WRKT

Last updated

WRKT
WRKT Rocket105 logo.png
Broadcast area Erie, Pennsylvania
Frequency 104.9 MHz
BrandingRocket 105
Programming
Format Active rock
Ownership
Owner
WFNN, WJET, WRTS, WEBG, WTWF, WXBB
History
First air date
March 29, 1970;54 years ago (1970-03-29)
Former call signs
WHYP-FM (1970–1989)
Former frequencies
100.9MHz (1970–2017)
Call sign meaning
"W"e're "Roc"K"e"T"!
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 55063
Class B1
ERP 4,500 watts
HAAT 160.5 meters (527 ft)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website rocketerie.iheart.com

WRKT (104.9 FM, "Rocket 105") is an active rock radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. WRKT's studios are located in the Boston Store building in downtown Erie while its transmitter is located near NE Sherman Road and Miller Road in Chautauqua County, New York. It plays both old, new, and next rock songs plus an array of sports.

Contents

History

The station signed on in 1970 as WHYP-FM. Owned by James D. Brownyard, it was a simulcast of then sister station WHYP (now WZTE) 1530's Country Music format. [2] WHYP and WHYP-FM were sold to Rambaldo Communications in 1989. On June 22, 1989 at 12:00 p.m., WHYP-FM became WRKT as Rocket 101 at 100.9MHz, for 28 years before moving up the dial to 104.9MHz and rebranding as Rocket 105 at 12:00 p.m. on October 20, 2017. The final song as "Rocket 101" was "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, while the first song as "Rocket 105" was "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" by AC/DC. [3] The 100.9 frequency was to be reallocated to Westfield, New York, and sold at auction. Rick Rambaldo, owner of WEHP, won the bid, but was late in getting his down payment sent to the FCC, leading to rejection of his bid. The frequency again went up for auction in April 2020 (later delayed to July 2021). Rambaldo held an agreement to restore the oldies format that had previously been on WZTE until 2017 had he won the auction. [4] Rambaldo sold WEHP in 2019, but re-entered the 2021 auction, winning the bidding for the 100.9 license. [5] In 2022, Family Life Network claimed that it had acquired the frequency and relocated the 100.9MHz allocation back to North East as WCGE. [6]

On March 27, 2019, Connoisseur Media announced that it would transfer WRKT, along with its sister stations in Erie, to iHeartMedia in exchange for WFRE and WFMD in the Frederick, Maryland, market from the Aloha Station Trust. [7] The sale closed on May 20, 2019. Since this time, the only remaining local air personalities on the station are Mojo McKay and Allan Carpenter. The remainder of Rocket 105's programming originates from the iHeartMedia Premium Choice lineup.

Notable past and present on-air personalities include Kris Earl Phillips, the original Program Director and architect of the "Rocket" format, Steve Bohen, Paul Spinley, Kevin August, Dave Sharp, Amy St. John, Ronnie "Ron Klinester" Kline, Mark O'Brien, Nat Massing, Mojo McKay, Allan "AC" Carpenter, Woody, with Chris Rodler, and "Static 'Stat' Boy".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWDC (FM)</span> Alternative rock radio station in Washington, D.C.

WWDC is a commercial FM radio station in Maryland, near Washington, D.C. The station is owned by iHeartMedia through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC, and broadcasts an alternative rock radio format. Studios and offices are in Rockville, Maryland. WWDC serves as the flagship station for the syndicated radio show Elliot in the Morning and as the local affiliate for Skratch 'N Sniff.

WODE-FM is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Easton, Pennsylvania. The station's service contour covers the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMXA</span> FM radio station in Alabama, United States

WMXA is a radio station licensed to serve Opelika, Alabama. The station is owned by San Antonio–based iHeartMedia, through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC.

KZFS is a commercial radio station in Spokane, Washington. It broadcasts a classic hip hop radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its branding originates from its 250 watt FM translator K268DL at 101.5 MHz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXTK</span> News/talk radio station in West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, United States

WXTK is a commercial radio station licensed to West Yarmouth, Massachusetts, and serving Cape Cod. It has a news/talk format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on Barnstable Road in Hyannis, while the transmitter is on Radio Lane in Yarmouth. WXTK is the direct descendant of Cape Cod's first commercial radio station, WOCB.

