WCKT

Last updated

WCKT
Broadcast area Fort Myers - Naples - Southwest Florida
Frequency 107.1 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingCat Country 107.1
Programming
Format Country
Affiliations Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
WBCG, WBTT, WCCF, WCVU, WIKX, WOLZ, WWCD, WZJZ
History
First air date
January 1, 1976;49 years ago (January 1, 1976) (as WAWK-FM)
Former call signs
WAYK-FM (1976–1979)
WSWF-FM (1979-1983)
WOOJ-FM (1983–1989)
WCKT (1989–2003)
WRLR (2003)
WDRR (2003–2004)
WZJZ (2004–2007)
Call sign meaning
sounds like "Cat"
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 55755
Class C2
ERP 23,500 watts
HAAT 220 meters (722 ft)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website catcountry1071.iheart.com

WCKT (107.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Lehigh Acres, Florida, and serving the Fort Myers-Naples area of Southwest Florida. It airs a country music format branded as "Cat Country" and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. In morning drive time, the station carries The Bobby Bones Show from Nashville. It airs The Boxer Show with Brandon Nasby from WCOL-FM Columbus in evenings. [2] And overnight, After Midnite with Granger Smith is heard. WCKT's studios and offices are on Metro Parkway in Fort Myers.

Contents

WCKT is a Class C2 FM station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 23,500 watts. The transmitter is off Old 41 Road at Channel 30 Drive in Bonita Springs. [3]

History

Beautiful music, Disco and Rock

The station signed on the air on January 1, 1976;49 years ago. [4] Its call sign was WAYK-FM and it was owned by Broadcast Management, Inc., as the sister station to WAYK 1440 AM (now WWCL). At first, WAYK-FM was automated with a beautiful music format. It played quarter-hour sweeps of soft, mostly instrumental music and was an affiliate of the ABC Information Network. It was originally powered at just 2,350 watts, a fraction of its current output.

In the late 1970s, disco music was gaining in popularity. In 1979, the format was flipped to all-disco and the call letters were changed to WSWF-FM (standing for Southwest Florida). In 1985, the station flipped to album-oriented rock (AOR) and the call letters were changed to WOOJ (Orange Rock 107). In 1988, facing competition from a new and more powerful rock competitor, 96.1 WRXK, WOOJ tweaked its format to classic rock.

Cat Country

In 1989, the station changed to "Cat Country 107.1" and the call sign became WCKT. In only one ratings period, the new Cat Country beat longtime Southwest Florida country outlet 101.9 WHEW to become the area's #1 country station. WCKT programmed a music intensive format up against WHEW's more full service personality approach. WCKT 107.1 continued for several years until WHEW made a major change. It stayed country but become WWGR as "Gator Country 101.9" about the same time as the Ft. Myers and Naples markets were combined to become one radio market. Since then, WWGR has been the #1 country outlet in the Ft. Myers - Naples metro area.

In 1996, WCKT was acquired by Clear Channel Communications, which changed its name to iHeartMedia in 2014. [5] During WCKT's history, Clear Channel briefly had the station on its 100.1 FM frequency (what is now WZJZ). Even though the 100.1 frequency is a stronger Class C1 signal, it is based in Port Charlotte. Its tower there didn't send a strong enough signal to cover the population living around Naples and Marco, on the southern end of the Fort Myers-Naples market.

In 2007, "Cat Country" returned to the 107.1 frequency. Over the years, it has gotten a boost in power and antenna height to better cover the spread-out Fort Myers radio market.

Cat Country alumni

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WCKT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ RadioInsight.com "Brandon Boxer Moves from Mornings at WTVN" Nov. 20, 2023. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2025
  3. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WCKT
  4. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-43. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2025
  5. ↑ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2009 page D-139. Retrieved Feb. 20, 2025.

26°19′01″N81°47′13″W / 26.317°N 81.787°W / 26.317; -81.787

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.