WSYN (103.1 FM, "Sunny 103.1") is a

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...

music formatted

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 to

Surfside Beach, South Carolina Surfside Beach is a town in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. Its nickname is "The Family Beach". The population was 3,837 at the 2010 census, down from 4,425 in 2000. It is considered a part of the Grand Strand. Geography According ...

and serves the

Grand Strand The Grand Strand is an arc of beach land on the Atlantic Ocean in South Carolina, United States, extending more than from Little River to Winyah Bay. It is located in Horry and Georgetown Counties on the NE South Carolina coast. The term Gra ...

area. The

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 ...

outlet is licensed by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

(FCC) to broadcast at 103.1 MHz with an ERP of 8 kW. Its current slogan is "The Grand Strand's Greatest Hits". Its studios are located on

U.S. Highway 17 U.S. Route 17 or U.S. Highway 17 (US 17), also known as the Coastal Highway, is a north–south United States Highway that spans in the southeastern United States. It runs close to the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic Co ...

Murrells Inlet, South Carolina Murrells Inlet is an unincorporated area and census-designated place in Georgetown County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 7,547 at the 2010 census. It is about 13 miles south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and 21 miles north ...

, and its transmitter is located in

Carolina Forest Carolina Forest is a census-designated place (CDP) in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 23,342. It is located west of Myrtle Beach and east of Conway in an area plan ...

History

103.1 signed on as WYAK-FM "Big Yak" with 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, ...

format in 1977. In 1985 the name changed to Y-103 under new owners who wanted a different image. WYAK DJs at that time included John Dixon, Ralph Connor and Steve Mimms. WROQ FM personality Chris Lee began his radio career at WYAK in 1985 An AM frequency was added at 1270. WYAK (AM) became a separate station around 1990, first calling itself WXMB and playing

southern gospel Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...

music. The AM station became WYAK again later, the first Myrtle Beach area station to air

Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM r ...

, and broadcast the FM programming part-time. Later the AM station played R & B oldies as WCKN, using the WCIN classic oldies format, but signed off. During the mid-1990s WYAK-FM, owned by Multi-Market Radio Inc., was also heard on

WVCO WVCO (94.9 FM, "94.9 The Surf") is an American radio station in the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, market. They play a mix of Blues/ Carolina beach music/shag. Its studios are located on Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach, and its transmitter ...

94.9. On October 1, 1996, Pinnacle Broadcasting Co., owner of

WYAV WYAV is a classic rock radio station licensed to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and serves the Grand Strand area. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast at 104.1 MHz with an effective radiated powe ...

, announced its purchase of WYAK, WMYB, and

WRNN-FM WRNN-FM (99.5 MHz) is a news/talk radio station licensed to Socastee, South Carolina and serves the Grand Strand area. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast with an effective radiated power (ERP) ...

. Pinnacle intended to continue managing WVCO, though that station began separate programming in 1997. WYAK returned to the Big Yak name in 1999 and moved Rick Roberts to mornings with Tab Allen for "Big Yak Mornings with Rick and Tab". Allen's previous partner Michale Jeffries moved to middays and program director Frankie B was afternoon host.Toby Eddings, "WYAK changes its lineup and image," ''The Sun News'', Apr. 25, 1999. After ten years, Allen was let go December 30, 1999, replaced by Holli Heart, formerly of

WGTR WGTR (107.9 FM) is a country music radio station owned by iHeartMedia. Licensed to Bucksport, South Carolina, it serves the Myrtle Beach area. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast with an effecti ...

. Dave Priest was program director for Pinnacle's stations. In 2000, it reverted to the K-103 name. WSYN and WYAK switched frequencies and were reborn as Sunny 103.1 WSYN and The Coyote 106.5 (

WLFF WLFF, known on-air as Nash FM 106.5, is a country music FM radio station licensed to Georgetown, South Carolina. The station is owned by Cumulus Broadcasting and broadcasts with an ERP of 50 kW. Its studios are located on U.S. Highway 17 i ...

). WSYN also switched to the "True Oldies" feed; many 1950s and 1960s Oldies were once again heard. Later, with some programming also being done locally, the playlist included many 1960s oldies and also some 1950s ones as well blended in with the mostly early 1970s oldies along with some Carolina

beach music Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, and to a lesser extent, Beach pop, is a regional genre of music in the United States which developed from rock/ R&B and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s. Beach music is most closely associate ...

classics like "

Sixty Minute Man "Sixty Minute Man" is a rhythm and blues (R&B) record released on Federal Records in 1951 by the Dominoes. It was written by Billy Ward and Rose Marks and was one of the first R&B hit records to cross over to become a hit on the pop chart. It ...

" by Billy Ward (1949). In January 2010, Craig Russ, the Operations Manager of the Cumulus Cluster, became Program Director of the station. Personalities included Kenzie (from 104.9 BOB-FM) and Craig Russ (also former Program Director of BOB-FM) in afternoon drive. In April 2016, WSYN added "

Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably '' American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice Nor ...

’s

American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...

– The 80s". The station promotes the Awesome '80s Weekends.

References

External links

* {{Cumulus Media SYN Classic hits radio stations in the United States Cumulus Media radio stations