WMZQ-FM is a commercial radio station in Washington, D.C. owned by iHeartMedia, it has had a country music radio format since 1977. The station's studios and offices are on Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland, and its transmitter is on Tower Street in Falls Church, Virginia. WMZQ-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts, the maximum power for radio stations in the Washington area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCIB</span> Radio station in Falmouth, Massachusetts

WCIB is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Falmouth, Massachusetts, and serving Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and the South Coast area. It airs a classic hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on Barnstable Road in Hyannis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGUE (AM)</span> Radio station in Turrell, Arkansas, serving Memphis, Tennessee

WGUE is a commercial AM radio station in Turrell, Arkansas, serving the Memphis metropolitan area. WGUE is owned by Butron Media Corporation and airs a Regional Mexican radio format. The transmitter is off Legion Road in West Memphis, Arkansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTWF</span> Radio station in Fairview, Pennsylvania

WTWF is a country music radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania, branded as "93.9 The Wolf". WTWF's studios are located in the Boston Store building in downtown Erie while its transmitter is located near the junction of Interstate 79 and Interstate 90. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. WTWF airs The Bobby Bones Show from WSIX-FM in Nashville Monday to Saturday mornings, The Wayne D Show Monday to Friday evenings also from WSIX-FM Nashville, After MidNite with Granger Smith overnights, Country House Party Saturday nights and "Woman of iHeartCountry" from iHeartMedia's Premiere Networks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZTE</span> Radio station in Union City, Pennsylvania

WZTE is a broadcast radio station licensed to Union City, Pennsylvania, serving Erie County, Crawford County, and Warren County in Pennsylvania and Chautauqua County in New York. WZTE is owned and operated by Inspiration Time, Inc., with headquarters in Waterford, Pennsylvania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFUS</span> Radio station in Gulfport, Florida

WFUS is a commercial radio station licensed to Gulfport, Florida. It airs a country music format and is one of the eight stations in the Tampa Bay radio market owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It carries The Bobby Bones Show syndicated from Nashville in morning drive time. The studios are on Feather Sound Drive in Clearwater.

WWRK is a classic rock radio station located in Florence, South Carolina, United States. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast on 970 AM with power of 10,000 watts during the day and 31 watts at night, non-directionally. WWRK is owned by iHeartMedia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRPT</span> Radio station in Devine–San Antonio, Texas

KRPT is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic country format. Licensed to Devine, Texas, United States, the station serves the San Antonio area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. The KRPT studios are located in the Stone Oak neighborhood in Far North San Antonio, and the transmitter site is in Pearsall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJMX-FM</span> Contemporary hit radio station in Cheraw–Florence, South Carolina

WJMX-FM, also known as "103X", is a top 40 (CHR) station located in the Florence, South Carolina, radio market. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to the town of Cheraw, South Carolina, and broadcasts with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 50 kW. Its studios are located in Florence, and its transmitter is located west of Society Hill, South Carolina. WJMX-FM is owned by iHeartMedia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDAR-FM</span> Radio station in Darlington, South Carolina

WDAR-FM, known as "105.5 The Beat", is an mainstream urban formatted radio station licensed to Darlington, South Carolina, and serving the Florence area. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its studios are in Florence, and its transmitter is in Darlington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCJM-FM</span> Radio station in West Point, Georgia

WCJM-FM is a radio station licensed to serve West Point, Georgia, United States. The station is owned by San Antonio–based iHeartMedia, through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC.

WERC-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Hoover, Alabama, and serving Greater Birmingham. It is owned by iHeartMedia and it simulcasts a talk radio format with sister station WERC 960 AM. The studios and offices are in Beacon Ridge Tower on First Avenue South in Birmingham, off Interstate 65.

WICU-FM is a contemporary hit radio-formatted radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania, licensed to Lawrence Park, Pennsylvania, under the ownership of SJL Broadcasting. It uses the moniker "Happi 927". WICU-FM is simulcast in Warren on Lilly-owned WICU.

WEBG is a radio station licensed to Mina, New York, owned by iHeartMedia. Its transmitter is located near Northeast Sherman Rd and Miller Rd in Chautauqua County New York. The station broadcasts a sports format as a simulcast of WFNN from Erie, Pennsylvania. The station has a rimshot signal serving the nearby Erie market; however, it is unable to be heard in the city itself because of co-channel interference from low-power Three Angels Broadcasting Network repeater WBIT-LP in the city. Its signal is strongest in rural western Chautauqua County, New York, but is spotty in the population centers of Dunkirk, Fredonia and Jamestown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KZIS</span> Radio station in California, United States

KZIS is a radio station in Sacramento, California, United States. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, broadcasting from the iHeartMedia studio center in North Sacramento and a tower north of the city near Elverta, also used by KXPR and KQEI-FM. The station is broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format focusing on hits of the 1990s and 2000s as "Kiss 107.9".

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WRKT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "Broadcasting Station License Record" . Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Rocket 101 Becomes Rocket 105". Format Change Archive. October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  4. ↑ Bruce, David (May 22, 2017). "FCC decision snarls Erie radio owner's bid for second station". Erie Times-News . Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  5. ↑ Venta, Lance (August 5, 2021). "FCC Auction 109 Comes to an End; iHeartMedia Wins 107.9 Sacramento". RadioInsight.
  6. ↑ "Stations". Family Life.
  7. ↑ Venta, Lance (March 27, 2019). "iHeartMedia & Connoisseur Media Swap Frederick & Erie". RadioInsight.

42°05′23″N79°56′34″W / 42.08985°N 79.94269°W / 42.08985; -79.94269

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.