WUCS

WUCS (97.9 MHz, "97-9 ESPN") is a commercial FM sports formatted radio station licensed to Windsor Locks, Connecticut. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and serves as the Hartford media market's ESPN Radio network affiliate. WUCS acts as the technical flagship station for the network because its signal covers Bristol, Connecticut, home of ESPN's headquarters. The station broadcasts from studios are located on Columbus Boulevard in Hartford with other radio stations.

"WPKX" redirects here. For other uses of WPKX, see WPKX (disambiguation).
WUCS
CityWindsor Locks, Connecticut
Broadcast areaGreater Hartford, Connecticut
Frequency97.9 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding97-9 ESPN
SloganHartford's Sport Station
Programming
FormatSports
HD2: Talk radio (WPOP simulcast)
AffiliationsESPN Radio
Ownership
OwneriHeartMedia, Inc.
(Capstar TX LLC)
Sister stationsWHCN, WKSS, WPOP, WWYZ
History
First air dateJuly 1990[1]
Former call signsWPKX (1990–2012)
Call sign meaningW University of Connecticut—Storrs
(station is flagship for Connecticut Huskies athletics)
Technical information
Facility ID46965
ClassA
ERP3,400 watts
HAAT135 meters (443 ft)
Transmitter coordinates41°46′0″N 72°40′38″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
Website979espn.iheart.com

The station first signed on in July 1990[1] as WPKX, a country music station licensed to Enfield, Connecticut and targeting Springfield, Massachusetts. It was owned by SFX Broadcasting in the late 1990s, then Capstar. AMFM owned it briefly before being acquired by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) in 2000.

The station had an HD Radio HD2 station broadcasting Americana music since early 2006.

In March 2010, Clear Channel Communications filed an application with the FCC to move the WPKX transmitter from Provin Mountain in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts to the top of City Place in Downtown Hartford, effectively moving the station from the Springfield Arbitron market to the larger and more lucrative Hartford Arbitron market.[2] In January 2011, the move was refiled with a city of license change to Windsor Locks; this followed an agreement with WMAS-FM, which agreed to change its city of license from Springfield to Enfield as part of a deal involving a Clear Channel-owned generator in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[3] The previous country format has moved to WRNX (100.9 FM).

On January 27, 2012 at 6 a.m., the station switched to a simulcast of ESPN Radio affiliate WPOP (1410 AM).[4] The call sign was changed to WUCS on February 7, 2012.[5] WPOP switched to Fox Sports Radio in March 2012, with ESPN Radio remaining on WUCS.

As of the 2018–19 academic year, WUCS serves as the flagship station for Connecticut Huskies radio play-by-play, including the school's football, hockey, and men's and women's basketball programs. Coverage is produced for the school by IMG Media.[6]

WPOP (now a talk radio station) is currently simulcast on WUCS's HD2 signal.

References
  1. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-77. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  2. https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101357400&formid=301&fac_num=46965
  3. Fybush, Scott (January 10, 2011). "CC Shuffles Mass., Connecticut Signals". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  4. http://www.radio-info.com/news/979-espn-clear-channels-hartford-move-in-is-in-espns-backyard 97.9 ESPN iHeartMedia, Inc.'s Hartford Move In Is In ESPN's Backyard
  5. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  6. "UConn-IMG Radio Network Announces New Partnership with iHeartMedia To Broadcast UConn Huskies Athletics". University Of Connecticut Official Athletic Site. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.


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