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WINS-FM (92.3
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 ...
) is a
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 ...
to
New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...
and owned by
Audacy, Inc. Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
WINS-FM
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 ...
s an
all-news radio All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to the discussion and broadcast of news. All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried on both major US satellite radio networks. All-news stations can run the ...
format branded as "1010 WINS on 92.3 FM"; with the call sign
phonetically Phonetics is a branch of linguistics that studies how humans produce and perceive sounds, or in the case of sign languages, the equivalent aspects of sign. Linguists who specialize in studying the physical properties of speech are phoneticians. ...
pronounced as "wins". The station's studios are located in the
Hudson Square Hudson Square is a neighborhood in Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is bounded approximately by Clarkson Street to the north, Canal Street to the south, Varick Street to the east, and the Hudson River to the west. To the north of the neig ...
neighborhood in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and its
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 located at the
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...
. WINS-FM also broadcasts in
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 ...
. Originally the FM adjunct to WMCA, this station has featured a series of
contemporary music Contemporary classical music is classical music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 modern forms of post-tonal music after the death of Anton Webern, and included serial ...
, rock,
hot talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
and
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
formats from 1975 to 2022. As the home of disco-formatted WKTU, this station overtook WABC as the top-rated hit music station in the late 1970s. Becoming " K-Rock" WXRK in 1985,
Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terre ...
was hired as morning host, with his talk show eventually becoming nationally syndicated via owner
Infinity Broadcasting Corporation Infinity Broadcasting Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1972 until 2005. It was founded by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus. It became associated with popular radio personalities like Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, Don Imus an ...
. WXRK's format varied between different iterations of rock, including
classic A classic is an outstanding example of a particular style; something of lasting worth or with a timeless quality; of the first or highest quality, class, or rank – something that exemplifies its class. The word can be an adjective (a ''c ...
and alternative rock, until Stern's highly publicized departure for
Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Sirius ...
forced a relaunch as WFNY, the flagship of
CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...
's
Free FM Free FM was a short-lived, mostly-talk-radio format and brand name for eleven FM CBS Radio stations in the United States, and was created because of Howard Stern's departure to Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006. Free FM was given its name ...
hot talk format, in 2006. WFNY's failure resulted in the station reverting to rock in 2007 as WXRK with holdover morning hosts
Opie and Anthony ''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg Hughes, Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton (comedian), Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show origina ...
, but again flipped to Top 40 as "92.3 NOW" in 2009. In a bid to rejuvenate ratings, the station was rebranded "92.3 AMP FM" WBMP in 2014. The day that CBS Radio's
Reverse Morris Trust A Reverse Morris Trust in United States law is a transaction that combines a divisive reorganization ( spin-off) with an acquisitive reorganization ( statutory merger) to allow a tax-free transfer (in the guise of a merger) of a subsidiary. It may ...
merger into Entercom (now Audacy, Inc.) closed in November 2017, WBMP was relaunched as alternative WNYL. On October 27, 2022, the station switched to a full-time simulcast of WINS, one of the two all-news stations in Audacy's New York portfolio.


History


Early years (1948–1975)

The station first went on the air on December 25, 1948, as WMCA-FM. The station was co-owned with
WMCA WMCA may refer to: *WMCA (AM), a radio station operating in New York City * West Midlands Combined Authority, the combined authority of the West Midlands metropolitan county in the United Kingdom *Wikimedia Canada The Wikimedia Foundation, ...
by former New York state senator
Nathan Straus Jr. Nathan Straus Jr. (May 27, 1889 – September 13, 1961) was an American journalist and politician from New York (state), New York. Life He was the son of Lina (née Gutherz) and Nathan Straus (1848–1931), co-owner of Macy's department store. ...
FM radio was not a successful venture for Straus, and he decided to either sell the FM station or close it down altogether. In late 1950, Straus sold the station to the owners of WHOM radio and WHOM-FM went on the air on February 26, 1951, featuring a variety of formats, including ethnic, background music, classical, Spanish, and easy listening. By the early 1970s, WHOM-FM aired a Spanish-language easy listening format.


WKTU (1975–1985)


