WCAT-FM (102.3

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

"Red 102.3") is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

Carlisle, Pennsylvania Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...

, and serving the

Harrisburg metropolitan area Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...

. It is owned by Harold Z. Swidler, with the license held by Radio Carlisle, Inc. WCAT-FM broadcasts a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

, mixing current and recent hits with

classic country Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decades. Repertoire The radio format specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s, and focus primarily on innov ...

. Programming is

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...

on co-owned WRDD 1480 AM in

Shippensburg, Pennsylvania Shippensburg is a borough in Cumberland and Franklin counties in the U.S. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Settled in 1730, Shippensburg lies in the Cumberland Valley, southwest of Harrisburg, and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle Metropolitan St ...

. The

radio studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

s and offices are on North Hanover Street in Carlisle. WCAT-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...

(ERP) of 3,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

horizontal polarization Polarization (also polarisation) is a property applying to transverse waves that specifies the geometrical orientation of the oscillations. In a transverse wave, the direction of the oscillation is perpendicular to the direction of motion of the ...

and 2,750 watts vertical polarization. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

is on Spring Road (Route 24) in Middlesex Township, Pennsylvania.Radio-Locator.com/WCAT-FM
/ref> WCAT-FM is not related to WCAT

1390 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1390 kHz: 1390 AM is a Regional broadcast frequency. Argentina * LR11 in La Plata, Buenos Aires * LRA6 in Valle de Uspallata, Mendoza (960 kHz. Defunct?) Guatemala (Channel 86) * ...

Burlington, Vermont Burlington is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the seat of Chittenden County. It is located south of the Canada–United States border and south of Montreal. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 44,743. It ...

History

In 1959, WHYL-FM first

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...

the air. It was a simulcast of co-owned

WHYL WHYL (960 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Carlisle, Pennsylvania and serving the Harrisburg metropolitan area. The station is owned by Harold Z. Swidler, with the license held by WHYL, Inc. It broadcasts an oldies radio format ...

960 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 960 kHz: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) classifies 960 AM as a regional frequency. CFAC is the only station in Canada and the United States on 960 AM which broadcasts ...

. The two stations were owned by Mid-Atlantic Broadcasting. WHYL had a middle of the road format of popular adult music, news and sports. By the 1970s, WHYL-FM began playing

using

broadcast automation Broadcast automation incorporates the use of broadcast programming technology to automate broadcasting operations. Used either at a broadcast network, radio station or a television station, it can run a facility in the absence of a human opera ...

. On December 31, 1979, the

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

changed to WZUE and was branded as "Zoo 102". The WZUE calls were short-lived as the call sign reverted to WHYL-FM on October 14, 1981, branded as "Country 102." On April 26, 2002, the call sign was changed to

WRKZ WRKZ (99.7 FM), branded 99.7 The Blitz, is a commercial active rock radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio, and serving the Columbus metro area. It is owned by the North American Broadcasting Company, along with sister stations 920 WMN ...

-FM (which is now a station in

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

). It began as a simulcast of WCAT-FM, which belonged to the 106.7 MHz frequency in the same market, and branded itself as "Cat Country 106.7". After a brief period, WRKZ-FM flipped formats to all-'80s rock hits and re-branded itself as "Z102.3." Another format change came shortly thereafter when "Cat Country 106.7" WCAT-FM, on 106.7, changed its call sign to WCPP (known as "Cool Pop") and changed its format to

Hot AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet s ...

. On February 17, 2004, the WCAT-FM call sign was then moved to 102.3, the format was again changed to country, and it became the currently branded Red 102.3.

Citadel Broadcasting Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country. Only iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media ...

, the station's former owner, merged with

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...

on September 16, 2011. To comply with

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

regulations, WCAT-FM, the license for

WWKL WWKL (106.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Hershey, Pennsylvania. Owned by Cumulus Media, it broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format. History Originally WMSH-FM, the station changed its call sign to WRKZ and branded as ...

, and the intellectual property of WTPA, along with

WRSR WRSR (103.9 FM, "The Fox") is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Owosso, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1965 under the WOAP-FM call sign. Its transmitter is located east of Owosso, while its studios are loca ...

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

, were transferred to Potential Broadcasting LLC. In August 2012, Potential Broadcasting sold WCAT to Harold Z. Swidler, owner of

WIOO WIOO (1000 AM broadcasting, AM), known as "Country Gold FM & AM", WIOO is a commercial AM broadcasting, AM radio station city of license, licensed to serve Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The call sign stands for the station's former long-time branding ...

in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The sale was consummated on November 7, 2012. The studio facilities were relocated from

Camp Hill, Pennsylvania Camp Hill is a borough in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. It is southwest of Harrisburg and is part of the Harrisburg–Carlisle metropolitan statistical area. The population was 7,888 at the 2010 census. There are many large corporations bas ...

, at the former home of Citadel Harrisburg, to Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The station has a "New Country & The Legends" format, with an emphasis on the local community, as reflected on the official website, boasting "Community-Minded Local Radio. Local Personalities. Local Owners."

Historic photographs

File:WZUE billboard.jpg, Photo of WZUE logo on a billboard, branded as "Zoo 102" File:Whyl-fm logo.jpg, WHYL-FM Logo, branded as "Country 102"

References

External links

Official websiteCall sign history (Official)
*
FCC History Cards for WCAT-FM
{{Country Radio Stations in Pennsylvania CAT-FM Country radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1959 1959 establishments in Pennsylvania