WCIS-FM

WCIS-FM
City De Ruyter, New York
Broadcast area Central New York
Frequency 105.1 MHz (also on HD Radio)
Translator(s) see below
First air date June 6, 1948 (as WVCN)
Format Christian radio
HD2: Rhythmic Adult Contemporary (WMVN simulcast)
HD3: Classic Hits (WNDR simulcast)
ERP 33,000 watts
HAAT 185 meters
Class B
Facility ID 22134
Former callsigns WVCN (1948-1954)
WRRD (1954-1961)
WOIV (1961-1989)
WVOA (1989-2001)
WVOQ (4/2001-6/2001)
WXBB (2001-2003)
WWDG (2003-2009)
WVOA-FM (5/2009-9/2009)
WOLF-FM (2009-2016)
Owner Craig Fox (80%)
(Sale to Family Life Network pending)
(Foxfur Communications, LLC)
Sister stations WMVN-FM, WNDR-FM

WCIS-FM is a Christian radio station serving the Central New York Region. The station broadcasts at 105.1 MHz with an ERP of 33 kW and is licensed to De Ruyter, New York; it is currently operated by the Family Life Network, a regional Christian broadcaster active in upstate New York and Northern Pennsylvania.

History

WVCN

WCIS-FM began operating June 6, 1948 at 105.1 MHz as WVCN, the Central New York outlet of the farm-oriented Rural Radio Network, a six-station group based in Ithaca. This pioneer FM network was the first to employ a direct off-air relay system instead of wire lines, with WVCN serving as the link between Ithaca flagship station WVFC and sister stations WVBN, Turin (which would cease operation in 1951) and WVCV, Cherry Valley. Its original General Electric 250 watt transmitter and four-section RCA FM Pylon antenna provided an ERP of 1.3 kW, horizontally-polarized. A 1 kW amplifier was added in April, 1951, increasing ERP to 5.3 kW, however this proved insufficient to cover the entire city of Syracuse with a predicted 1 mV/m (60 dBμ) signal.

WRRD/WOIV

On January 1, 1954, the DeRuyter station's callsign was changed to WRRD. After affiliating with New York City's WQXR, the group's programming began to shift toward classical music and a new identity as the "Northeast Radio Network" was introduced. In January 1961, ownership of the DeRuyter facility and its four sister stations was transferred to the Ivy Broadcasting Company, Inc., prompting a callsign change to WOIV. Five years later, the network changed hands again, this time to the Chenango & Unadilla (C&U) Telephone Company, which added a second 1 kW transmitter and a Collins/ERI model 300-5 dipole antenna to provide 4.9 kW in the vertical polarization. A 1968 merger with Continental Telephone forced divestiture of C&U's broadcast properties, and the entire group of five FM stations, then valued at $600,000, was donated to the Christian Broadcasting Network, headed by Pat Robertson.

WVOA/WXBB/The Dog/Nova 105.1

CBN raised funds to replace aging transmitter equipment and eliminated the off-air relay system in favor of a stereo 950 MHz link from the main studio in Ithaca. In September 1972, an RCA BTF-10E1 transmitter and BFC-10 circularly-polarized antenna were installed, increasing the ERP to 42 kW and greatly improving coverage in Syracuse. In October 1981, CBN sold WOIV to Forus Communications for $242,500, and in 1989, the call sign was changed again to WVOA. Cram Communications, headed by Syracuse broadcast entrepreneur Craig Fox, operated the station under a religious format from 1994 to 2001, then sold it for $5 million to Clear Channel, which converted it to a simulcast of WBBS with the calls WXBB. After one year, it flipped to active rock as WWDG, "The Dog", in 2002, but after four years of struggling ratings, it flipped to "Nova 105.1," with a hot adult contemporary format, in July 2006. Clear Channel would later place the station in the Aloha Station Trust in 2008 due to the company's privatization plans.

Sale back to Craig Fox

On March 6, 2009, Craig Fox purchased the station back from Aloha, for only $1.25 million. The deal closed two months later, after which Fox and partner Samuel J. Furco temporarily took the station off the air. Foxfur Communications restored the former WVOA call letters and brought the station back on the air on May 19, 2009 as WVOA-FM, and aired Catholic religious programming, simulcasting WVOU.

On August 14, 2009, WVOA-FM began stunting. The station started off simulcasting Radio Disney affiliate WOLF-AM.[1]

Wolf 105-1

Logo used from 2009 until 2016.

After just two weeks with the Radio Disney format, the station then began stunting with a loop of "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran and then an all hair band format, before officially flipping at 4 PM on August 28, 2009 with a country music format, branded as "Wolf 105-1".

Trade to Family Life Network

In March 2016, as part of a multiple-station swap, the FM 105.1 license (along with 96.7) was traded to the Family Life Network in exchange for the FM 92.1 license in Baldwinsville (currently WSEN-FM, which is itself moving to FM 102.1). WOLF's intellectual property would move to 92.1, which provides a stronger signal over Syracuse proper. When the change is complete, 105.1 and 96.7 will change call signs (to WCIS-FM and WCIO respectively) and adopt FLN's Christian radio format.

Airstaff

The current lineup (as of January 2016) Starting out the day on the morning drive from 5am-10am is the syndicated Big D and Bubba. Middays from 10am-3pm is Taylor Smith. On the afternoon drive from 3pm-7pm is Skip Clark. Wrapping up the day on nights is the syndicated "The Big Time with Whitney Allen". Brian has been added for overnights.

WCIS-FM program director is current afternoon drive host Skip Clark. Weather reports are handled by Tom Hauf, former weekend meteorologist at WSYR-TV.

Repeaters and translators

Call sign Frequency
(MHz) 		City of license ERP
W 		Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W252AC 98.3 FM Fairmount, New York 250 watts D 43°03′30″N 76°10′0″W / 43.05833°N 76.16667°W / 43.05833; -76.16667 (W252AC) FCC
W268AE 101.5 FM Wampsville, New York 75 watts D 43°03′57″N 75°40′05″W / 43.06583°N 75.66806°W / 43.06583; -75.66806 (W268AE) FCC
WCIO 96.7 FM Oswego, New York 3000 watts A 43°29′12″N 76°23′10″W / 43.48667°N 76.38611°W / 43.48667; -76.38611 (WWLF-FM) FCC

References

  1. ↑ "WVOA Flips to Radio Disney". CNYRadio.com. 2009-08-19.

External links

Coordinates: 42°46′59″N 75°50′28″W / 42.783°N 75.841°W / 42.783; -75.841

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Tuesday, April 19, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.