Currently silent | |
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Broadcast area | Washington County, Vermont |
Frequency | 1450 kHz |
Branding | The Penguin 97.9 105.7 |
Programming | |
Format | Adult hits |
Ownership | |
Owner | Great Eastern Radio, LLC |
WRFK, WWFY, WWFK, WSNO-FM | |
History | |
First air date | October 13, 1959 [1] |
Call sign meaning | "Snow" |
Technical information [2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 34813 |
Class | C |
Power | 1,000 watts unlimited |
Transmitter coordinates | 44°11′40″N72°30′52″W / 44.19444°N 72.51444°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live |
Website | thepenguinvermont.com |
WSNO (1450 kHz; "The Penguin") is an AM radio station licensed to serve Barre, Vermont. Established in 1959, the station is owned by Jeffrey Shapiro's Great Eastern Radio. The station has been silent since September 2023; it most recently broadcast an adult hits format, simulcast from Burlington-market WSNO-FM (97.9 FM) in Au Sable, New York, [3] and also heard on translator W289CH (105.7 FM).
The station has been assigned the WSNO call letters by the Federal Communications Commission. [4]
WSNO signed on October 13, 1959. [1] The original owners, JKL Broadcasting Company, sold the station to Robert Kimel and Bessie Grad, owners of WWSR in St. Albans, in 1960. By 1961, the station had affiliated with the CBS Radio Network. [5] By 1970, WSNO had a middle of the road format, with twelve hours weekly of country music. [6] In 1980, the station shifted to a full-time country music format. [7] [8] The station had added an affiliation with Mutual by 1993, while remaining a CBS affiliate. [9] In 1996, the station switched to a news/talk format. [10] [11]
Kimel sold WSNO and sister station WORK (107.1 FM, now WRFK) to Bull Moose Broadcasting in 1997; [12] two years later, the stations were purchased by Vox Radio Group. [13] Nassau Broadcasting Partners acquired most of Vox's northern New England radio stations in 2004. [14]
WSNO, along with 29 other Nassau stations in northern New England, was purchased at bankruptcy auction by Carlisle Capital Corporation, a company controlled by Bill Binnie (owner of WBIN-TV in Derry), on May 22, 2012. The station, and 12 of the other stations, were then acquired by Vertical Capital Partners, controlled by Jeff Shapiro. [15] [16] The deal was completed on November 30, 2012. [17] The Vertical Capital Partners stations were transferred to Shapiro's existing Great Eastern Radio group on January 1, 2013. [18] [19]
In the later years of its talk format, WSNO's programming included Imus in the Morning , The Glenn Beck Radio Program , The Rush Limbaugh Show , and The Howie Carr Show . [20] WSNO also featured local news and weather, high school sports, NFL Football, Boston Bruins and NCAA Basketball. WSNO ended its talk format after 20 years on August 29, 2016, and began stunting. The station introduced a top 40 format at midnight on September 2, 2016, and concurrently began simulcasting on translator W289CH (105.7 FM); the station was branded as "105.7 The Beat". The first song on The Beat was "Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake. Despite the format change, WSNO continued its high school sports coverage. [20] [21] [22] [23]
On January 1, 2022, WSNO began simulcasting newly-acquired sister station WXMS (which concurrently became WSNO-FM) from Au Sable, New York (near Burlington and Plattsburgh), with an adult hits format branded as "The Penguin". All three of the initial members of the new format's airstaff previously worked at Burlington top 40 station WXXX. [24]
WSNO went silent in September 2023 after losing its transmitter site; the "Penguin" programming was moved to the second HD Radio channel of WWFY (100.9 FM) to continue to feed the 105.7 translator. [25]
WJKS is a commercial FM radio station in the Champlain Valley of northern New England, in the United States. WJKS broadcasts a country music radio format, simulcast with 100.9 WWFY in Berlin, Vermont. The two stations are owned by Great Eastern Radio. WJKS serves the Burlington–Plattsburgh media market, while WWFY serves Barre–Montpelier.
WHTP-FM is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Kennebunkport, Maine, serving York County and southern Cumberland County, Maine. Its signal is broadcast from the same location. Established in 1994, WHTP-FM is owned by Mainestream Media. The station broadcasts a rhythmic top 40 format.