Mellow 92/Disco 92

In the early 1970s, WHOM and WHOM-FM were sold to SJR Communications. On June 5, 1975, WHOM-FM became WKTU, taking on an
adult contemporary music 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 ...
format and was positioned as "
soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...
". On air, they were known as "Mellow 92". They played current AC songs that crossed over to top 40 as well as a mix of music from 1964 forward. Core artists included
Eagles Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, just ...
,
Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...
,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
,
James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
,
Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...
, Stylistics,
Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
,
Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Founded as the ...
,
Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...
,
Barry Manilow Barry Manilow (born Barry Alan Pincus; June 17, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter with a career that spans seven decades. His hit recordings include "Could It Be Magic", " Somewhere Down the Road", " Mandy", "I Write the Songs", " Can ...
, and some more contemporary cuts by
Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
. For 1960s music, the station played softer songs from
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
,
Mamas & Papas Mamas & Papas is a UK-based nursery brand and manufacturer supplying prams, pushchairs, baby products, furniture and maternity wear. It was established in Huddersfield in 1981 by David and Luisa Scacchetti, both of Italian ancestry, who ...
,
Spanky and Our Gang Spanky and Our Gang was an American 1960s sunshine pop band led by Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane. The band derives its name from Hal Roach's ''Our Gang'' comedies of the 1930s (known to modern audiences as ''The Little Rascals''), because of the si ...
,
the Association The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary") and ...
,
the 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwee ...
, among others. The station steered clear of AC only songs and standards vocalists as well as hard rock or uptempo R&B. Eventually, the station evolved, re-positioned as mellow rock, dropped artists like the Carpenters, most R&B product, and added some softer songs from AOR artists. Unlike today's
adult contemporary music 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 ...
formats, WKTU, by early 1978, was only playing artists heard on album-oriented rock stations, using the softer songs from their popular albums. Artists found primarily on
top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
stations were no longer included. WKTU was still called "Mellow 92" at that point. Ratings were relatively low. Meanwhile, station executive David Rapaport (father of actor
Michael Rapaport Michael David Rapaport (born March 20, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. Beginning his career in the early 1990s, he has made over 100 appearances in film and television. His film roles include ''True Romance'' (1993), ''Higher Learning' ...
) visited New York's
Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Operated by the Roundabout Theatre Company, Studio 54 has 1,006 seats on two levels. The theater was ...
nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...
on half a dozen occasions, and was very impressed with the crowds there. He got the idea that a
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
-based station was needed, as several FM-based
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
stations were leaning disco in other markets, although no one was airing all disco music around the clock. As a result, Rapaport purchased 200 disco records and brought them into the station. WKTU abruptly flipped to a disco-based rhythmic top 40 format with the tagline "Disco 92" at 6 p.m. on July 24, 1978. The same
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
s from the mellow format were at first kept on, with Paco from
Spanish language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
WJIT WJIT (1250 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish Tropical format. It is licensed to Sabana, Puerto Rico, and is owned by Aurio A. Matos Barreto. The station shares with translator stations W267DD (101.3 FM) in Vega Baja and W279BU (103.7 ...
added for evenings. That fall, the station rose from "Worst to First", unseating long-time leader WABC in the 18−30 age demographic. Air personalities of this era included Kenn Hayes, Randy Place, Paul Robinson, Trip Reeb, Mary Thomas,
Dave Mallow Dave Mallow (born October 19, 1948) is a retired American voice actor. Biography Mallow's father worked in radio and television and was a 30-year on-air veteran at Chicago's WGN. After graduating from Maine South High School, Mallow attained a ...
and Joe Guarisco. During the height of the disco craze, WKTU was ''the'' station to follow in New York. Initially, WKTU played mostly dance/disco and a few rhythm-friendly pop and rock songs (such as " Miss You" by
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
for example), but by 1979, the station began to add more R&B music (though they played some at the launch in 78 as well) as well as rhythm friendly new wave rock. By then, WKTU was still regarded as a disco station, but could be more accurately described as
rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
. Since that term was not yet used, the station had been classified as
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...
. During this period, the
disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
s included Paco, G. Keith Alexander,
Rosko Paul Eric Bosko, also known as Rosko, is an American singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is perhaps best known as a recording artist for his 2005 single " Love Is A Drug" which reached number 1 on the U.S. Billboard Dance Chart, an ...
, J.D. Holiday (Paul Zarcone), Dale Reeves, Bob Bottone, Jim Harlan, Carlos DeJesus, Joe Causi, Guy Broady,
Jay Thomas Jay Thomas (born Jon Thomas Terrell; July 12, 1948 – August 24, 2017) was an American actor, comedian, and radio personality. He was heard in New York from 1976–1979 on top-40 station 99X, and later on rhythmic CHR station 92KTU, and in L ...
, Freddie Colon, Don Geronimo,
Al Bandiero Al Bandiero is an American film, radio personality, and television actor, known for playing Peter Evans in the television series '' Desire''. Other works * Extensive TV Hosting; Children's Miracle Network Telethon, TV 2000, This Week's Music, M ...
and Diane Pryor. Paco later went to jail for drug dealing.


92KTU (1981–1985)

In 1981, SJR Communications sold WKTU to
Infinity Broadcasting Infinity Broadcasting Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1972 until 2005. It was founded by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus. It became associated with popular radio personalities like Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, Don Imus ...
(which merged with CBS Radio in 1997). Also that year, WKTU added more dance-based new wave to the format. WKTU remained among the top ten New York City radio stations through 1983. Shortly thereafter, WKTU received new competition from
WHTZ WHTZ (100.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial contemporary hit radio, top 40/CHR station city of license, licensed to Newark, New Jersey and broadcasting to the New York metropolitan area. Owned by iHeartMedia, WHTZ is the Flagship (broadcasti ...
and
WPLJ WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmitte ...
, both of which adapted a CHR format. The station maintained respectable but declining ratings, due to the new competition. By mid-1984, WKTU moved to a mainstream CHR format as well, giving up its disco past, but the ratings continued to decline. That fall, the station added legendary WABC host
Dan Ingram Daniel Trombley Ingram (September 7, 1934 – June 24, 2018) was an American Top 40 radio disc jockey with a 50-year career on radio stations such as WABC and WCBS-FM in New York City. Career "Big Dan" started broadcasting at WHCH Hofstra Col ...
to afternoons, and Jo "The Madame" Maeder, from Miami's Y-100, joined Jay Thomas in the morning and did her own midday show, but the station continued to struggle in the ratings. To make matters worse, then-named WAPP also went CHR that fall. So strong was the memory of the late-1970s WKTU that despite all the subsequent on-air changes, the general public still regarded it as a disco station. Even though WAPP moved back to playing mostly rock music in the form of a rock-based CHR in June 1985, giving WKTU one less competitor, the station management thought a more drastic change was needed. Since New York City only had one full-time rock station with
WNEW-FM WNEW-FM (102.7 FM, ''NEW 102.7'') is a hot adult contemporary formatted radio station, licensed to New York, New York and owned by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios are located at the Audacy facility in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manha ...
, there was an opportunity.


