WRKS
WRKS (105.9 FM, "The Zone") is a radio station licensed to Pickens, Mississippi, although its studio is located in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Launched on July 2, 2009, the station's format is sports, with programming from ESPN Radio. WRKS is owned by Alpha Media through licensee Alpha Media Licensee LLC. Along with five other sister stations, its studios are located in Ridgeland, a suburb of Jackson, while the transmitter tower is in Canton.
| City | Pickens, Mississippi |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Jackson, Mississippi |
| Frequency | 105.9 MHz |
| Branding | ESPN 105.9 The Zone |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | ESPN Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Alpha Media (Alpha Media Licensee LLC) |
| Sister stations | WJMI, WJNT, WKXI-FM, WOAD, WJQS |
| History | |
| First air date | 1980 (as WXMR) |
| Former call signs | WXMR (1980-1982) WLTD (1982-1995) WYJS (1995-2004) WOAD-FM (2004-2009) WZNO (2009-2012) |
| Call sign meaning | Previously used on the historical "98.7 KiSs FM" (now WEPN-FM) in New York City |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 29512 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 23,000 watts |
| HAAT | 224 meters |
| Transmitter coordinates | 32°38′53″N 89°59′20″W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www |
History
105.9 FM started out in 1980 with the call sign WXMR. (A variety-format, low-powered radio station in Marengo, Illinois has since taken over the WXMR call-letters.) On June 1, 1982, the call sign was changed to WLTD, then to WYJS on December 15, 1995. On January 16, 2004, the call sign was again changed to WOAD-FM with an urban gospel format as "Power 105.9". On July 3, 2009, the urban gospel format was dropped for a sports format as "The Zone" with the call sign again changing to WZNO. On May 14, 2012 the call sign was changed to the current WRKS.[1]
On May 21, 2012, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York approved an LMA (local marketing agreement) of WRKS by YMF Media.[2] On October 19, 2012, the sale of WRKS and 14 other Inner City Broadcasting stations in four markets to YMF Media was consummated at a purchase price of $180 million. On September 24, 2013, the sale of WRKS and 5 other YMF Media stations to L&L Broadcast Holdings was consummated at a purchase price of $9.4 million. Since July 1, 2014, the station has been owned by Alpha Media, following a three-way merger.
References
- FCC Call Sign History for WRKS
- "Court OKs YMF Media LMA Of Inner City Stations". All Access Music Group. 2012-05-21. Retrieved 2012-05-21.
External links
- WRKS in the FCC's FM station database
- WRKS on Radio-Locator
- WRKS in Nielsen Audio's FM station database