WRKI

Last updated

WRKI
Broadcast area Greater Danbury and Bridgeport-New Haven
Frequency 95.1 MHz
BrandingI-95
Programming
Format Classic rock
Affiliations Compass Media Networks
Ownership
Owner
WDBY
History
First air date
July 14, 1957;67 years ago (1957-07-14)
Former call signs
  • WGHF (1957–1967)
  • WINE-FM (1967–1977)
Call sign meaning
Rock, I-95
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 15391
Class B
ERP 29,500 watts
HAAT 194 meters (636 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 41°29′36″N73°25′44″W / 41.4934°N 73.4290°W / 41.4934; -73.4290
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website i95rock.com

WRKI (95.1 FM, "I-95") is a commercial radio station licensed to Brookfield, Connecticut, serving Greater Danbury and Bridgeport-New Haven, Connecticut. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, and carries a classic rock radio format. Its studios and offices are located on Federal Road (U.S. Route 202) in Brookfield; the station's transmitter is on Carmen Hill Road, also in Brookfield.

Contents

History

Early years

On July 14, 1957, the station signed on as WGHF. [2] It was owned by the Eastern Broadcasting System. Its AM sister station, WINE (940 AM) signed on in 1963 as a simulcast of WGHF. On December 10, 1967, the FM station's call sign was changed to WINE-FM. [3]

WINE-AM-FM aired a popular contemporary format, playing the Top 40 hits of the day. Because WINE was an AM daytimer, required to sign off at sunset, WINE-FM continued the Top 40 sound into the night when AM 940 was off the air.

Album rock I-95

WINE-FM stopped simulcasting the AM station at the end of 1976. At 6:00 p.m. on December 24, 1976, it switched to an album-oriented rock format. The first song played was "The Bitch Is Back" by Elton John. On May 11, 1977, WINE-FM changed its call sign to WRKI, [3] using the name of a major interstate highway in its listening area, I-95.

The station's original slogan was "Fairfield County's Best Rock". In 1982 the station had a brief detour into modern rock and new wave music as "The Rock of the 80s" but soon returned to its album rock sound. The station has also been known as "The Non-Stop Rock Station", "Connecticut's Best Rock & Roll", "Connecticut's Rock & Roll Favorites", "Real Rock" and "Danbury's Rock Station" but has most consistently been and currently known as "The Home of Rock 'n' Roll".

WRKI and WINE were acquired by Cumulus Media in 2002. [4] Cumulus is one of the largest owners of radio stations in the U.S.

Townsquare ownership

On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus Media stations, including WRKI and WINE, for $238 million. The deal was part of Cumulus Media's acquisition of Dial Global. Townsquare Media and Dial Global are both controlled by Oaktree Capital Management. The sale to Townsquare Media was completed on November 14, 2013. [5]

Upon Townsquare taking control of WRKI, the new owner moved the station to classic rock. Unlike several Townsquare radio stations, WRKI kept most of the station's local disc jockeys. [6] [7]

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References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WRKI". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Broadcsting Yearbook 1959 page B-122, Broadcasting & Cable
  3. 1 2 "WRKI history cards" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission . Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  4. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 2010 page D-125, Broadcasting & Cable
  5. ↑ "Cumulus-Townsquare-Peak Deal Closes". All Access. November 15, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Official: Cumulus Media Buys Dial Global, Spins Some Stations To Townsquare Media; Peak Stations Sold To Townsquare Media, Fresno Spun To Cumulus Media". All Access. August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Cumulus Media Makes Dial Global And Townsquare Media Deals Official". RadioInsight. August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
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