WKRZ
WKRZ (98.5 FM, "98.5 KRZ") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Freeland, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Entercom Communications, through licensee Entercom Wilkes-Barre Scranton, LLC, and broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format. Its broadcast tower is located southeast of Wilkes-Barre in Bear Creek Township at (41°11′56.0″N 75°49′5.0″W).[2]
City | Freeland, Pennsylvania |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Wilkes-Barre-Scranton |
Frequency | 98.5 MHz (HD Radio) |
Branding | 98.5 KRZ |
Slogan | Today's Best Music |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Format | Analog/HD1: CHR HD2: Country ("Froggy 101") |
Ownership | |
Owner | Entercom Communications (Entercom License, LLC) |
Sister stations | WAAF, WGGY, WILK, WILK-FM, WMQX, WODS |
History | |
First air date | 1948 | (as WBRE-FM)
Former call signs | WBRE-FM (1948–1980) |
Call sign meaning | We're KRaZy! |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 34379 |
Class | B |
ERP | 8,700 watts (analog) 348 watts (digital)[1] |
HAAT | 357 meters (1,171 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°11′56.3″N 75°49′4.7″W |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | www |
WKRZ uses HD Radio, and simulcasts the country music programming of sister station WGGY Froggy 101 on its HD2 subchannel.
History
The station first signed on in 1948[3] with the WBRE-FM call sign, licensed to serve Wilkes-Barre. It was the FM sister station to then WBRE AM at 1340 kHz[4] also licensed to serve Wilkes-Barre. WBRE-FM evolved through a number of radio formats and by the 1970s was all-news.[5] The station, up to that point, broadcast in FM mono since its start in 1948. Due to consistently low audience ratings in the area,[6] WBRE-FM made a big change in 1980 when it was sold with the new owners adding FM stereo, a format switch to Top 40/CHR music, along with the call sign change to the present WKRZ. WKRZ has been broadcasting a Top 40/CHR format since 1980, branded at first as "The New 98 & A ½ FM KRZ".
The present owners of WKRZ, Entercom Communications, received FCC approval in 2003 to move WAMT (103.1 MHz FM, now WILK-FM) from Freeland to Avoca. As a condition of the move, Entercom was required to change the city of license of WKRZ from Wilkes-Barre to Freeland due to FCC concerns about the "loss of local service" to Freeland because of the WAMT move. In practice, the only change was the legal ID.[7]
Stations
One full-power station is licensed to simulcast the programming of WKRZ:
Call sign | Frequency | City of license | Facility ID | ERP W |
Height m (ft) |
Class | Transmitter coordinates | Service contour |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
WKRF | 107.9 FM | Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania | 14643 | 830 | 267.7 meters (878 ft) | A | 41°02′39.6″N 75°22′37.7″W | Covers Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania |
This station was originally assigned the WPMR call sign on November 29, 1989. The call sign was changed to WPMR-FM on March 11, 1992[8] and was off the air but began a simulcast of WKRZ in 1995.[9] Its call sign was changed to WKRF on May 15, 1995.[8]
See also
References
- "FCC 335-FM Digital Notification [WKRZ]". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. April 9, 2014. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
- "FM Query Results for WKRZ". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
- "U. S. FM Stations as of 1948". Archived from the original on 2004-07-29. Retrieved 2004-07-29.
- "U. S. AM stations as of 1946". Archived from the original on 1999-01-28. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
- Northeastern Pennsylvania Radio Answers
- "ROCKING LOCAL AIRWAVES MORE THAN 20 YEARS AGO, A TEAM OF WACKY RADIO PERSONALITIES LED WKRZ-FM TO BECOME THE AREA'S MOST SUCCESSFUL FM STATION". Times Leader. Wilkes-Barre, PA. April 8, 2001. p. 1B. Retrieved 2017-03-06.
- "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". Archived from the original on 2003-12-09. Retrieved 2003-12-09.
- "Call Sign History [WKRZ]". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
- Stark, Phyllis (April 29, 1995). "Vox Jox". Billboard. 107 (17): 92.
External links
- WKRZ Official Website
- WKRZ in the FCC's FM station database
- WKRZ on Radio-Locator
- WKRZ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- WKRF in the FCC's FM station database
- WKRF on Radio-Locator
- WKRF in Nielsen Audio's FM station database