WXRK (1985–2005)


92.3 K-Rock

On July 13, 1985, at midnight, on the same day WKTU aired the historic
Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...
concert, the station switched to an
album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-oriente ...
format, adopted the moniker "K-Rock", and changed their call letters to WXRK. (The WKTU call letters later reappeared on New York City's 103.5 FM with a
dance pop Dance-pop is a popular music subgenre that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit radio. Developing from a ...
format in 1996.) Initially, the format at WXRK was similar to the pre-1983 WPLJ, as the air personalities left the station gradually in the next several months (exceptions were Maria Malito and Jo Maeder, who became known as "The Rock and Roll Madame").
Jimmy Fink Jimmy Fink is a New York metropolitan area radio personality, producer and writer. Early life and education Fink was born and raised in Eastchester, New York. His family owned the Fink Bakery, a New York City which operated in Manhattan and ...
from WPLJ was one of the first new radio personalities to be hired. After being fired from
WNBC WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station WN ...
in October 1985,
Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terre ...
signed on to do afternoons, and initially combined music with talk, but on February 18, 1986, Stern took over the morning slot. His morning show became the highest-rated in the market, dethroning
Don Imus John Donald Imus Jr. (July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019), also known mononymously as Imus, was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. His radio show, ''Imus in the Morning'', was aired on various stat ...
, who previously had the highest-rated morning show for several years on
WNBC WNBC (channel 4) is a television station in New York City, serving as the flagship of the NBC network. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Linden, New Jersey–licensed Telemundo station WN ...
. Later that year, Stern's show became syndicated, with WXRK as its flagship station. By 1987, Stern stopped playing music on his show altogether, while the station changed to a
classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
format at 6 p.m. on June 5 of that same year. The airstaff, which included
Flo & Eddie Flo & Eddie is a comedy rock duo consisting of Mark Volman (Flo, short for Phlorescent Leech) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie). The two were the original founding members of the Top 40 mid-to late 1960s rock and pop group The Turtles. After the Turt ...
from classic rock band
The Turtles ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, became full of veterans from other New York rock stations, including Dave Herman,
Pete Fornatale Peter Salvatore Fornatale (August 23, 1945 – April 26, 2012) was a New York City disc jockey and author of numerous books on rock and roll. He is considered a "pioneer of FM rock", who played an important role in the progressive rock era of FM ...
,
Meg Griffin Meg Griffin is a fictional character in the animated television series ''Family Guy''. Meg is the eldest child of Peter Griffin, Peter and Lois Griffin and older sister of Stewie Griffin, Stewie and Chris Griffin, Chris, but is also the family ...
,
Vin Scelsa Vincent Anthony Scelsa (born December 12, 1947, in Bayonne, New Jersey) is an American broadcaster who was at "the forefront of the FM radio revolution" as the host of several Freeform (radio format), freeform radio show, radio programs, the best ...
, and
Alison Steele Alison Steele (born Ceil Loman; January 26, 1937 – September 27, 1995) was an American radio personality who was also known by her air name, The Nightbird. She amassed a large and loyal following on her night shifts on WNEW-FM in New York City ...
from WNEW-FM, along with Jimmy Fink, Tony Pigg, Marc Coppola, and John Zacherle from WPLJ. In 1993, The Greaseman's syndicated show was put in the nighttime slot, bookending Stern with an act that was often quite controversial. By the mid-1990s,
modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...
had become popular. In mid-1993, in New York City radio,
WHTZ WHTZ (100.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial contemporary hit radio, top 40/CHR station city of license, licensed to Newark, New Jersey and broadcasting to the New York metropolitan area. Owned by iHeartMedia, WHTZ is the Flagship (broadcasti ...
began to play a lot of modern rock despite primarily being a CHR station. Late in 1993,
Classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
station WNCN switched formats and became
WAXQ WAXQ (104.3 FM) is a classic rock- formatted radio station licensed to New York City. WAXQ is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan; its transmitter is located ...
("Q 104.3"), with a mix of hard and modern rock. Moreover, WNEW-FM switched to a modern rock format in the summer of 1995, and later evolved to first an adult-based modern rock format by the end of that year, and then to a more eclectic adult rock mix by 1996. Nevertheless, by the beginning of 1996, there was no full-time modern rock station in New York City. To fill the void, WXRK switched to an alternative-leaning active rock format on January 5, 1996, right after Stern's show. To kick off the new format, which he enthusiastically endorsed as a better fit for his audience, Stern stayed on the air until 1:06 p.m. that day playing music. The first song Stern played was
Marilyn Manson Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He came to prominence as the lead singer of the band which shares his name, of which he remains the only constant member since it ...
's cover of "
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is a song by British new wave music duo Eurythmics. It is the title track of their album of the same name (1983) and was released as the fourth and final single from the album in early 1983. The song became t ...
". Most of the classic rock DJs, including Jimmy Fink, Tony Pigg and Marc Coppola, disappeared from the station with this change, as did The Greaseman. By August 1997, the station added more music that suited an
active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
station and removed pop-leaning alternative product (which they played very little of anyway), and it continued this format of a hybrid active rock/alternative for several years. By 2003, with a new program director, the station dropped the active rock variant of music. No matter what the format, the longtime problem for the station was that while Stern always had very high ratings, the rest of the station did not fare as well. Moreover, it was hard to classify "K-Rock" an alternative station (considering classic rock acts like
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
were being played), while it was hard to label it as active rock due to the inclusion of some, but not all, alternative artists. Concerned about Stern's move to
Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Sirius ...
at the beginning of 2006, and acknowledging that its target audience was looking elsewhere for modern rock music, WXRK made another format adjustment on April 4, 2005, to a
mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
format, which relied heavily on classic rock from artists such as
Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...
,
Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...
,
The Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...
, and
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
, while playing new music from such established artists as
System of a Down System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, voc ...
,
Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...
,
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
and
Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...
. At this time, New York City was one of the few large cities in the United States without an
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
station. To prevent any backlash from fans of modern rock, an Internet-only radio station called "K-Rock2" was launched at the same time as the format adjustment. The strategy did not work, as ratings did not improve much. On October 25, 2005, as a result of the imminent departure of
Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terre ...
to
Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, Sirius ...
, Infinity announced that WXRK would adopt a
Hot talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
format on January 3, 2006. At 10 a.m. on Friday, December 16, after the last terrestrial Howard Stern show, "K-Rock" began a 20-minute
stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...
with a melange of audio sound bites, music and program line-up announcements. At 10:20, K-Rock DJ Julie Slater announced "Welcome to Free FM", and went into music.


