Month: June 2002
92.9 WRKW becomes “92.9 Rock”
From its launch in October 1999, 92.9 WRKW ran an automated Rock AC format that had little chance for success. With a signal 20 miles north of Poughkeepsie and varying signal problems in the southern part of the market, it struggled to find an audience with additional problems ranging from poor audio to a total lack of promotion from original owners Strauss Media. After the sale of the Strauss stations to Clear Channel closed in November 2000, rumors on the future of the station came up with WRKW struggling to build an audience to little action. On June 27, 2002 at 10:00 AM, the Rock AC format came to an end with a 26-hour loop of Eminem’s “Without Me,” coinciding with the launch of Active Rock “92-9 Rock” to counter Cumulus Media’s pair of dominant rock...
“Mix 100.7” WLEV relaunches as “My 100.7”
With only 5 in-market commercial FM’s, the Lehigh Valley is a highly competitive market. Since the early 90’s when Beautiful Music WFMZ began its gradual evolution to Hot AC, 100.7 has been the 4th or 5th rated station in the market. In the final months of the “Mix 100.7” incarnation, the station’s playlist was very broad. In an attempt to start with a clean slate, the “Mix” tag was dropped, the music refocused, and the station was relaunched as “My 100.7” with a more music/less talk philosophy.
“Loop 101” 101.1 KAZL becomes “Energy 92.7 and 101.1”
In 1999, the company now known as Sierra H Broadcasting signed on KESP 101.1 FM in Payson, AZ. The format was Classic Hits (a.k.a. a lighter version of Classic Rock) under the name “Loop 101” (which, probably not coincidentally, is also the name of a then-being-constructed freeway in the Phoenix area.) The call letters changed to KAZL in early 2000, and at some point, K224CJ 92.7 FM (a 10-watt translator broadcasting from South Mountain in Phoenix) and K292DF 106.3 FM (a 10-watt translator located in Flagstaff, AZ) began simulcasting KAZL. The idea was to provide an alternative to Sandusky’s Classic Rock KSLX 100.7 FM. However, Loop 101 rarely made an appearance in the Phoenix ratings. On June 18, 2002, at 5pm, “Loop 101” came to an end. It was replaced by a s...
