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New, old owner at Smithfield's WKJO 202.3
- Thread starter RadioDaze
- Start date
Last time they owned 102.3, which was originally a Goldsboro-licensed station, they moved the city of license to Smithfield and the station's signal to a new tower near Clayton that served southern and eastern portions of Raleigh. Paired with the former Louisburg-licensed WHLQ 102.5--which was relicensed to Hillsborough from a new tower in northwestern Durham County--both covered most of the market as Pulse 102 (WWPL and WPLW). If they don't keep WKJO Johnston County-targeted (as I hope they will), my guess is it will be in a similar pairing, maybe WKIX 102.9 , which is getting some great ratings as of late but whose Class A signal is challenged in that part of the market.
Could they pair back with 102.5??
I’ve checked the FCC data they just reapplied file for the sale November 23 last week.
From RadioInsight: WKJO Staff Exits Ahead Of Imminent Flip
From the Country Superstars 102.3 Instagram page
Thursday was the final day for the on-air staff at WKJO "Country Superstars 102.9". Looks like significant changes are coming. I am somewhat disappointed by this news. WKJO was the only FM country station I listened to in the market. They played a lot of country hits from the 1980s and 1990s that rarely, if ever, get played on WQDR-FM or WNCB. I don't listen to 94.7 anymore and never listened to 93.9. WPYB 1130 plays classic country, but it's difficult to get a signal outside of Johnston County.
It's not unexpected though. There was very little chance that Curtis was going to keep overlapping country stations. So it's got me wondering what's next for the 102.3 signal. I don't think a simulcast with WPLW-FM 102.5 is likely. The area is already served with CHR by WWPL on 96.9. A simulcast with WKIX-FM 102.9 would disappoint me, as it means another redundant signal, but I could see it happening. They've been doing great in the ratings lately.
Ideally, we'd get to see a new format that doesn't exist in this market. There's no rock station that plays stuff from after 1992. I feel like there's a hole there that could be filled.
From the Country Superstars 102.3 Instagram page
Thursday was the final day for the on-air staff at WKJO "Country Superstars 102.9". Looks like significant changes are coming. I am somewhat disappointed by this news. WKJO was the only FM country station I listened to in the market. They played a lot of country hits from the 1980s and 1990s that rarely, if ever, get played on WQDR-FM or WNCB. I don't listen to 94.7 anymore and never listened to 93.9. WPYB 1130 plays classic country, but it's difficult to get a signal outside of Johnston County.
It's not unexpected though. There was very little chance that Curtis was going to keep overlapping country stations. So it's got me wondering what's next for the 102.3 signal. I don't think a simulcast with WPLW-FM 102.5 is likely. The area is already served with CHR by WWPL on 96.9. A simulcast with WKIX-FM 102.9 would disappoint me, as it means another redundant signal, but I could see it happening. They've been doing great in the ratings lately.
Ideally, we'd get to see a new format that doesn't exist in this market. There's no rock station that plays stuff from after 1992. I feel like there's a hole there that could be filled.
Was WKJO a classic country or a young country station? The "Superstars" branding works with both formats. If it was classic country -- the '90s-centered version -- what's preventing another station to filling the format hole in the market?
WKJO mostly played the same contemporary country music you'd hear on most country stations. I wouldn't call it a classic country station. They would not be afraid to play older hits from the 1980s and 1990s; you'd hear them much more on WKJO than on WQDR-FM or WNCB. But the core of the station was young country.
There is somewhat of a hole in this market where there's no classic country station. There's WPYB, but that's a 6500 watt AM station that only covers the southeast part of the market and is hard to pick up in any of the larger populated areas. For a while, there was a classic country station on 570 (now known as WQDR-AM) but that format only lasted two years. Maybe there's just not a lot of demand for the format in Raleigh? It's the south though, you'd expect more classic country.
WOKN was urban contemporary before picking up the WEQR letters and adult contemporaryformat of what was then WWPL in 1990. WEQR simulcast WEQQ in Pinetops with a hot adult contemporary format and the name "The Double Q".[2]
Beasley Broadcast Group sold WEQR to Curtis Media in the 1996. Curtis Media completed construction of a new tower in Johnston County in 2009 on Little Creek Church Road in Clayton.[3]
WEQQ became WKTC in 1998 and WEQR continued with the format until 2001, when the station began simulcasting WKXU; the country music format and WKIX letters moved from 96.9 FM.[1][2][4] Branding during this time included Kix 102.3[and Country 102.