WFNY-FM (2006–2007)


92.3 Free-FM

The WXRK call letters were replaced by WFNY-FM (standing for "Free New York") on January 1, 2006, with the official "Free FM" launch two days later at 6 a.m. The station, which was one of several
CBS Radio CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...
stations around the nation branded as "
Free FM Free FM was a short-lived, mostly-talk-radio format and brand name for eleven FM CBS Radio stations in the United States, and was created because of Howard Stern's departure to Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006. Free FM was given its name ...
", featured rock singer
David Lee Roth David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Best known for his wild, energetic stage persona, he was the original lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen across three stints, from 1974 to 1985, in 1996 and again fro ...
as its morning show host. Other talk shows from hosts such as The Dog House with JV & Elvis,
Penn Jillette Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author, best known for his work with fellow magician Teller as half of the team Penn & Teller. The duo has been featured ...
, Leslie Gold,
Chris Booker Chris Booker (born May 20, 1971) is an American radio and TV personality. Career Booker has worked as a correspondent for TV Guide Channel covering red carpet events such as "Live at the Grammys with Joan and Melissa Rivers," and "Live at th ...
, and
Jake Fogelnest Benjamin Jacob Fogelnest (born March 14, 1979), known professionally as Jake Fogelnest, is an Emmy and WGA Award nominated writer, comedian, former radio personality, and satirist. Career Squirt TV In January 1994, when he was 14 years o ...
& Jackie Clarke aired weekdays, while an active rock music format continued to be played on weekends, called "Free Rock Weekends." Simultaneously, the WXRK call sign moved to the former WXTM in
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, also owned by Infinity/CBS Radio, and coincidentally at the same 92.3 frequency, and was rebranded as "92.3 K-Rock." WFNY's ratings plummeted with the change to an all-talk format. As the replacement for Howard Stern, Roth lost nearly three-quarters of Stern's previous audience, dropping a 7.9 share to a 1.8. Among the core audience—18- to 34-year-old men—the numbers fell from 13.8 to 1.3. Overall station ratings went from 3.2 in Summer/Fall of 2005 to 2.7 in Winter of 2006, and later to a 2.0, leaving it in 20th place in the New York market. After moving from afternoon drive to evenings, on April 25, 2006, Chris Booker, host of ''
The Booker Show Chris Booker (born May 20, 1971) is an American radio and TV personality. Career Booker has worked as a correspondent for TV Guide Channel covering red carpet events such as "Live at the Grammys with Joan and Melissa Rivers," and "Live at th ...
'', announced that he was broadcasting his last show on Free FM. He soon moved over the morning show at
WIOQ WIOQ (102.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station broadcasts a Top 40 (CHR) radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are on Presidential Boulevard in Bala Cynwyd. The station c ...
in Philadelphia. The abrupt end of his show, which had evolved to afternoon drive before the format switch, led the station to revert to "Free Rock" music at nights. The following day, on April 26, 2006, ''
Opie and Anthony ''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg Hughes, Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton (comedian), Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show origina ...
'' replaced David Lee Roth in morning drive on Free FM, while simulcasting on
XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable television. Its s ...
. The show aired from 6–9 a.m. on both terrestrial and satellite radio, then continued on XM exclusively to 11 a.m.. CBS would syndicate the show to several stations around the U.S., with WFNY/WXRK as its flagship. By spring 2007, Opie and Anthony managed to slightly improve WFNY-FM's ratings to a 1.4. However, this performance left the radio station ranked No. 22 of 25 in the New York City market. Weekends continued to use the "Free Rock Weekend" format, which included hour-long "Freecasts" in which a single listener chose the (approximately 15) songs played during the hour. The listener also acted as guest DJ over the phone during that time. The station was also used as a secondary broadcaster of sister station
WFAN WFAN (660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, carrying a sports radio format known as "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New York metropolitan area while ...
, serving as a secondary outlet for NFL football games,
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
hockey games and
New Jersey Nets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
basketball games when there was a conflict with another game on WFAN. After
Jim Cramer James Joseph Cramer (born February 10, 1955) is an American television personality and author. He is the host of ''Mad Money'' on CNBC and an anchor on ''Squawk on the Street''. A former hedge fund manager, founder, and senior partner of Cramer ...
's ''Real Money'' went off the air on in December 2006, WFNY-FM was left with just four talk shows (one from syndication). As a result, the station attempted to revamp its lineup with the addition of several new talk shows, the first of which occurred on December 20, 2006. '' Ron and Fez'', who also had a show on XM, signed an agreement to broadcast a Free FM-exclusive radio show from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Ron and Fez had previously been employed by CBS at
