WESC-FM

WESC-FM (92.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Greenville, South Carolina and serving the Upstate region, including Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson, South Carolina as well as Asheville, North Carolina. It airs a country music radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station goes by the name 92.5 WESC and its slogan is "Carolina's Best Country And Your All-Time Favorites."

WESC-FM
CityGreenville, South Carolina
Broadcast areaUpstate South Carolina
Frequency92.5 MHz (HD Radio) :HD2 Hit Nation Jr.
Branding92.5 WESC
SloganCarolina's Best Country and Your All Time Favorites
Programming
FormatCountry
AffiliationsMotor Racing Network
Performance Racing Network
Ownership
OwneriHeartMedia, Inc.
(Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc.)
Sister stationsWESC, WMYI, WSSL-FM, WROO
History
First air dateMarch 1948
Call sign meaning"E"asley, "S"eneca, "C"lemson (Original areas served) or Eastern South Carolina
Technical information
Facility ID4679
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT610 meters (2001 ft)
Transmitter coordinates35°08′16.00″N 82°36′31.00″W
Repeater(s)WESC 660
Links
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteWESCfm.com

The studios and offices are on North Main Street in downtown Greenville.[1] The transmitter is along the North Carolina/South Carolina border, off YMCA Camp Road, east of Cedar Mountain, North Carolina.[2] WESC-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format.

History

Early Years

WESC-FM signed on the air in March 1948 as the FM sister station to WESC 660, simulcasting its country music format. In the late 1960s, WESC-FM switched to beautiful music while WESC 660 remained a country outlet. WESC-AM-FM returned to a country music simulcast in the 1980s, although there were times the AM station aired separate programming, leaning toward classic country.

WESC-AM-FM were acquired in 1998 by San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications.[3] In 2014, Clear Channel changed its name to iHeartMedia.

In 2000, the simulcast was split apart. WESC-FM retained its country format, while WESC 660 was leased to the Radio Training Network, which programmed a Christian talk and teaching format in conjunction with 89.3 WLFJ-FM. The local marketing agreement (LMA) ended in August 2019, after which the two stations returned to their prior simulcast.[4]

Move Toward Classic Country

In 2001, WESC-FM adjusted its format to classic-leaning country, in a move to separate itself from co-owned 100.5 WSSL-FM, which has a more youthful country sound. Although there is overlap with WSSL-FM, WESC distinguishes itself by playing more 'genuine/raw' current selections along with hits from the early 1990s and before, sometimes going back to the 1970s. It is also the area's network affiliate for NASCAR, often calling itself "Your Racin' Station."

WESC-FM has a half-century heritage as a country music station. In the 1980s and 90s, it was sometimes #1 in the Greenville-Spartenburg Arbitron ratings.

Country Heartlines

WESC-FM was the home station for the syndicated radio show "Country Heartlines," hosted by John Crenshaw. A nationalized version of Crenshaw’s Cryin’ Lovin’ Laugin’ or Leavin’ show, the program was popular in the 1990s and at one time was carried on over 80 FM stations across the country. The show consisted of a format of country songs played in between callers calling in with a mix of relationship and love related problems, of which Crenshaw and other listeners would give advice and a lending ear. The syndicated show fully ended in 2011.

Transmitter

WESC-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the highest power permitted for most FM stations.[5] The tower has a height above average terrain (HAAT) of 610 meters (2001 ft). The transmitter is located near Caesars Head State Park in northern Greenville County, near the North Carolina state line.

WESC-FM can be heard across most of Northwestern or Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina, as well as part of Northeastern Georgia and a small portion of Eastern Tennessee. The signal comes close to other nearby radio markets, including Charlotte, Atlanta, Columbia, Knoxville and the Tri-Cities. The station also has an auxiliary transmitter that operates at 100,000 watts ERP which is shared with the main WESC AM tower.

gollark: Are percentages REALLY better, though?
gollark: They actually recently implemented number grades for GCSE.
gollark: He's just *that good*. Over in this country, though, we do not have "GPAs".
gollark: Anyway, you should run the !!FUN VIRUS!!™.
gollark: Ah, the issue is just that it needs to be saved to a file.

References
  1. Facebook.com/925WESC
  2. Radio-Locator.com/WESC-FM
  3. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2000 page D-399
  4. "Long Running LMA Comes To End In Greenville". RadioInsight. 2019-08-14. Retrieved 2019-08-16.
  5. FCC.gov/WESC-FM
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