Previous logos
| Broadcast area | Buffalo metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 96.1 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | The New 96.1 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBLK, WBUF, WYRK | |
| History | |
First air date | November 11, 1966 (as WBNY-FM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | The Star Station (formerly at FM 102.5) |
| Technical information [1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 1915 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 47,000 watts |
| HAAT | 154 meters (505 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | thenew961 |
WTSS (96.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Buffalo, New York, calling itself The New 96.1. WTSS has an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. It is owned by Townsquare Media and has its radio studios in the Rand Building on Lafayette Square in downtown Buffalo.
WTSS has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 47,000 watts. The station's transmitter is on the roof of the Rand Building. [2]
The station signed on the air on November 11, 1966, as WBNY-FM, a sister station to WJJL (1440 AM) in Niagara Falls. (The WBNY call letters had previously been used on WYSL, and the station is unrelated to today's WBNY, a college radio station at 91.3 FM). At the time, WJJL and WBNY were owned by the Niagara Frontier Broadcasting Corp. On June 1, 1970, the station changed its call sign to WBNY.
In 1973, the station was acquired by McCormick Broadcasting. [3] The station adopted the WJYE call sign on February 1, 1979, and was known as "JOY-FM-96". It spent many years as a beautiful music/easy listening station, playing quarter hour sweeps of soft, instrumental cover versions of popular songs.
In the 1990s, the easy listening format was aging, while most advertisers seek young to middle aged demographics. That prompted WJYE to transition to soft adult contemporary music and eliminate nearly all instrumentals.
In 1995, WJYE abandoned the "Joy 96" branding and began identifying by its call sign WJYE. It returned to the "Joy 96" branding in the late 2000s. In the late 1990s, WJYE was acquired by Infinity Broadcasting, which was later incorporated into CBS Radio.
In the summer of 2000, the syndicated call-in and request show Delilah was added for evenings. Beginning in 2001, it also historically carried an all-Christmas music format from the middle of November to New Year's Day (typically changing formats within hours of its rival on 102.5). Initially the two stations were relatively close to each other in the holiday ratings, with 96.1 winning the ratings battle once. [4]
Lance Diamond was the station's Saturday evening host for much of the 1990s and 2000s. The station began to stream over the Internet in November 2006. Also in 2006, WJYE, along with its Buffalo sister stations, were sold to Regent Broadcasting, which was later renamed Townsquare Media. [5]
Starting in 2007, the station transitioned from its previous soft AC format to a more uptempo adult contemporary format. The station added limited rhythmic songs to the playlist that would be appropriate for the format.
On September 2, 2014, WJYE changed its call sign to WMSX, and changed its on-air branding to Mix 96. The format itself did not change from that of recent years, although it stopped playing Christmas music up until the 2018 winter season. The nationally syndicated Delilah, which aired on 96.1 for nearly two decades, moved to WECK in January 2016. [6] [7]
On December 25, 2018, after playing Christmas music since mid-November, WMSX rebranded as "96.1 The Breeze". The format shifted to a softer-leaning AC, based on the success of the original KISQ "98.1 The Breeze" in San Francisco. Townsquare described the sound as "modified soft rock", returning to the format the station held before 2007. It also brought back Joe Chille, the station's previous morning host from that era, after he was at WECK for a short time. [8] [9] Chille left the station again to rejoin WECK in October 2021. [10] Delilah's weeknight show returned to 96.1 in February 2019. [11] In contrast to the 2001–2013 run as a Christmas station, the five years of Christmas music on 96.1 from 2018 to 2022 were ratings failures, with 102.5 outdrawing the station by margins of four or five times as many listeners. [4]
WKQW-FM in Oil City, Pennsylvania picked up the Mix 96 brand and logo almost immediately after WMSX abandoned it; in 2022, it moved exclusively online under the ownership of WXMT.
In April 2023, rival Buffalo station "Star 102.5" WTSS, owned by Audacy, Inc., was sold to the Educational Media Foundation, a Christian radio company; the new owners planned to flip to Christian Contemporary music as part of the K-Love network. On June 9, 2023, at 10:00 a.m., immediately after the sign off of WTSS, WMSX rebranded as "The New Star 96.1", purporting to be the successor to WTSS. WTSS itself redirected listeners to Audacy sister station 98.5 WKSE, with the two stations simulcasting for a week before the sale closed. Star 102.5's format was shifted after the sale to 107.7 WLKK's HD2 subchannel and continues to stream on the Audacy app.
"The New Star 96.1" shifted to a playlist more in line with WTSS's old format. It also promised to keep playing all Christmas music for much of November and December, as the former WTSS had done. The first song on "The New Star 96.1" was "Can't Stop the Feeling!" by Justin Timberlake. [12]
"The New Star 96.1" kept all of its previous Breeze airstaff, and did not hire anyone from WTSS. [13] Rob Lucas, WTSS' longtime morning host who declined to stay with Audacy, stated he had not been offered any position at WMSX and was considering a number of non-radio positions for his next career. [14] [15] On June 22, WMSX changed its call sign to WTSS. The station dropped the "Star" moniker on October 5, 2023, shifting to "The New 96.1;" [16] Townsquare Media's Buffalo division President Mark Plimpton indicated that "conversations with Audacy" had led to the brand shift while noting he could not comment on those conversations. [17] The new WTSS adopted the former WTSS' standard of changing to Christmas music on November 1 (as the former WTSS had done for the previous four years), [18] but chose a more traditional mix of music choices for its Christmas playlist compared to 102.5. [19]
WBEN is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Buffalo, New York, featuring a talk radio format. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves Western New York, the Niagara Falls region, and parts of Southern Ontario. WBEN's studios are located in Amherst, while the transmitter site is in Grand Island. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WBEN is relayed over WKSE's HD3 digital subchannel, and is available online via Audacy.
