WRKN

For the radio station licensed to Niceville, Florida that held the call sign WRKN at 100.3 FM from 2006 to 2009, see WTKE-FM.
WRKN
City LaPlace, Louisiana
Broadcast area New Orleans/Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Branding Nash FM 92-3
Slogan The Gulf South's Country Giant
Frequency 92.3 MHz (also on HD Radio) (HD not yet in operation)
92.3 HD-2 for Variety Hits (not yet operational)
First air date 1966 (as WCKW)
Format Country
ERP 100,000 watts
HAAT 593 meters
Class C
Facility ID 117
Callsign meaning W RocKiN (previous format)
Former callsigns WCKW (1966-2004)
WDVW (2004-2010)
Owner Cumulus Media
(Radio License Holding CBC, LLC)
Sister stations KKND, KMEZ, WZRH
Webcast Listen Live
Website nashfm923.com

WRKN is a radio station owned by Cumulus Media. The station, whose frequency is 92.3 MHz with an effective radiated power of 100 kW, is licensed to Laplace, Louisiana and serves the greater New Orleans metropolitan area. Its studios are located at the Place St. Charles building in Downtown New Orleans and its transmitter is located in Vacherie, Louisiana. WRKN can be heard all over southeast Louisiana, and across several counties in Mississippi. Specifically, this station can be heard as far east as Gulfport, MS, as far west as Crowley, LA, as far north as McComb, MS, and at least 60 miles (97 km) offshore onto the Gulf of Mexico.

History

As WCKW

The station signed on the air in 1966 as WCKW. During its first 29 years of its existence, its previous formats included country, classic rock, active rock, all-1980s, adult contemporary (including a rebrand from "The Point" to "Lite 92.3" on November 4, 2003)[1] and adult top 40.

As WDVW

On November 18, 2004 WCKW 'unveiled' the "Diva" format and changed its call letters to WDVW, playing mostly rhythmic pop, classic Disco and Dance music from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. From 2005 to 2007, WDVW was also a reporter to the Billboard Magazine Dance/Mix Show Airplay panel.

When it debuted with the format, its slogan was "Music For The Diva In You", a reference to the female audience it targeted and the high quotient of female artists on its playlist. But despite the name and slogan it also attracted males as well. In September 2005 they would later change the slogan to "New Orleans' Feel Good Station!" The reason for that was to bring music and normality back to the area after Hurricane Katrina struck. They were also the first radio station in the market to resume regular music programming after the disaster ended.

WDVW was one of two "Divas" in Louisiana. Its sister station in Baton Rouge, WCDV (Diva 103.3), was the other, although WDVW can also be heard in that area as well. But on September 18, 2006, WCDV returned to an Adult Contemporary direction, a move that might have made sense due to the overlapping of two "Divas" in Baton Rouge, which hurt WCDV ratings wise.

former "Mix 92.3" ident.

On December 20, 2007, WDVW switched directions to adult top 40 for its second go-round, this time as "Mix 92.3." The station has dropped most of the Dance fare in favor of current Hot AC product, with recurrents from the 1980s and 1990s and a modern-leaning direction. The station never produced impressive ratings, and given New Orleans' reception toward Hot AC/Adult Top 40 in the past, most notably WLTS, this format has never performed well in this market.

As WRKN

On July 23, 2010, at approximately 2:50 PM, after playing "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum, the station began stunting with Mardi Gras-themed music. At 4:00 pm, the station became "Rock 92-3," using the slogan "New Orleans' Rock Station", and adopting their current callsign WRKN. The first song on "Rock 92-3" was "Check My Brain" by Alice in Chains. The move to a rock format was driven by the recent format change of KOBW, which had aired a similar format.[2]

On January 3, 2014, at 9 AM, after playing "No Sleep till Brooklyn" by The Beastie Boys, WRKN began stunting with a "Wheel of Formats", with the launch of a new format on January 6 at 9:23 AM. Like WDVW, it too was not successful ratings-wise, given New Orleans' history with rock formats.[3] At the promised time, the station flipped to country, branded as "Nash FM 92-3." The first song on "Nash" was "Radio" by Darius Rucker.

On April 21, 2016 at 10AM, WRKN altered its format, expanding its presence to target the adjacent Baton Rouge market while tweaking its format towards a mix of 1990s and current songs. The new shift comes with a positioning change to “The Gulf South’s Country Giant”. With the change, Scott Innes joined the station for middays. Innes spent fifteen years at WYNK in Baton Rouge prior to his exit in 2011. He also is a cartoon voice actor best known for being the voice of many Hanna Barbera characters including Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy Doo.[4]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2003/RR-2003-11-07.pdf
  2. ↑ "New Orleans has an alternative rocker again – Hot AC "Mix" is now "Rock 92.3"". Radio-Info.com. July 23, 2010.
  3. ↑ Cumulus Stunting In New Orleans from Radio Insight (January 3, 2014)
  4. ↑ WRKN Expands Focus To Baton Rouge; Moves To Gold Based Country

External links

Coordinates: 29°57′11″N 90°43′26″W / 29.953°N 90.724°W / 29.953; -90.724

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