WXTA

Last updated

WXTA
Broadcast area Erie, Pennsylvania
Frequency 97.9 MHz
BrandingErie Country 97.9
Programming
Format Country music
Affiliations Westwood One
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
1988;37 years ago (1988)
Former call signs
WMYJ-FM (1988–1989)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 72892
Class B1
ERP 10,000 watts
HAAT 154 meters (505 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 41°57′59.1″N80°6′39.2″W / 41.966417°N 80.110889°W / 41.966417; -80.110889 (WXTA)
Translator(s) 96.3 W242CU (Erie)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website www.eriecountry.com

WXTA (97.9 FM) is a commercial radio station in Edinboro, Pennsylvania, broadcasting to the Erie, Pennsylvania area. Owned by Cumulus Media, WXTA airs a country music radio format branded as "Erie Country 97.9". WXTA's studios are located at 471 Robison Rd W in Summit Township, while its transmitter is located near Oliver Rd and Golden Rd in that municipality.

Contents

History

Signing-on in October 1988 as WMYJ, the station operated with an Adult Contemporary format for a year as "Y-98".

WMYJ was purchased by Bob Winters (WinCapp Broadcasting) over the summer of 1989. The format switch to country happened at noon on September 11, 1989, and the station took the call sign WXTA.

WXTA was sold to Jim Embrescia's Media One Group in 1996, Regent Communications (now known today as Townsquare Media) in 1999, Citadel Broadcasting in 2004, and Cumulus Media in 2011.

Former air personalities at WXTA include "Uncle Fred" Horton, Bobby Reed, Ron Kline, Mike McKay, Natalie Massing, John Cunningham, "Big John" Jacobs, Ed Beeler, Bobbi Weston, Brian Williams, Rick Shigo, Chris Atkins, Dale Thompson, Chet Price, Bill Shannon, Laura Luke, Jim Mirabello, Adam Reese, John Gallagher, Tom Lavery, Sammy James, Jay Foyst, Herb Palmer, Dan "Shoeless" Sheldon, Ellie McVay, Truckin' Tom, Cindy Wear, Becca Lynn and the syndicated "Big D & Bubba."

Former syndicated programming on WXTA includes "After Midnite with Blair Garner", "Country Gold Saturday Night" and "Neon Nights with Lia".

Morning Personality "Uncle Fred" Horton died on March 4, 2008.

Current on-air personalities include Mike Sheffield, Jim Griffey, Nicole Dohoda and Chuck Stevens. Stevens is also the station's Program Director.

On-air features include Sheffield in the Morning (Mike Sheffield), Country Cartunes at 5, Kickin' it with Kix (Kix Brooks), and Retro Country.

On February 3, 2014, WXTA, along with nine other Cumulus-owned country music stations, made the switch to going under the Nash FM branding. [2]

On March 28, 2024, the station dropped the Nash FM branding, rebranding to Erie Country 97.9. [3]

FM translator

Since March 2025, WXTA has been rebroadcast over the following low-power FM translator: [4]

Broadcast translator for WXTA
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinatesFCC info
W242CU96.3 FM Erie, Pennsylvania 14682717324  m (79  ft)D 42°6′15″N80°4′9″W / 42.10417°N 80.06917°W / 42.10417; -80.06917 (W242CU) LMS

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WXTA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Cumulus-adds-11-more-nashfms
  3. ↑ Drops Nash For Erie Country
  4. ↑ Venta, Lance (March 14, 2025). "Twenty Cumulus & Townsquare Media Stations Cease Operations With More To Come". RadioInsight. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
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