Tuesday, January 31, 2023

KDRI



"AM 830 The Drive" KDRI is a Soft Oldies station with a wide-ranging playlist encompassing 60s oldies, 70s pop, early 80s "Oh Wow!" songs and everything in between.  I listen to it online more than any other station and am astounded by some of their music programming choices (plus the fact that I think every air shift is live and local....and they play 70s-era American Top 40 shows on weekends.)  I couldn't believe it when they played Joe Jackson's "You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)".  I hear Sniff 'n' The Tears' "Driver's Seat" on a semi-regular basis.   Randy Meisner's "Never Been In Love" is a song I hadn't heard since it came out in 1982.  And on and on and on....

KDRI is licensed to Tucson, Arizona and is also heard on translator K269FV 101.7 FM licensed to Oro Valley, AZ.
 

Monday, January 30, 2023

CKPE


"94.9 The Cape" was a Hot Adult Contemporary (and later AC) station in Sydney, Nova Scotia.  CKPE is now a Classic Hits outlet branded as "94.9 The Wave"

Sunday, January 29, 2023

W225BC

"Hot 92.9" W225BC is a Rhythmic CHR station licensed to Endicott, New York near Binghamton.  They are the HD3 subchannel of "Cool 106.7" WCDW.
 

Saturday, January 28, 2023

Radio Latina

Radio Latina went on the air in Paris, France in 1982 shortly after the French government declared that private radio stations were legal.  They originally broadcast at 105.25 but moved to their current frequency in 1992.  Radio Latina plays a mix of Reggaeton, Salsa, Latin Pop, Bachata, Caribbean and other Latin-related musical styles.
 

Friday, January 27, 2023

WBTN

WBTN AM and FM were co-owned stations broadcasting from (W) BenningToN, Vermont.  They were bought by Vermont Public Radio in 1999 which kept the FM and sold the AM.  1370 AM is currently a volunteer-run, community station airing a unique mix of locally produced and syndicated talk and music shows.

Thursday, January 26, 2023

2GZ

2GZ went on the air from Orange, New South Wales, Australia in 1935 and broadcast on a couple different AM frequencies before converting to the FM band in 1999.  They are now part of the Triple M network with new call letters 2OAG.
 

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

K296GN

K296GN "Juan 107.1" is a Spanish Variety Hits station licensed to Prescott Valley, Arizona.  They are the HD3 subchannel of KPPV.
 

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

WYSU

88.5 FM WYSU is a public radio station owned by (W) Youngstown State University in Youngstown, Ohio.  The 50,000-watt outlet went on the air in October 1969 and became a charter member of National Public Radio when they debuted about a year and a half later (you can barely see a vintage NPR logo inside the eyeball on this sticker--click it bigger.)  NPR programs, Classical music, Jazz and weekend specialty shows make up the bulk of WYSU's schedule.

Monday, January 23, 2023

More Sunnys

WRSN - Burlington, North Carolina

WSNX - Muskegon, Michigan

WSYA - Montgomery, Alabama

WSYE - Houston, Mississippi

 

Sunday, January 22, 2023

WOKI




100.3 FM WOKI went on the air in 1974 simulcasting the Top-40 format of its sister station WOKI 1550 AM.  The stickers from "100.3 The River" date to the late 90s when they were an Adult Album Alternative station.  The WOKI call letters later moved to 98.7 FM where it is currently a News/Talk station.  100.3 FM WOKI was licensed to Oak Ridge, Tennessee near Knoxville.
 

Saturday, January 21, 2023

WGOM

860 AM in Muncie/Marion, Indiana went on the air in 1955 with call letters WMRI.  In 1970 they changed calls to WGOM (W Giant Of Music) inspired by locally-born James Dean's movie Giant.  WGOM was a Top-40 station throughout the 1970s with later formats including Adult Standards and Southern Gospel.  The WMRI call letters returned in 2006 and they are currently a Sports station and ESPN Radio affiliate.
 

Friday, January 20, 2023

KYNN

A KYNN Country Club registration card.  1490 AM and 94.1 FM simulcast a Country format in Omaha, Nebraska circa 1982/83.
 

Thursday, January 19, 2023

KSGN



89.7 FM KSGN is a Contemporary Christian station licensed to Riverside, California.
 

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

KGVN

KGVN "93.7 The Groove" was a short-lived Rhythmic Oldies station in Reno, Nevada circa 2000/2001.
 

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

CJAY



CJAY 92 is a 100,000-watt Active Rock station in Calgary, Alberta.  They have carried some form of Rock format since going on the air in June 1977.

