In a call letter swap from a Class C3 to a Class C facility, the callsign WBT-FM has returned to 107.9. Ratings were apparently sagging with the music format on WLNK.
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WBT-FM Returns To Class C 107.9
- Thread starter Schroedingers Cat
- Start date
I guess that it takes effect 12-11-25.
I predict they're going to be sagging even more.
I don't know about that there are quite a few conservatives in the outlying areas of the Charlotte market. I'm sure they did some research before making this move. Maybe could it be some political forces at work? If the current administration can pressure CBS I'm sure they'd have no problem pressuring Urban One.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channelâ„¢
OTOH, you always predict failures if a station's format doesn't match your personal tastes, so you will forgive me in advance for not putting much stock in the above statement.
As I said in the other thread, no one other than those associated with the stations know what Radio One's thinking was. But we pretty much have to presume that they did some research, given the market size.
Back to the original call letters at the inception of 107.9 as WBT-FM. But they were Beautiful Music back then. Then they became WBCY with the rock format before changing to Sunny 107.9, then WLNK as 107.9 the Link, then Mix 107.9. Notable hosts over the years were John Boy and Billy, Bob and Sheri, and Matt and Ramona. If indeed the plan is to simulcast 11.10 on 107.9, this will be similar to WSB simulcasting on 750 and 99.5, and WORD moving to 98.9 for a stronger signal in Greenville-Spartanburg, A change I had speculated as a possibility.
K.M. Richards
Program Director, The Eighties Channelâ„¢
As I said in another thread on the subject, this is indeed following in the path blazed by other News/Talk stations adding an FM simulcast without dropping the AM. I had used KNX and KYW as examples, but WSB is another good cite.
It is going to happen on December 11th. Radio One sent out a press release.
However the 107.9 signal from Charlotte can no longer be heard in Hendersonville and parts of Asheville due to a NC public radio station on the same channel, alhough it can be received in Greenville-Spartanburg. Which may give Vince Coakley better coverage in the Upstate since he was dropped from WORD when they moved to 98.9.
Can they still maintain the HD feeds if they convert to mono? Not sure how all that works.
Yes, WBT-FM on 99.3 was broadcasting in Mono / HD Radio, until recently. Their HD has been off for a few months now. Great Signal around Gaffney, including HD & eading west up to the Spartanburg County Line, then Analog signal is ok into the city of Spartanburg itself, before WCON from Georgia Starts interfering.
You had me confused for a second**. WSB 750 (AM) is in 95.5 (WSBB*) branded as 95-5 WSB. WSB FM* is a hot AC on 98.5 branded as B98.5.
Call letters, except for the FCC, don't mean much as this is a PPM market. Of course branding is still important.
*Call letters only heard for FCC mandated station ID.
** My brain originally thought of 99.7 which is a Cumulus station. For a second I thought the FCC had "repacked" the FM like they did OTA TV. After a cup of coffee, I started thinking clearly. My bad to read anything before at least two cups of coffee.
I'm thinking people aren't going to tolerate the signal quality. The people who like Hot AC, I assume, care about such things.
Then there's the matter of wondering where the station went. WSPA went through the same thing.
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I know you're talking about call letters and not format, but as WBCY the station switched from rock to what we might call Hot AC today, though the term wasn't used then. At some point the station was Top 40 but probably more adult than the other stations. It went back to AC when it became WBT-FM.
I was thinking about the Hot AC format, not 107.9. 107.9 might actually do better.