The station swapped call letters with 97.7 FM in Kinston in 2006, becoming WWNF.[1][4] The country music format also moved to 97.7 FM, and on February 1, 2007,[citation needed] WWNF began to simulcast Raleigh oldies station WWMY.[3]
WWNF assumed the WKIX call letters once again late in 2008.[1]
In early 2010, WKIX and WWMY swapped call letters [1][7] and 102.3 FM planned to transmit a new format from a new tower site on Little Creek Church Road near Clayton in Johnston County.
WWMY ended its simulcast with WKIX-FM on October 23, 2010 and began stunting with future simulcast partner WKXU, which also moved to a new transmitter location, as part of a change in city of license from Goldsboro to Smithfield. On October 27, WWMY became WWPL,[1] and WKXU became WPLW. On October 31, at 5PM, the stunting ended and both stations debuted their new rhythmic contemporary format as "Pulse 102".[8] The first song played was "I Like It" by Enrique Iglesias ft. Pitbull. The format is described as "sort of the hip-hop and R&B that has crossed over into Top 40."[9] Its primary target audience was women aged 25 to 34, and the station was expected to compete with Radio One station K 97.5 and Clear Channel's G105 and 93.9 Kiss FM, who ironically transitioned from Rhythmic AC to Rhythmic Top 40 after Pulse 102 signed on. The stations debuted playing 10,000 songs in a row and promised fewer commercials than other stations. Artists include Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias and Ke$ha.[10] By October 2011, WPLW & WWPL were both added to the Mediabase contemporary hit radio panel.
In January 2014, Triangle Marketing Associates, Inc. filed an application with the FCC to purchase WWPL from Curtis Media Group's New Age Communications, Inc. On September 3, 2014, the Pulse format moved from WWPL to sister station WBZJ. On September 12, 2014 WWPL changed their call letters to WFNL-FM as the station ended its Pulse FM simulcast and began stuntingwith liners redirecting Pulse listeners to 96.9 and 102.5. At that time, the WWPL calls moved to 96.9. On September 26, 2014 WFNL-FM ended stunting and launched a bluegrass format, branded as "Bluegrass 102.3".[11] The format launch came days before Raleigh hosted the International Bluegrass Music Associationconvention and music festival, better known as World of Bluegrass 2014.[12] The FCC approved the sale of WFNL to Triangle Marketing Associates in October, 2014. Though intended to be a temporary placeholder, the bluegrass format continued through November 30, 2014, when Triangle Marketing Associates, Inc. closed on its acquisition of the station.[13][14] Curtis sold the station to avoid running afoul of FCC ownership limits when Curtis acquired WKIX-FM.[15]
On December 1, 2014, WFNL-FM went silent as Triangle Marketing Associates, Inc began the relocation of station studios from the Curtis Media studios in Raleigh to Johnston County.[13]New owner Triangle Marketing Associates planned to debut a format intended to serve Johnston County.[16]
On January 1, 2015, "Country Superstars 102.3" made its debut. On January 23, 2015, WFNL-FM changed their call letters to WKJO, intended to represent Wake & Johnston Counties. The station's transmitter is located 7 miles from Wake County.
In September 2022, the station was once again purchased by Curtis Media Group from Triangle Marketing Associates for $2,080,000. The purchase was made possible by the fact that WWPL Goldsboro is no longer counted towards the FCC's ownership caps for the Raleigh-Durham market.[15]
I'm always impressed as to how this station changed its call letters six times in sixteen years, including four sets of call letters from 2008 to 2010.
Stunting as "Christmas 102.3" started today. I haven't heard any commercials yet, which is somewhat interesting. Second year in a row that a station in the Raleigh market has stunted with Christmas music.
According to Wikipedia, the last song on the "Country Superstars 102.3" format was "Brokenhearted" by Joe Nichols. The first song as "Christmas 102.3" was "The Holly and the Ivy" by Roger Whittaker.
According to Wikipedia, the last song on the "Country Superstars 102.3" format was "Brokenhearted" by Joe Nichols. The first song as "Christmas 102.3" was "The Holly and the Ivy" by Roger Whittaker.
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