends with:  "Just call Teasdale Fenton Carpet Cleaners in Cin-cin-na-ti."

Credit Courtesy Teasdale Fenton Carpet Cleaning & Restoration

Company president Jim Olmstead was inspired to adapt the theme during a business trip after someone realized he was from Cincinnati, and mentioned the 1978-82 TV series (airing 9:30 p.m. weekdays on MeTV) fictionally set in a Cincinnati radio station. 

"We wanted a jingle that spoke to our hometown roots and was readily identifiable," Olmstead stated in the company's media announcement. "It seems like so often when I tell people where I'm from, the show is mentioned along with the theme song. It just seemed like the perfect fit."

Steve Morgan from the Straight No Chaser a cappella group performs all the vocals for the jingle. Local singer Nancy James, who started her career here on WLWT-TV's Bob Braun Show, reads the scripted promotional message. 

The TV commercials will appear on most Cincinnati TV stations, including WLWT-TV's MeTV subchannel.

"WKRP in Cincinnati" cast photo for 1978 CBS premiere.
Credit CBS Television
The 1978 "WKRP" cast: (seated) Loni Anderson, Howard Hesseman; (second row) Richard Sanders, Gary Sandy, Jan Smithers, Tim Reid; (Back row) Frank Bonner and Gordon Jump.

"Yes, I'm buying some spots during WKRP. It just seemed fitting," says Lisa Specht, media director for Holland Advertising, the agency that created the campaign.

WKRP in Cincinnatipremiered 40 years ago on Sept. 18, 1978. Here's my Celebrating 40 Years Of WKRPcolumn from September.

The sitcom airs 9:30 p.m. weekdays nationwide on MeTV, including on WLWT-TV (Channel 5.2) and Dayton's WHIO-TV (Channel 7.2). However, the MeTV version does not include that great old rock 'n' roll music from the original broadcasts.

Copyright 2021 91.7 WVXU. To see more, visit .

John Kiesewetter joined the WVXU news team as a TV/Media blogger on July 1 2015, after nearly 30 years covering local and national broadcasting for The Cincinnati Enquirer. He’ll be posting news about Greater Cincinnati TV, radio and movies; updating your favorite former local TV/radio personalities or stars who grew up here; and breaking news about national TV, radio and media trends. You’ll also learn about Cincinnati’s rich broadcasting history.