WNEW-FM WNEW-FM (102.7 FM, ''NEW 102.7'') is a hot adult contemporary formatted radio station, licensed to New York, New York and owned by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios are located at the Audacy facility in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manha ...
shortly after that station switched to
Hot talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
in 1999. Additional new shows soon followed. On December 28, 2006, John and Jeff started being broadcast from syndication out of sister station KLSX in Los Angeles, broadcasting live from 2 a.m.-6 a.m. On January 2, 2007,
Larry Wachs ''The Regular Guys'' was a terrestrial radio show that started in Los Angeles, California, by DJs Larry Wachs and Eric Von Haessler. The show added Atlanta based DJs "Southside" Steve Rickman and "Action Plan" Tim Andrews when the show resumed in ...
, who was half of ''
The Regular Guys ''The Regular Guys'' was a terrestrial radio show that started in Los Angeles, California, by DJs Larry Wachs and Eric Von Haessler. The show added Atlanta based DJs "Southside" Steve Rickman and "Action Plan" Tim Andrews when the show resumed in ...
'' morning show on WKLS-FM in
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, began hosting the 10 p.m. to Midnight slot on the station for two weeks. That same day,
Nick DiPaolo Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Place ...
became host of the 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. time slot. He had done some preview shows the previous week. Beginning January 3, ''
Loveline ''Loveline'' is a syndicated radio call-in program in North America, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners, often with the assistance of guests, typically actors and musicians. Its host through most of its run was Dr. Drew Pins ...
with Dr. Drew Pinsky & Stryker'' aired in late nights, tape delayed, from Midnight to 2 a.m. Danni was Free FM's Music Director and was still a Free Rock disc jockey. She has been heard doing DJ shifts on co-owned Fresh 102.7 as well. "Free Rock Weekends" aired from 6 a.m. Saturday – Midnight Sunday, and 6 a.m. Sunday – 2 a.m. Monday. Game Show Radio ran Midnight–2 a.m. on Sundays, while infomercials ran from 2 a.m.–6 a.m. Sunday. "Free FM" was using guest hosts for the 10 p.m. to Midnight time slot. March 2, 2007, was the last day for the
Penn Jillette Penn Fraser Jillette (born March 5, 1955) is an American magician, actor, musician, inventor, television presenter, and author, best known for his work with fellow magician Teller as half of the team Penn & Teller. The duo has been featured ...
show on "Free FM" and CBS Radio stations. The following Monday, WFNY-FM expanded the guest host time slot by an hour, making it 9 p.m. to Midnight. In April 2007, during an interview with a local band "A Brief Smile" on '' The Dog House'', hosts JV and Elvis directed numerous homophobic insults at the band's bassist. The hosts referred to the bassist as "Fag Number 1" and asked, "How many badges of honor do you have in your colon?" and kicked him out of the studio. After playing a song by the band the hosts also called the bass part "a little faggy." The bass player returned to the studio, stated he was bisexual and that he found their use of the word "faggot" offensive. Gay rights groups such as
GLAAD GLAAD (), an acronym of Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals ...
criticized the show as being homophobic for their remarks. JV and Elvis were later suspended on April 30 over a six-minute prank phone call peppered with ethnic and sexual slurs to a Chinese restaurant, after numerous
Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Han Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans along with their ancestors trace lineage from ...
advocacy groups complained to CBS demanding the hosts be fired. Beginning May 7, "Free FM" started using guest hosts 9 a.m. to Noon to replace ''The Dog House''. On May 12, 2007, AP News reported that CBS Radio spokeswoman Karen Mateo said, "The Dog House with JV and Elvis will no longer be broadcast n Free-FM" CBS fired JV and Elvis, as well as the producer of ''The Dog House'', after numerous complaints were received from various civil rights groups. On May 15, 2007,
XM Satellite Radio XM Satellite Radio (XM) was one of the three satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Holdings. It provided pay-for-service radio, analogous to subscription cable television. Its s ...
suspended the ''Opie and Anthony Show'' for 30 days because of comments made by a homeless man about raping Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice Condoleezza Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who is the current director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 66th Uni ...
and
First Lady First lady is an unofficial title usually used for the wife, and occasionally used for the daughter or other female relative, of a non-monarchical A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state fo ...
Laura Bush Laura Lane Welch Bush (''née'' Welch; born November 4, 1946) is an American teacher, librarian, memoirist and author who was First Lady of the United States from 2001 to 2009. Bush previously served as First Lady of Texas from 1995 to 2000. ...
made on an uncensored May 9 broadcast. Their suspension was effective immediately. During this time, CBS Radio kept the show on from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. However, it was not simulcast on XM.


