WRFY-FM (102.5
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
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 ...
FM 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 radi ...
in
Reading, Pennsylvania, calling itself "Y102". The station is owned by
iHeartMedia through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC, and broadcasts an
AC 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 was compelle ...
. The
studios and offices are on Perkiomen Avenue in Reading.
WRFY-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 h ...
(ERP) of 10,000
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 ...
s. Its
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...
tower
A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures.
Towers are specifi ...
is located on the east side of Reading on Neversink Mountain (). The station's signal covers the cities of
Lancaster,
Allentown Allentown may refer to several places in the United States and topics related to them:
*Allentown, California, now called Toadtown, California
*Allentown, Georgia, a town in Wilkinson County
*Allentown, Illinois, an unincorporated community in Taze ...
and
Pottsville and the northwestern suburbs of
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
. WRFY-FM broadcasts using
HD Radio technology. Its HD-2
digital subchannel carries a
Spanish-language contemporary hits format known as "Rumba 92.3.," which feeds
FM translator
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tra ...
W222BY.
History
On September 23, 1962, the station 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 owned by the City Broadcasting Company as a stand-alone FM station. (In that era, most FM stations were co-owned with AM or TV stations but WRFY-FM was not.) Its original studios were in
Mount Penn.
By the 1970s, it had raised its power to 42,000 watts. Its tower is 807 feet
HAAT
Haat or hat, even haat bazaar, is an open-air market that serves as a Trading post, trading venue for local people in rural areas and towns of Indian subcontinent, especially in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Haat bazaars are conducted o ...
.) It carried a
beautiful music
Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator mu ...
format, with quarter hour sweeps of instrumental
cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
s of popular adult songs, including
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
and
Hollywood show tunes. It was an
affiliate of the
ABC FM Network.
By the 1980s, it had switched to a
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 "cont ...
format. It was affiliated with the
RKO Radio Network
The RKO Radio Network, a subsidiary of RKO General, was the first commercial radio network to distribute programming entirely by satellite. When it began operations on October 1, 1979, the initial RKO network was the first new full-service Ameri ...
for news and features. Over time, it moved in a more adult direction, making the transition to
Hot Adult Contemporary
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 ...
music.
In 1996, WRFY-FM was acquired by
Clear Channel Communications, along with
WRAW
WRAW (1340 Hertz, kHz) is a commercial radio, commercial AM broadcasting, AM radio station city of license, licensed to Reading, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and calls itself "Newsradio 1340 WRAW." It broadcasts a conservati ...
1340 AM
1340 kHz is defined as a Class C (local) frequency in the coterminous United States and such stations on this frequency are limited to 1,000 watts. U.S. stations outside the coterminous United States (Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, & the U.S. V ...
.
Broadcasting Yearbook 2000 page D-388
/ref> In 2008, Clear Channel changed its name to iHeartMedia.
Translator
WRFY-HD2 programming is broadcast on the following translator
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transl ...
:
See also
*Media in the Lehigh Valley
This is a list of media in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania:
Magazines and newspapers
Television stations
The Lehigh Valley is also part of the Philadelphia television market. Philadelphia stations are available over-the-air ...
References
External links
*
*
*
{{IHeartMedia
RFY-FM
IHeartMedia radio stations
Radio stations established in 1962
1962 establishments in Pennsylvania
Hot adult contemporary radio stations in the United States