WINK-FM (96.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in southwestern Florida and the county seat and commercial center of Lee County, Florida, United States. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 92,245 in 20 ...

. The station airs an adult contemporary radio format. It is owned by the Fort Myers Broadcasting Company, locally controlled by the McBride Family, which also owns CBS Network affiliate WINK-TV. WINK-FM has

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s and offices on Palm Beach Boulevard ( S.R. 80) in Fort Myers. The transmitter is located on Freeland Lane, off Florida State Road 31 in North Fort Myers, Florida. Its effective radiated power (ERP) is 100,000 watts, sharing a tower with WINK-TV at 457 meters (1,499 feet) in height above average terrain, taller than the

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. This allows WINK-FM to be clearly heard as far north as Hardee County, as far south as

the Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of tropical wetlands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kissimm ...

and as far east as Okeechobee County. WINK-FM can also be heard on Channel 11.6, a subchannel of WINK-TV. WINK-FM broadcasts using

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

technology. The HD2

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carries a

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Contemporary format known as "Máxima 97.3 y 95.7." It feeds two FM translators: 97.3 W247CR in

Pine Island Center Pine Island Center is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) located on Pine Island in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 1,942 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metro ...

and 95.7 W239CL in Golden Gate.Radio-Locator.com/W239CL
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History

On October 8, 1964, WINK-FM signed on the air. It was the FM counterpart to WINK (1240 AM, later WFSX) and WINK-TV. At first, WINK-FM simulcast the AM station's middle of the road format of adult pop music, news and sports. By the late 1960s, WINK-FM was playing beautiful music, as it ended the simulcast with the AM. Over time, WINK-FM added more vocals until it made the transition flip to a Top 40/CHR format in 1980 as "97-Rock", which would later change its branding to "WINK-FM 97" in 1984. Its branding was updated as “WINK 96.9” in 1991, and in 1993, the station had evolved into a hot adult contemporary format. On May 6, 2013, at 10 a.m., after promoting that morning that "WINK-FM will be a thing of the past", the format switched from hot adult contemporary to adult contemporary, branded as "96.9 More FM." The "More FM" branding had also been found on leading AC station WBEB in Philadelphia. The first song on More-FM was Journey's " Don't Stop Believin'". In October 2015, the station went back to the ''96.9 WINK FM'' branding, retaining the adult contemporary format.WINK-FM Drops More Branding
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References

External links

Broadcast Center , Fort Myers Broadcasting Co. , Sun Broadcasting, Inc.96.9 WINK FM Live
* INK-FM Mass media in Fort Myers, Florida Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1964 1964 establishments in Florida {{Florida-radio-station-stub