Re-launch for WXRK (2007–2009)


K-Rock returns

At 9 a.m. on May 24, 2007, after ''Opie and Anthony'', an eight-hour countdown clock began on the former "Free FM" website, while WFNY-FM began stunting with a
sound collage In music, montage (literally "putting together") or sound collage ("gluing together") is a technique where newly branded sound objects or compositions, including songs, are created from collage, also known as montage. This is often done throug ...
. The stunting came to an end at 4:57 p.m. with an apology from general manager Tom Chiusano, who apologized to listeners for taking K-Rock away. Minutes later, at 5 p.m., "K-Rock" was relaunched on 92.3 FM, playing an
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
format with a playlist focused on rock from the 1990s and 2000s, along with heavy
classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
. The first song on the resurrected "K-Rock" was "
All Apologies "All Apologies" is a song by American rock band Nirvana, written by vocalist and guitarist, Kurt Cobain. It appears as the 12th track on the band's third and final studio album, ''In Utero'', released by DGC Records in September 1993. The song c ...
" by
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
, while the first host on air was Gregg "Opie" Hughes of
Opie and Anthony ''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg Hughes, Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton (comedian), Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show origina ...
, who confirmed that the show would still be on the station under its new format. The station reverted to its previous call letters, WXRK, on May 31, 2007. The previous WXRK ("92.3 K-Rock" in
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, also owned by CBS Radio) received the callsign WKRI. The Cleveland station is now
WKRK-FM WKRK-FM (92.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland Heights, Ohio, known as "Sports Radio 92.3 The Fan" and carrying a sports format. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WKRK-FM serves Greater Cleveland and surrounding Northeast Ohi ...
. Initially, WXRK had no on-air staff, although on Mondays it featured a ''Hostile Takeover'' show where guest(s) sat in as the DJ. The station also had contests which begun after ''Opie and Anthony''. On February 8, 2008, it was announced that program director Tracy Cloherty was among the many non-programming staffers let go by CBS Radio, in an attempt to "more effectively monetize the aggregate number of listeners who hear us on the radio and the Internet." The advent of WRXP caused WXRK to morph to
active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
at that time. In December 2008, as a result of another change in the station's management, WXRK made an adjustment to a mainstream rock format focusing more on classic rock and playing even less current rock songs. With the format adjustment, Paul Turner, who was the voice of the Howard Stern Show and "K-Rock" when it was a classic rock station in the 1990s, returned as voice of the station's promos. As a result of the format shift, on December 16, 2008,
FMQB ''Friday Morning Quarterback'' (better known as ''FMQB'') was a trade magazine which covered the radio and music industries in the United States. Its coverage included programming, management, promotion, marketing, and airplay Airplay is how ...
announced that afternoon jock Ian Camfield had left K-Rock to go back to XFM in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. "K-Rock" vet
Chris Booker Chris Booker (born May 20, 1971) is an American radio and TV personality. Career Booker has worked as a correspondent for TV Guide Channel covering red carpet events such as "Live at the Grammys with Joan and Melissa Rivers," and "Live at th ...
took his place, airing in afternoon drive from 2−7 p.m. Due to low ratings, the final terrestrial airing of ''Opie and Anthony'' show aired on March 9, 2009.


92.3 Now (2009–2014)

At 4:45 p.m. on March 11, 2009, after playing a block of goodbye-themed or departure themed songs, ending with Nirvana's "All Apologies" (a near-bookend to the format's 2007 relaunch) and " Right Now" by
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...
, WXRK began stunting with the sound of a ticking clock. At 4:55 p.m., the station announced that K-Rock was moving to 92.3 HD2, and after an introductory package, officially flipped to a rhythmic-leaning CHR format, branded as "92.3 Now". The first song on "Now" was "
Boom Boom Pow "Boom Boom Pow" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas for their fifth studio album '' The E.N.D.'' (2009). It was written by group members will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo and Fergie, being produced by will.i.am. The song feature ...
" by
The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hil ...
.
Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host ''The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's G ...
was morning host on the station from January 2010 to February 2012. By July 2012, major directional changes were made with a shift to a more mainstream Top 40 format. The station also added Ty Bentli for mornings. This would eventually become known as "Ty Loves NY." On November 8, 2012, a full years after the launch of the Top 40/CHR format, the station changed call letters to WNOW-FM to match the "Now" moniker. This was made possible by a format and call-letter change at the former WNOW-FM in
Gaffney, South Carolina Gaffney is a city in and the seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the "Peach Capital of South Carolina". The population was 12,539 at the 2010 census, with an estim ...
.


Howard Stern returns

On January 17, 2012, Howard Stern made a live appearance on WXRK for the first time in over six years. Stern was a guest on the
Nick Cannon Nicholas Scott Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American television host, actor, rapper, and comedian. In television, Cannon began as a teenager on ''All That'' before going on to host ''The Nick Cannon Show'', ''Wild 'n Out'', ''America's G ...
morning show, via telephone, at the same time as Cannon was guesting on Stern's SiriusXM Satellite Radio show.