WEXP is a commercial radio station licensed to Brandon, Vermont. WEXP broadcasts an Americana music format featuring recent Americana and country music, with programming focused on Rutland County, Vermont, and surrounding areas. Branded as "Mud Radio", the station features live, daily dialog with community service.
WXZO is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Willsboro, New York. Owned by Vox AM/FM, it primarily serves the Champlain Valley, including Burlington, Vermont, and Plattsburgh, New York. Its studios are located in Colchester, Vermont. The station broadcasts a soft oldies radio format using the syndicated music service known as "MeTV FM." In morning drive time, the station carries Intelligence for Your Life with John Tesh.
WEAV is an English-language American radio station in Plattsburgh, New York, with studios in Colchester, Vermont. The station broadcasts a sports format.
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.
WJZN is a radio station licensed to serve Augusta, Maine, United States. The station, established in 1932 as WRDO, was owned by Townsquare Media; it broadcast an alternative rock format simulcast from WCYY in Portland prior to going silent in May 2023. WJZN's programming was also heard on W240DH in Augusta.
WWLK-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Meredith, New Hampshire, and serving the Lakes Region. The station broadcasts a soft adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Dirk Nadon, through licensee Lakes Media, LLC. The studios and offices are on Church Street in Concord, New Hampshire.
WLKZ is an American licensed radio station in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, serving the Lakes Region. The station is owned by Dirk Nadon, through licensee Lakes Media, LLC, and carries a classic rock format, under the "104.9 The Hawk" branding.
WBAK is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Belfast, Maine. It is owned by Blueberry Broadcasting, and broadcasts a classic hits radio format. Its programming is also simulcast on WBKA in Bar Harbor, as well as WABK-FM in Gardiner.
WCVR is a radio station broadcasting a hybrid country music format to Randolph, Vermont, United States. Established in 1968, the station is owned by Robert and John Landry, through licensee Sugar River Media.
WJMP is an AM radio station broadcasting a classic hip hop format. Licensed to Plattsburgh, New York, United States, the station serves the Champlain Valley, including Burlington, Vermont. The station is owned by Loud Media. WJMP's programming is also heard on translator station W279DE in Plattsburgh.
WWFY is a radio station licensed to serve Berlin, Vermont. The station is owned by Great Eastern Radio. It airs a country music format.
WRFK is an FM radio station licensed to Barre and serving central Vermont. Established in 1974, the station is owned by Jeffrey Shapiro's Great Eastern Radio. WRFK airs a classic rock format, and is simulcast in the Champlain Valley on WWFK in Plattsburgh West, New York. The transmitter is located off Websterville Road and the studios and offices are on Jacques Street.
WPNO is a radio station licensed to serve South Paris, Maine. The station is owned by Bennett Radio Group. WPNO airs a conservative talk format simulcast with WEZR and W252DS in Rumford. WPNO also operates translator station W245CQ in South Paris. WPNO went on the air in 1955 as WKTQ, and was assigned its present call letters on September 26, 2019.
WQVD is a radio station licensed to serve Orange–Athol, Massachusetts, United States. The station is owned by Kurt Jackson's Hampden Communications Co. It simulcasts the classic hits format of commonly-owned WQVR in Webster.
WAKC is an American licensed radio station in Concord, New Hampshire. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and is part of its K-Love network of contemporary Christian music outlets. EMF also owns WLKC in Campton, serving the White Mountains and Lakes Region.
WFYX is a radio station broadcasting an oldies music format. Licensed to Walpole, New Hampshire, United States, it serves the Monadnock Region in Southwestern New Hampshire and Southeastern Vermont. It first began broadcasting in 2001 under the call sign WLPL. The station is owned by Great Eastern Radio. Programming is simulcast with the third HD Radio channel of WHDQ in Claremont and translator W294AB in Hanover, which serve the Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction area.
WKMY is a radio station broadcasting a contemporary Christian music format. Licensed to Athol, Massachusetts, United States, it serves the North County and Pioneer Valley areas. The signal for WKMY can be heard in north central Massachusetts, southern New Hampshire, and southern Vermont. It first began broadcasting in 1989 under the call sign WCAT-FM. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation.
WSNO-FM is a radio station licensed to Au Sable, New York, and serving the Burlington-Plattsburgh-Lake Champlain radio market. The station is owned by Great Eastern Radio, LLC. WSNO-FM broadcasts an adult hits format, simulcast on the second HD Radio channel of WWFY in Berlin and on translator station W289CH in Barre.