Monday, January 16, 2023

KCLI

99.3 FM KCLI is a News/Talk station licensed to Cordell, Oklahoma.  They no longer simulcast on 1320 AM which is currently a Sports station known as "The Score."
 

Sunday, January 15, 2023

WBER

950 AM WBER was on the air in Charleston, South Carolina from 1963 to 1984.  Most (or all) those years were spent with a Country format.  WBER was licensed to Moncks Corner, SC.
 

Saturday, January 14, 2023

WCNV


89.1 FM WCNV is a public radio station licensed to Heathsville, Virginia that simulcasts the programming of Richmond, VA's 88.9 WCVE.  These two stations, along with three others and two television stations, are what used to be known as the "Idea Stations."  In 2019 they rebranded as VPM (Virginia Public Media.)

UPDATE:  A much more detailed account of the recent history of these stations can be found in the comments.  Thanks Tybois!
 

Friday, January 13, 2023

KHBZ

KHBZ is a Country station in Harrison, Arkansas/Branson, Missouri.  They are now branded as "New Country 102.9"
 

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Evasion FM

Evasion FM broadcasts on more than a dozen frequencies mostly in the suburbs near Paris, France.  Listening live while making this post I heard a mix of English and French-language pop music including Rihanna, Pharrell Williams, Rosa Linn and Mika.

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior

Argentina's first external broadcaster was SIRA (Servicio Internacional de la República Argentina) which was founded in April 1949.  After a military coup in 1955 SIRA was shut down and relaunched three years later as RAE (Radiodifusión Argentina al Exterior.)  They added to their name in 2016 and are now "RAE Argentina al Mundo" (Argentina to the World.)  The station broadcasts from Buenos Aires via shortwave, satellite and the internet in seven languages.

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

WWRZ

"Max 98.3" WWRZ plays Adult Hits in the Lakeland/Winter Haven area of central Florida.

Monday, January 9, 2023

WRCK

Chicago, Illinois' WDAI flipped from a Disco format to an Adult-Top 40/Oldies hybrid as "95 W-Rock" with new call letters WRCK.  The very short-lived switch lasted a mere 5 months (May 22 to October 20, 1980) and they then flipped to Top-40 becoming WLS-FM.  The last day of WDAI was spent stunting with a loop of Donna Summer's "Last Dance." The bottom video documents the moment of the actual format change which occurs at around the 27:40 mark.

Sunday, January 8, 2023

WNCK


89.5 FM WNCK began in 2002 as a commercial-free Adult Contemporary station run by the owner out of his home in Nantucket, Massachusetts.  They soon entered into an agreement with Boston's WGBH  which simulcast their mix of Classical, Jazz, Blues, Celtic and news programming.  In 2009 they began simulcasting the Classical music of Boston station WCRB.  Since 2020 they have been a Country station branded as "89.5 Quahog Country".  (Quahogs are the largest of the edible hard clams, sometimes called chowder clams.)  I wonder how many non-commercial, full-time Country stations exist in the United States.  Are there any others you can think of?
 

Saturday, January 7, 2023

WKBG

WKBG was a Country station in Augusta, Georgia circa the early-to-mid 1990s.
 

Friday, January 6, 2023

WHYA

"Y101" WHYA is a Top-40 station licensed to Mashpee, Massachusetts.
 

Thursday, January 5, 2023

WFCR


88.5 FM WFCR is a non-commercial, public radio station broadcasting from the Pioneer Valley area of  Massachusetts.  The license holder is the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  WFCR went on the air in May 1961 and is also heard on 5 translators.  Their call letters stand for Five Colleges Radio.
 

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

WCCO



The station that would become WCCO signed on in Minneapolis, Minnesota in September 1922 as WLAG.  Financial problems knocked them off the air in 1924 but the Washburn Crosby COmpany (the forerunner to General Mills) had them up and broadcasting a few weeks later with new call letters WCCO.  Today the 50,000-watt clear-channel station airs a News/Talk format featuring mostly local hosts along with a large amount of live sports.  Except for a period between 2007 and 2018, WCCO has been the flagship station of the Minnesota Twins since their first season in 1961.

Tuesday, January 3, 2023

WASK

1450 AM WASK went on the air in Lafayette, Indiana in 1942.  98.7 FM signed on in 1992 originally as WIIZ and became WASK a few years later.  Today the AM half is a Sports outlet while the FM plays Classic Hits

Monday, January 2, 2023

KTOM

92.7 FM KTOM plays Country music in the Santa Cruz/Monterey/Salinas area of California.  Another KTOM sticker from their previous frequency can be seen here.
 

Sunday, January 1, 2023

KPGF

93.7 FM KPGF is an all-80s station licensed to Sun Valley, Nevada near Reno.