Froggy (brand)

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Logo of Froggy. Froggy logo.svg
Logo of Froggy.

Froggy is a brand name radio format used for a variety of radio stations in the United States, most of which broadcast a country music format, with a few playing adult contemporary. (There was, however, an oldies-themed "Froggy" in Erie, Pennsylvania: the former WFGO; that station has since changed format and calls in 2007. Another oldies-based Froggy station, KFGI in Austin, Texas, changed formats in 1994.) Although the frog logo is shared among these stations, most of them are not associated with one another. The "Froggy" branding is particularly common among country stations currently or formerly owned by Forever Broadcasting or Forever Communications and Keymarketradio LLC, companies founded by Froggy creator Kerby Confer.

Contents

Origin

The Froggy format was conceived by Kerby Confer in 1988. Previously, Confer created a variety of country radio station brands such as "Kissin'" (KSSN in Little Rock, Arkansas) and "Beaver" (WBVR-FM in Bowling Green, Kentucky). "Froggy" was first installed on WFRG-FM in Utica, New York, on February 1, 1988, with the branding "96 Frog". (The format and call letters have since switched frequencies and the station is now known as "Big Frog 104".) Other Froggy stations soon followed, including KFRG in Riverside-San Bernardino, California, and WFGY in Altoona, Pennsylvania. For his work in developing the Froggy format, Confer was inducted into the Pennsylvania Radio Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2016. [1]

General theme

The Froggy branded radio station uses jargon saturated with frog-related puns. Station disc jockey pseudonyms and program elements bear names making reference to things such as where the frog lives (in a pond), how a frog moves (hops), what noise a frog makes (cricket or ribbit), and other words that are related to frogs.

Examples of the "Froggy" theme use words like the following:

For the most part, the logo of a "Froggy" branded radio station is a smiling green frog. The font, color, position and angles can vary, however, the frog is generally green with a red tongue. The variations on the logo include the radio station's frequency as well as whether it is referred to as "Frog", "Big Frog", or "Froggyland".

DJ monikers

Many DJs at Froggy-branded stations (known as "frog jocks") use pseudonyms that reflect the branding:

Many of the Froggy stations that have the country format used the syndicated evening program Lia , often putting "Leapin'" in front of her name to "frogify" her, until that show ended production in 2022. [2]

List of "Froggy" stations

"Froggy" Branded Stations
StationFrequency(s)RegionWebsite
WFGY 98.1 Altoona, Pennsylvania Froggy 98
WFGE 101.1 State College, Pennsylvania Big Froggy 101
WWFG 99.9 Ocean City, Maryland Froggy 99.9
KFRG/KXFG 92.9
95.1		 Riverside, California K-Frog
KVOX-FM 99.9 Fargo, North Dakota Froggy 99.9
KYLS-FM 95.9 Farmington, Missouri Froggy 96
WGYY/WGYI 100.3
98.5		 Meadville, Pennsylvania Froggy 100.3
WFGI-FM 95.5 Johnstown, Pennsylvania Froggy 95
WOGG 94.9 Uniontown, Pennsylvania Froggy 94.9
WFGS 103.7 Murray, Kentucky Froggy 103.7
WFKY 104.9 Frankfort, Kentucky Froggy 104.9 & 101.7
WWGY 99.3 Fulton, Kentucky Froggy 99.3
KFGE 98.1 Lincoln, Nebraska Froggy 98.1
WOGI 104.3
105.5		 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Froggy 104.3
WGGY 101.3 Scranton, Pennsylvania Froggy 101
WFRG-FM 104.3 Utica, New York Big Frog 104
WGGE 99.1 Parkersburg, West Virginia Froggy 99
WFRY-FM 97.5 Watertown, New York Froggy 97
WOGY 104.1 Jackson, Tennessee Froggy 104
WOGH 103.5 Burgettstown, Pennsylvania Froggy 103.5
WKID 95.9 Vevay, Indiana K-95.9 Froggy Archived December 2, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
WWFY 100.9 Berlin, Vermont Froggy 104.3 & 100.9
WJKS 104.3 Keeseville, New York Froggy 104.3 & 100.9
WJNR-FM 101.5 Iron Mountain, Michigan Frog Country
KFGY 92.9 Santa Rosa, California Froggy 92.9
WJMQ 92.3 Clintonville, Wisconsin Frog Country
WFRB-FM 105.3
105.7		 Frostburg, Maryland Big Froggy 105.3
WKPQ 105.3 Hornell, New York Froggy 105.3

In other media

The "Froggy" moniker is regularly lampooned on the Glenn Beck Program ; Beck's alter ego, "Flap Jackson", is the morning jock at the fictional "109.9 The Big Frog".

On the US television series The Office , there is a Froggy 101 bumper sticker on the wall behind the reception desk and file cabinet, next to the desk of Dwight Schrute. The Office is set in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where WGGY uses the moniker "Froggy 101".

Confer's daughter, Kristin Cantrell, [3] established the Bigfoot Country brand for her stations when entering radio ownership. She also eventually acquired a prominent Froggy imitator, The Pig, in 2019. In October 2022, Cantrell's Seven Mountains Media purchased a majority of Forever Media's stations, including six Froggy stations. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Country Radio Hall Of Fame Class Of 2016 Announced". All Access. All Access Music Group. January 5, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Westwood One's The Lia Show & Later With Lia To End Production - RadioInsight". December 1, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Hall of Fame Award of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters - Harrisburg, PA".
  4. ↑ "Seven Mountains Media To Acquire 34 Stations From Forever Media". RadioInsight. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
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