WNCT-FM

Last updated

WNCT-FM
Broadcast area Eastern North Carolina - Greenville - New Bern - Jacksonville
Frequency 107.9 MHz
Branding80s Hits & More
Programming
Format Classic Hits of the 1980s
Ownership
Owner
  • Henry W. Hinton, Jr.
  • (Inner Banks Media, LLC)
WNBU, WRHD, WRHT, WTIB
History
First air date
December 22, 1963;61 years ago (1963-12-22) (as WGTC-FM at 107.7)
Former call signs
WGTC-FM (CP 1963–1964)
Former frequencies
107.7 MHz (1963–1982) [1]
Call sign meaning
North Carolina Television (from former sister station WNCT-TV)
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 54388
Class C
ERP 100,000 watts
HAAT 518 meters (1,699 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 35°21′55.6″N77°23′36.9″W / 35.365444°N 77.393583°W / 35.365444; -77.393583
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website 1079wnct.com

WNCT-FM (107.9 FM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic hits format, concentrating on the 1980s. Licensed to Greenville, North Carolina, the station serves the Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville and Rocky Mount areas of Eastern North Carolina. It is owned by Henry W. Hinton, Jr., through licensee Inner Banks Media, with studios on West Arlington Boulevard in Greenville. [3]

Contents

WNCT-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for most FM stations. The transmitter is on a tower shared with WITN-TV off North Carolina Highway 118 in Grifton. [4]

History

Roy H. Park

In August 1963, Roy H. Park, owner of WNCT-TV channel 9 and Park Communications, decided to acquire radio stations to pair with his television station. He bought 1590 WGTC, Greenville's oldest radio station (now 1070 WNCT) and the construction permit for WGTC-FM. [5] The FM station at the time was being built and had been assigned the call letters WGTC-FM. It signed on the air on December 22, 1963. [6] It changed its call sign to WNCT-FM one month later. [6] [7]

Park specialized in beautiful music for his FM stations. WNCT-FM played quarter-hour sweeps of mostly instrumental cover versions of popular adult songs. [8] Park Communications applied to move the FM station one notch up the dial to 107.9 FM in 1982. [1] By the 1990s, the audience for easy listening stations was aging. In an effort to appeal to younger listeners, WNCT-FM gradually began increasing the ratio of soft vocals to instrumentals. Eventually, the instrumentals were dropped entirely and the station transitioned to soft adult contemporary. The format change occurred around the same time as the death of Roy H. Park. [9] In early 1993, the station's moniker was "Easy 108". But with the elimination of instrumentals, the name was changed to "Lite 108" in late 1993.

Changes in ownership

The following year, management decided to end the soft AC format. WNCT-FM switched to oldies hits of the 1960s and 70s. The moniker "Oldies 107.9" went into place in 1994. [10] The Beasley Broadcast Group acquired WNCT-AM-FM in the early 2000s.

On February 2, 2017, Beasley announced that it would sell its six stations and four translators in the Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville radio market, including WNCT-FM, to the Curtis Media Group for $11 million. The sale was designed to reduce the company's debt. WNCT-FM was concurrently divested to Inner Banks Media to comply with FCC ownership limits. [11] The sale was completed on May 1, 2017. [12] Curtis Media continues to own former sister station 1070 WNCT.

AC and Classic Hits

Around 2022, WNCT-FM had evolved from classic hits to adult contemporary, calling itself "The Most Variety for The Workday". Artists included Adele, Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Bruno Mars, Prince and Beyoncé, with specialty shows most weekends.

By the mid-2020s, WNCT-FM has returned to a classic hits sound, calling itself "80s Hits & More."

References

  1. 1 2 "For the record" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 4, 1982. p. 92.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WNCT-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ 1079wnct.com
  4. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WNCT-FM
  5. ↑ "Changing hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 5, 1963. p. 79.
  6. 1 2 1965 Broadcasting Yearbook (PDF). p. B-111.
  7. ↑ "For the record" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 20, 1964. p. 85.
  8. ↑ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1985 page B-185. Retrieved Sept. 16, 2025.
  9. ↑ Saxon, Wolfgang (October 27, 1993). "R.H. Park, 83, Media Executive And Promoter of Duncan Hines". The New York Times . Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  10. ↑ "Archived". Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  11. ↑ Layden, Laura (February 3, 2017). "Beasley to sell six stations in North Carolina for $11 million". Naples Daily News . Retrieved June 6, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. May 3, 2017. Archived from the original on August 22, 2020. Retrieved June 7, 2017.
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