WYFM (102.9
FM) is a commercial
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 ...
licensed to
Sharon, Pennsylvania
Sharon is a city in western Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city, located along the banks of the Shenango River on the state border with Ohio, is about northeast of Youngstown, about southeast of Cleveland and about northwest ...
, United States, serving the
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...
market with 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, prima ...
format. It is one of eight radio stations in the Youngstown market owned by
Cumulus Broadcasting
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 ...
with studios and transmitter at "The Radio Center" in Youngstown. The station has a large coverage area and can be picked up fairly well even in
Akron
Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...
, and as far away as
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 ...
. Within the large coverage area, WYFM competes with
WNCD
WNCD is a commercial radio station serving Youngstown, Ohio, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and broadcasting a mainstream rock format at 93.3 MHz. Its signal covers Youngstown, Warren, and New Castle, PA, and at times even reaches Erie and New Ken ...
in Niles,
WONE in Akron,
WRQK
WRQK-FM (106.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Canton, Ohio, featuring a mainstream rock format known as "Rock 106.9". Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves both the Canton and Akron metro areas and is the local affiliate ...
in Canton,
WFXJ in Ashtabula,
WNCX
WNCX (98.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio, featuring a classic rock format known as "98.5 WNCX". Owned by Audacy, Inc., WNCX serves Greater Cleveland and much of surr ...
in Cleveland,
WRKT
WRKT (104.9 FM, "Rocket 105") is an active rock radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. WRKT's studios are located in the Boston Store building in downtown Erie while its transmitter is located near NE Sher ...
and
WQHZ
WQHZ (102.3 FM) is classic rock formatted broadcast radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania owned by Cumulus Media. WQHZ's studios are located at 471 Robison Road in Summit Township while its transmitter is located at Peach St and Sesame Street in ...
in Erie, and
WDVE
WDVE (102.5 FM) is a classic rock music-formatted radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States at 102.5 MHz. It is often referred to by Pittsburghers as simply "DVE." WDVE's studios are located in Green Tree, while its transmitt ...
in Pittsburgh.
WYFM originally signed on the air as WPIC-FM in 1947, simulcasting sister AM 790 WPIC until the early 1970s. The call letters were changed to WYFM in 1973.
From the early 1970s until November 1973, the station was known as "The Alternative at 102.9", following a music format that at the time was called "progressive" or "underground"; in effect, playing music that was not widely known and/or not readily available on the more popular AM radio stations. Typical playlists would include artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Cream and lesser-known rock and roll performers. Programmed by Ralph Caldwell with the consultancy of Edward John "Bo" Volz, it was the first station in the area to feature album-length selections and introduce new artists not heard on other stations. The announcers, including Holly, Dan, Vince, Jimmy, Ralph and others, followed the practice of the day by using only their first name in identifying themselves.
Following the regular broadcast of a local high school basketball game on November 30, 1973, the reformatted and newly named "Y-103" (with program director Dan Messersmith and consultant Ron White) took to the air, using a format known as "Top 40", and eschewing the traditional banter of disk jockeys in favor of continuous music (with the requisite commercial announcements). While "Y-103" sounded like what later was considered an "automated" station (i.e., computer driven), it was actually operated by "announcers" who spoke rarely if ever, following a strict format of preselected songs from a master playlist.
Y-103 broadcast from Pine Hollow Boulevard studios in Sharon PA until November 1998, when the studios were moved to the "Radio Center" in Youngstown, OH. The transmitter and antenna remained at the Pennsylvania location transmitting from, what was at the time of its construction the tallest self-support tower east of the Mississippi (500'), until 2001. The Sharon tower has since been demolished.
WYFM is also the affiliate of the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
.
References
External links
Y-103 WYFM official website*
Youngstown, Ohio
YFM
Classic rock radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1947
1947 establishments in Pennsylvania
Cumulus Media radio stations
YFM
{{Pennsylvania-radio-station-stub