WEAT

WEAT (107.9 MHz, "Sunny 107-9") is a commercial FM radio station in West Palm Beach, Florida. It airs a classic hits radio format and is owned by Hubbard Radio, through licensee WPB FCC License Sub, LLC. The studios and offices are on Northpoint Parkway in West Palm Beach.[1] The station plays Top 40 hits from the 1970s, '80s, and '90s.

WEAT
CityWest Palm Beach, Florida
Broadcast areaPalm Beach County
Frequency107.9 MHz
BrandingSunny 107-9
SloganWest Palm's Greatest Hits
Programming
FormatClassic hits
Ownership
OwnerHubbard Radio
(WPB FCC License Sub, LLC)
Sister stationsWFTL, WIRK, WMBX, WMEN, WRMF
History
First air dateJuly 4, 1965 (as WPBF)
Former call signsWPBF (1965–1971)
WIRK-FM (1971–2012)
Technical information
Facility ID1918
ClassC1
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT130 meters (427 ft)
Links
WebcastListen live
WebsiteSunny1079.com

WEAT has an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts, the maximum for non-grandfathered FM stations. The transmitter is located off Route 7 at 60th Street North in West Palm Beach.[2]

History
For information on WEAT-FM at 104.5/104.3 MHz from 1969 to 2012, see WSFS (FM).

Beautiful Music and Oldies

On Independence Day, July 4, 1965, the 107.9 frequency signed on as WPBF (no relation to the present-day television station). It was a beautiful music station owned by Ken-Sell, Inc. alongside WIRK 1290 AM. The power was only 26,000 watts, a quarter of its current output.

The station became WIRK-FM on March 5, 1971.[3] Later that year, the station shifted to a automated oldies format known as "Olde Golde".[4]

Country Music

In January 1974, WIRK-FM ended its oldies programming and flipped to country music with live, local talent.[5] By 1978, it ranked in the top 10 most-listened-to country music stations in the United States, in terms of its share of local listeners.[6]

WIRK-AM-FM were sold in 1983 to Price Communications for $7 million.[7] A year later, it entered into an agreement with actor Burt Reynolds to build a remote studio at his horse ranch in Jupiter and broadcast from it from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.[8]

Ownership and Frequency Changes

Price sold WIRK-FM and 1290 AM, at the time known as WBZT, to American Radio Systems in 1994.[9] In 1995, Chancellor Broadcasting traded its West Palm Beach radio stations, including WIRK-FM, to American Radio Systems in exchange for a station in California and $33 million.[10] The next year, CBS bought the entire American Radio Systems group in a $2.6 billion transaction. Some stations were divested but CBS kept WIRK-FM.[11]

In 2012, CBS Radio, citing a desire to focus on larger markets, sold its entire West Palm Beach cluster to Palm Beach Broadcasting for $50 million.[12] The sale included the intellectual unit of soft adult contemporary station 104.3 WEAT. But as Palm Beach Broadcasting already owned one FM station, 97.9 WRMF, it had to divest two of CBS's stations to other buyers. Because the 104.3 FM facility was powerful and could be moved into the Miami radio market, it was tagged for sale.

On June 1, 2012, Sunny and the WEAT call letters moved from 104.3 (which became WMSF) to 107.9, while WIRK and its country format moved to 103.1 MHz, marking the end for former hot adult contemporary station WPBZ.[13] Dean Goodman folded Palm Beach Broadcasting into another radio holding, Digity, upon the latter's purchase of NextMedia in 2013.[14]

Hubbard Switches to Classic Hits

Effective February 25, 2016, Digity, LLC and its 124 radio stations were acquired by Alpha Media for $264 million. Alpha then sold its West Palm Beach cluster to Hubbard Broadcasting in 2018 for $88 million.[15]

After having been an adult contemporary station since 1992 (when the original WEAT-FM flipped from easy listening), Hubbard transitioned WEAT to classic hits in 2019, reducing overlap with co-owned 97.9 WRMF.

gollark: There's an actual list of allowed raffle channel stuff?
gollark: What dragons count for the ráfflè again?
gollark: Sure.
gollark: Er... sure, but I'm going to bed soon and so will be unable to stop it until morning.
gollark: I require it, on pain of having demons rend apart the underpinnings of the universe to force you to pay for your crimes.

References
  1. PublicFiles.FCC.gov/WEAT
  2. Radio-Locator.com/WEAT
  3. FCC History Cards for WEAT
  4. "Olde Golde..." Palm Beach Post. October 17, 1971. p. F11. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  5. "Radio Notes". Palm Beach Post. January 27, 1974. p. G2. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  6. Spires, Shari (October 19, 1978). "WIRK-FM: 'Blue Ribbon Team'". Palm Beach Post. p. B1. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  7. "WIRK Radio Stations Sold". Palm Beach Post. June 18, 1983. p. D7. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  8. Michals, Bob (July 31, 1984). "Burt Reynolds OK's 'Country K' Plans For Ranch Remote". Palm Beach Post. p. E5. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  9. McKenney, Mitch (June 14, 1994). "WIRK-FM, WBZT-AM won't change formats, buyer says". Palm Beach Post. p. 4B. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  10. "Radio stations traded". Sun-Sentinel. June 25, 1996. p. 3D. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  11. Waresh, Julie (September 20, 1997). "Westinghouse buy includes local stations". Palm Beach Post. p. 7B. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  12. Heroux Pounds, Marcia (April 12, 2012). "Deal calls for sale of 3 local radio stations". Sun-Sentinel. p. 3D. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  13. Glade, Dennis (June 1, 2012). "Changing Frequencies". Palm Beach Post. p. 1B. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  14. Venta, Lance (October 28, 2013). "Digity Acquires NextMedia". RadioInsight. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  15. Venta, Lance (November 15, 2018). "Hubbard/Alpha Media West Palm Beach Purchase Price Revealed". RadioInsight. Retrieved January 5, 2020.

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