Hurricane Sandy

As a result of damage suffered to WINS' transmitter during
Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Sandy (unofficially referred to as ''Superstorm Sandy'') was an extremely destructive and strong Atlantic hurricane, as well as the largest Atlantic hurricane on record as measured by diameter, with tropical-storm-force winds spann ...
, WINS made its first appearance on 92.3 broadcasting on the frequency for two days. Although its transmitters were restored, WINS' transmitters were on low power for at least a day. The simulcast ended at 10 a.m. on October 31, 2012, when WINS' transmitter went back to full power.


92.3 AMP Radio (2014–2017)

Following the station's flip in 2009, WXRK/WNOW would typically hold only a 2 share of the New York market as compared to WHTZ, which usually has a 7 share of the market. In addition, WXRK/WNOW had a constant turnover of program directors and airstaff, including the sudden releasing of all the then-current airstaff (with the exception of midday host Niko and evening host Toro) on May 21, 2014, as rumors of a complete rehauling of 92.3's format abounded. The following day at 2 p.m., after stunting by giving away $1,000 to callers every 9 minutes for 2 hours, WNOW-FM relaunched as ''92.3 AMP Radio'' under veteran PD Rick Thomas, launching with commercial-free weekends until Labor Day weekend. The final song on "Now" was "
Lose Yourself "Lose Yourself" is a song by American rapper Eminem from the soundtrack to the 2002 motion picture '' 8 Mile''. The song was composed and produced by Eminem, longtime collaborator Jeff Bass, one half of the production duo Bass Brothers and Lui ...
" by
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
, while the first song on "AMP" was "
Summer Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wit ...
" by
Calvin Harris Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums. His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
. On June 23, 2014, WNOW-FM changed its call letters to WBMP to match the "AMP" branding (unlike Los Angeles sister station KAMP-FM, the WAMP call letters are held by an
American Family Radio American Family Radio (AFR) is a network of more than 180 radio stations broadcasting Christian Conservative Christianity, Christian-oriented programming to over 30 states.Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population was 68,205 as of the 2020 United States ...
, and the network's conservative foundational owner was unlikely to give them to a commercial operation). Concurrently, the WNOW-FM call letters were transferred to WNOU in
Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
. After the rebrand, the station's ratings improved significantly. On January 22, 2015, WBMP launched a new morning show titled ''Shoboy in the Morning'' with Edgar "Shoboy" Sotelo, Micho Rizzo (both of whom were once part of sister station
KMVK KMVK (107.5 FM, "La Grande 107.5"), is a commercial radio station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas and serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The station is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. KMVK broadcasts in Spanish and airs a radio format ...
in
Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...
) and Nina Hajian from then-sister station
KZZO KZZO (100.5 MHz "Now 100.5") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Sacramento, California. It broadcasts an Adult Top 40 radio format and is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International, a profit-making subsidiary of the Churc ...
in
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
.


Alt 92.3 (2017–2022)

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with
Entercom Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
(now Audacy). The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was completed on November 17. On November 17, at 10 a.m., after playing "
Too Good at Goodbyes "Too Good at Goodbyes" is a song by English singer Sam Smith. It was written by James Napier, Tor Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen and Smith, and produced by Napes, Steve Fitzmaurice and StarGate. It was released on 8 September 2017 through Capitol R ...
" by
Sam Smith Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single "Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
and "
Encore An encore is an additional performance given by performers after the planned show has ended, usually in response to extended applause from the audience.Lalange Cochrane, in ''Oxford Companion to Music'', Alison Latham, ed., Oxford University Pres ...
" by Brooklyn native
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
, WBMP flipped back to alternative as ''Alt 92.3'', launching with " My Hero" by the
Foo Fighters Foo Fighters are an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Foo Fighters was initially formed as a one-man project by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl. Following the success of the eponymous debut album, Grohl (lead vocals, guitar) re ...
. The switch marked the return of the format to the market for the first time since 2012, when WRXP switched to a simulcast of WFAN as
WFAN-FM WFAN-FM (101.9 FM), is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York. Owned by Audacy, Inc. the station simulcasts a sports radio format known as "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM", or "The FAN", along with co-owned WFAN 660 AM. It ...
after its sale to CBS. A sister "AMP" station in Dallas,
KVIL KVIL (103.7 FM, ''Alt 103.7'') is a commercial radio station dual-licensed to Highland Park and Dallas, Texas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it serves the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in North Texas. The station's studios are located along ...
, also flipped to alternative with a similar brand the same day. On June 12, 2018, the call letters were changed to WNYL to match their format. On September 13, 2020, WNYL became the primary station of Entercom's alternative stations across the United States, with its programming airing on most of those stations and local staffs being let go. The station's morning team of "Cane and Corey" (which also aired nationwide through several stations) was terminated in mid-December 2021 for dishonesty involving profanity going out over the airwaves, non-compliance with
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
vaccine rules, and launching a
Patreon Patreon (, ) is a membership platform that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service. It helps creators and artists earn a monthly income by providing rewards and perks to their subscribers. Patreon charges a co ...
and
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
podcast without notifying Audacy (which has its own podcast platform and holds contractual exclusivity for any podcasts from its employees); the hosts also told that unauthorized podcast audience that a flip to an FM simulcast of WINS was being considered by local management if ratings did not improve (Audacy had done so for most of its all-news stations, the previous being KNOU in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
becoming
KNX-FM KNX-FM (97.1 MHz, "KNX News 97.1 FM") is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, United States. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an all-news radio format in a full-time simulcast with KNX (1070 AM). The station has s ...
days before). On April 11, 2022, WNYL became the New York City affiliate for the Washington, D.C. based ''
Elliot in the Morning ''Elliot in the Morning'' is a syndicated morning radio talk show hosted by DJ Elliot Segal and airing weekdays from "5:48 until 10 something." It is based at WWDC-FM Washington, D.C. and is heard on an affiliated station in Richmond. The for ...
''.