WLIF is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Baltimore, Maryland. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. through licensee Audacy License, LLC and broadcasts an adult contemporary format. Its studios are located on Clarkview Road in the Mount Washington neighborhood of Baltimore, while its broadcast tower is located near Loch Raven Reservoir near Towson. at.
WLIT-FM is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter is on top of the Willis Tower.
KGSR is a radio station licensed to Cedar Park, Texas, and serving the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. Owned by Sinclair Telecable Inc. d/b/a Waterloo Media Group, it broadcasts a Spanish language contemporary hit radio format. KGSR has studios and offices off Interstate 35 in North Austin, and the transmitter site is located off Route 206 in Bertram.
WEBR is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Niagara Falls, New York. It serves the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area from studios on Kenmore Avenue in Buffalo. The station is currently owned by William Yuhnke, with the license held by Kenmore Broadcasting Communications, Inc. It broadcasts a full-service soft oldies radio format, mostly from the 1970s. On weekends, it airs programs featuring Polish and Italian music, oldies and adult standards shows.
KDGE is an iHeartMedia adult contemporary commercial radio station dually licensed to both Fort Worth and Dallas, Texas. Star 102.1 switches programming to Christmas music during the months of November and December.
KSPF is a commercial radio station licensed to Dallas, Texas, and serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. KSPF is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs a classic hits radio format.
KEZK-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to St. Louis, Missouri. It broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. From mid-November through the Christmas holiday, KEZK switches to an all-Christmas music format. The studios and offices are on Olive Street in Downtown St. Louis.
KMEE is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Palm Desert, California, United States, and serves the Palm Springs—Coachella Valley radio market. The station is owned by Brad Fuhr, through licensee KGAY PSP, with studios on South Belardo Road in Palm Springs. KMEE broadcasts a soft oldies format, provided by MeTV's radio network.
WECK is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Cheektowaga, New York and serving the Buffalo–Niagara Falls Metropolitan Area. The station airs a locally produced and locally hosted oldies music format. The studios, offices and transmitter are located on Genesee Street in suburban Cheektowaga. WECK's programming is simulcast on three FM translator stations at 100.1, 100.5, and 102.9 MHz. The station is owned by Radio One Buffalo, LLC, headed by William Ostrander, also known as Buddy Shula.
WHTT-FM is a commercial radio station in Buffalo, New York, serving Western New York. It is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a classic hits format, calling itself "104.1 WHTT". The studios and offices are on James E. Casey Drive in Buffalo.
WBKV is a radio station in Buffalo, New York. It is owned by Educational Media Foundation and is a part of its K-Love network.
WMLE is a radio station broadcasting a Christian adult contemporary format. It is licensed to Germantown, Tennessee, and serves the Memphis area as its K-Love station. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation. WMLE broadcasts in HD.
WLKK is an American radio station located in Wethersfield, New York. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. It operates from studios at Audacy's Buffalo offices in Amherst, New York, with a transmitter located southwest of Warsaw.. Perhaps at least partly because of the station's unique ability to cover both the Buffalo and the Rochester radio markets with one rimshot signal, WLKK is known for its frequent format changes. Since the early 1980s, the station has changed formats approximately once every four to seven years. Its current format is country music, branded as "107.7 & 104.7 The Wolf".
WVKL – branded 95-7 R&B – is a commercial urban adult contemporary radio station licensed to serve Norfolk, Virginia. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station services the Hampton Roads region, and is the market affiliate for The Steve Harvey Morning Show. The WVKL studios are located in Virginia Beach, while the station transmitter resides in nearby Suffolk. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WVKL broadcasts over two HD Radio digital subchannels, and is available online via audacy
WMXO is a radio station licensed to and located in Olean, New York. The station broadcasts at 101.5 MHz with a Hot Adult Contemporary format. The station is currently owned by Seven Mountains Media.
KENR is a commercial radio station located in Superior, Montana, United States, broadcasting to the Missoula, Montana, area. KENR broadcasts a Top 40 contemporary hit radio music format competing with KXDR "Star FM".
WKTK is a commercial radio station licensed to Crystal River, Florida, and serving the Gainesville–Ocala radio market. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and carries an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December.
WTRV is a commercial radio station broadcasting a soft adult contemporary radio format. The station is licensed to Walker, Michigan, and serves the Grand Rapids metropolitan area radio market. WTRV is a Class A station, so it is limited to 3,000 watts. Its signal can be heard as far south as Otsego, far east as Ionia, and as far north as Fremont.
WBWA is a radio station in Buffalo, New York, broadcasting contemporary worship music from the Air 1 network without local deviation outside of station identification. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation. Unlike most Buffalo stations, its signal is mostly audible only in the Southtowns, and has no over-the-air availability across Lake Ontario into the Greater Toronto Area; a weak signal and adjacent-channel interference from public radio stations WNJA and WPSX make the station inaudible in most of the western Southern Tier.
| By AM frequency | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| By FM frequency |
| ||
| NOAA Weather Radio frequency | |||
| Digital radio by frequency & subchannel | |||
| By call sign |
| ||
| Defunct | |||
| |||
