WCOS-FM (97.5 FM) 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 ...

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 ...

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-largest ...

. It airs 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, ...

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 ...

and is owned by

iHeartMedia, Inc. iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

The station goes by the name 97-5 WCOS and its current slogan is "Today's Best Country and Your All-Time Favorites." Its studios and offices are on Graystone Boulevard in Columbia near Interstate 126. WCOS-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 100,000

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, the maximum for all non-grandfathered stations. The

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 ...

is north of the city, in the Arlington Heights neighborhood, off Heyward Brockingham Road. WCOS-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format. It carries a 1990s country hits format on its digital subchannel WCOS-FM-HD2.

Programming

WCOS-FM plays a variety of country songs, mostly from the 2000s, but occasionally going back to the 1980s, with current and recent hits in heavy rotation. Weekdays begin with "The Morning Rush" featuring Jonathan Rush and Kelly Nash. Overnights, WCOS-FM carries the nationally syndicated " CMT After Midnite." WCOS-FM is South Carolina's primary entry point station for the

Emergency Alert System The Emergency Alert System (EAS) is a national warning system in the United States designed to allow authorized officials to broadcast emergency alerts and warning messages to the public via cable, satellite, or broadcast television, and bot ...

History

WCOS-FM

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 ...

in March 1951 as the sister station of

AM 1400 The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1400 kHz. 1400 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 t ...

WCOS. It was Columbia's second FM station and originally broadcast on 97.9 MHz. Prior to 1963, it was on the air only during the evening hours. The separate programming featured Broadway showtunes,

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

and classical music, along with news from the

ABC Radio Network Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which ...

. In the fall of 1963, the station began broadcasting in

FM stereo FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is capa ...

and the hours were extended to the daytime. The morning show was a

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, simulta ...

of 1400 WCOS, which was hosted by Bob Fulton, the long-time announcer for University of South Carolina Gamecocks football. After 9 am, the format was

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

and

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 ...

. The music was broadcast in mono until 6 pm, converting to stereo for the evening hours. In the late 1960s, WCOS-FM converted to a

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

format. Prior to the change, the station promoted the new format by announcing frequently that WCOS-FM was "going underground." By 1973, the station changed to country, adopting its longtime slogan "The Great 98." The country format has remained since. In 1991, the station upgraded its signal by changing the frequency from 97.9 MHz to 97.5 MHz and increasing its power to 100,000 watts. That made it one of the strongest FM signals in the Columbia radio market. In 1997, WCOS-AM-FM were acquired by Capstar, Inc. Then in 2000, Capstar, including WCOS-AM-FM, were acquired by

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

-based Clear Channel Communications.Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2005 page D-458
/ref> Clear Channel changed its name to iHeartMedia in 2014. WCOS-FM is co-owned with

Sports Radio Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on ...

1400 WCOS,

CHR/Top 40 Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

104.7

WNOK WNOK (104.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Columbia, South Carolina, serving the Columbia metropolitan area and the Midlands of South Carolina. It broadcasts a Top 40 (CHR) radio format and it's owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The c ...

, Variety Hits 96.7

WLTY WLTY (96.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cayce, South Carolina, and serving the Columbia metropolitan area. It airs a variety hits radio format, known as Steve FM and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The radio studios are on Gre ...

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 conte ...

100.1 WXBT,

Black Information Network Black Information Network (BIN) is a radio network and content brand owned by iHeartMedia. Launched on June 30, 2020, it is an all-news radio network of stations targeting the African American community, carrying mostly important national news hea ...

affiliate 105.5 W288CX, and

Talk Radio 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 featu ...

WVOC WVOC (560 AM) – branded ''News Radio 560 WVOC'' – is a commercial talk radio station licensed to serve Columbia, South Carolina. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., the station covers the Columbia metropolitan area. The WVOC studios and transm ...

560 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 560 kHz: The Federal Communications Commission categorizes 560 AM as a regional frequency; the maximum power for any station on this frequency (in the United States) is 5,000 watts. A ...

in the Columbia

radio market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

References

External links

Official website
* {{coord, 34.140, N, 81.056, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title COS-FM Radio stations established in 1951 Country radio stations in the United States 1951 establishments in South Carolina IHeartMedia radio stations