WINS simulcast (2022–present)

On October 10, 2022, Audacy officially announced it would flip WNYL to a simulcast of WINS beginning on October 27 at 9 a.m. (while concurrently reaching an agreement with the
SAG-AFTRA The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA, stylized as SAG·AFTRA ) is an American labor union representing approximately 160,000 film and television actors, journalists, radio personalities, record ...
union to begin combining the staffs of WINS and WCBS). The "Alt" format would continue through the station's HD2 subchannel and Audacy stream. Beginning on October 20, WNYL paid tribute to the run of "Alt", as well as the history of the rock format on the frequency, running music with a specific focus of one hourly-changed year of the format (ironically focusing on music that, while playing under the run of the "Alt" format, may not have played on the 92.3 frequency ''itself'' in that span, as the rock format was focused on progressive and album rock for most of its run; nevertheless, the DJs would still refer to the station as "K-Rock" besides the regular brand as a further nod). The station signed off the "Alt" format with a special 3-hour goodbye show with many former station staffers visiting or calling in to the station and paying tribute to the format. The "Alt" format officially signed off with " New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down" by the Brooklyn-based band
LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem is an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy, co-founder of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy (vocals, various instruments), Nancy Whang (synthesizer, keyboards, vocals), Pat Mahoney (dr ...
. Following a 10-minute transition period, the simulcast formally launched at 9 a.m. Concurrently, Audacy applied for the WINS-FM call letters for the station; the call sign change took effect on October 27.


"K-Rock2" and HD radio operations

As part of the K-Rock format change on April 4, 2005, from
alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
to
mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...
, "K-Rock2", a new Internet-only radio station, was created. Throughout the Free FM period and during the resurrection of K-Rock, "K-Rock2" continued to stream on krock2.com. Following the main channel's format change to "Now" on March 11, 2009, the HD2 channel became known as simply "K-Rock", but retained the alternative rock format. "K-Rock HD2", at one point had a full-time air staff, including a local music show, but later ran completely automated. Starting shortly after 2 a.m. on October 6, 2008, the "K-Rock2" audio stream was added to WXRK-HD2. A few minutes earlier, a simulcast of sister station
WFAN WFAN (660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, carrying a sports radio format known as "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New York metropolitan area while ...
was added to WXRK-HD3. 92.3-HD3 was initially using the delayed audio feed from wfan.com complete with internet only commercials and not the over the air broadcast feed used by WFAN on 660 AM. After a day or so, WXRK-HD3 switched to the over the air feed of WFAN, but still had a time delay of over a minute. The HD3 was dropped altogether when WFAN began simulcasting on 101.9 FM on November 2, 2012. In December 2015, WBMP added
Radio Disney Radio Disney was an American radio network operated by the Disney Radio Networks unit of Disney Branded Television within the Disney General Entertainment Content, headquartered in Burbank, California. The network broadcast music programming ...
to their HD3 channel under a time brokerage agreement,National Stations (Family) - HD Radio
/ref> marking the return of the radio network to New York since Radio Disney's owned-and-operated WQEW (now WFME) was sold to
Family Radio Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
in February of that year. The Radio Disney feed would be discontinued in June 2018 after the agreement between Disney and Entercom, which inherited the agreement from CBS, expired. After the analog/HD1 channel's flip back to alternative in November 2017, the HD2 channel changed to a simulcast of sister station
WNEW-FM WNEW-FM (102.7 FM, ''NEW 102.7'') is a hot adult contemporary formatted radio station, licensed to New York, New York and owned by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios are located at the Audacy facility in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manha ...
. In October 2018, the HD2 channel flipped to new alternative as "New Arrivals". In October 2022, the HD2 channel adopted the alternative format and the "Alt 92.3" moniker from the former analog/HD1 signal. In February 2019, Audacy's
Channel Q Channel Q (stylized as CHANNEL Q) is an LGBT lifestyle talk and EDM top 40 radio network created, owned, and operated by Audacy, Inc. The network airs on the Audacy internet radio service, as well as on Audacy-owned terrestrial radio stations t ...
, a LGBTQ-centric talk/dance network, was launched on its third subchannel.Channel Q Expands to Six More Markets
Radioinsight - February 26, 2019


See also

*
WKTU WKTU (103.5 FM) is a rhythmic adult contemporary formatted radio station licensed to Lake Success, New York, a suburb of New York City. WKTU is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios in the former AT&T Building in the Tribeca neighbo ...
: the "new" WKTU started in 1996 on 103.5 MHz.


References


External links

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92.3 K-Rock format switchWhat it was like to intern at K-Rock in 1991Format Change: 92.3 K Rock to 92.3 Free FMFormat Change: 92.3 Free FM to 92.3 K RockFormat Change: 92.3 K Rock to 92.3 Now-FMFormat Change: 92.3 Now-FM to 92.3 AMP RadioFormat Change: Amp 92.3 New York Becomes Alt 92.3
{{Entercom INS-FM Radio stations established in 1948 1948 establishments in New York City Audacy, Inc. radio stations Hudson Square All-news radio stations in the United States