W258CB (99.5
FM) is a
radio station
Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...
translator
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
in
Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville ( ; ) is a city in Greenville County, South Carolina, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of municipalities in South Carolina, sixth-most pop ...
. Owned by Tower Above Media, and operated by
SummitMedia
SummitMedia, LLC is an American radio broadcasting company based in Birmingham, Alabama. The company formed to purchase mid-market radio stations being divested by Cox Radio in 2013.
On November 1, 2018, SummitMedia acquired 19 stations in ...
, the station simulcasts an
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
music format branded as ''Star 99.5'' from an
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
subchannel of
SummitMedia
SummitMedia, LLC is an American radio broadcasting company based in Birmingham, Alabama. The company formed to purchase mid-market radio stations being divested by Cox Radio in 2013.
On November 1, 2018, SummitMedia acquired 19 stations in ...
's
WJMZ-FM
WJMZ-FM (107.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Anderson, South Carolina and serving the Upstate South Carolina region, including Greenville and Spartanburg. The station is owned by SummitMedia and airs an urban adult contemporary ...
.
History
W258CB began broadcasting at 97.7 FM as W249CB in December 2007 in
Six Mile, re-broadcasting
WLFJ-FM
WLFJ-FM (89.3 MHz) is a non-commercial radio station, licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, and serving the Upstate, including Spartanburg, Anderson and Clemson. Owned by the Radio Training Network, it broadcasts a Contemporary Christian ...
HD-3, which in turn was a simulcast of
WHRZ-LP in
Spartanburg
Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-most populous city in the state. The Office of Management and Budg ...
, which carried a
Christian Contemporary
Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith an ...
format. In August 2011, the station filed an application to move to Paris Mountain in
Greenville, with an upgrade from 190 watts to 250 watts, allowing the station to cover
Greenville County
Greenville County ( ; locally ) is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 525,534, making it the most populous county in the state. Its county seat is Greenville. The county is also home to t ...
, as well as portions of neighboring
Pickens and
Spartanburg
Spartanburg is a city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. The city had a population of 38,732 as of the 2020 census, making it the 11th-most populous city in the state. The Office of Management and Budg ...
counties. The new location and stronger signal gave the station an impressive coverage area for a translator, helped by the location of the antenna on a mountain. After the request was granted, construction began on the new transmitter site in Greenville. The move was made official in early 2012.
On December 16, 2011, the station began operating from the new site under a construction permit. The religious format, however, did not move with the signal; on that day, 97.7 FM signed on with a
variety hits format known as ''97.7 Chuck FM'', simulcast from an HD Radio subchannel of
Cox Media Group
CMG Media Corporation (doing business as Cox Media Group) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company p ...
-owned
WJMZ-FM
WJMZ-FM (107.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Anderson, South Carolina and serving the Upstate South Carolina region, including Greenville and Spartanburg. The station is owned by SummitMedia and airs an urban adult contemporary ...
.
On July 20, 2012, Cox Radio announced the sale of its mid-market stations, including WJMZ and its lease of W249CB, to
SummitMedia
SummitMedia, LLC is an American radio broadcasting company based in Birmingham, Alabama. The company formed to purchase mid-market radio stations being divested by Cox Radio in 2013.
On November 1, 2018, SummitMedia acquired 19 stations in ...
$66.25 million. The sale was consummated on May 3, 2013.
On August 19, 2016, the translator moved to 99.5 FM. The translator changed its call sign to W258CB on August 30, 2016. On December 27, 2017, the station relaunched under the
Jack FM
Jack FM is a radio network brand that is licensed by Sparknet Communications, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an adult hits radio format, format, in most cases not using disc jockey, DJs.
F ...
brand, with no change in format.
On June 1, 2021, W258CB shifted to
classic hits, and rebranded as ''Awesome 99.5''.
On April 28, 2023, at 3 p.m., after signing off the "Awesome" format with an hour of songs themed around departure in some fashion (ending with "
End of the Road" by
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...
), the station flipped to
urban contemporary
Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, 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 contemporary r ...
as "Streetz 99.5", launching with "
Players" by
Coi Leray
Coi Leray Collins (born May 11, 1997) is an American rapper and singer. The daughter of rapper and media executive Benzino, she began her musical career in 2018 with the release of her debut mixtape, ''Everythingcoz''. She signed with Republic ...
. The format was to serve as a flanker for sister station
WHZT
WHZT (98.1 FM) is a rhythmic contemporary radio station licensed to Williamston, South Carolina, and serving Upstate South Carolina, including Greenville and Spartanburg. It is owned by SummitMedia and branded "HOT 98.1." Its studios are at No ...
against, most notably,
Audacy's "The Block" translator trimulcast in the market.
On November 29, 2024, the station dropped the “Streetz” branding and Urban Contemporary format for
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of Music genre, genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas and holiday season, Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of Christmas ...
, branded as “Star 99.5” with the syndicated Murphy, Sam, and Jodi morning show. Patterned after sister station
KSRZ
KSRZ (104.5 FM, "Star 104.5") is a commercial radio station in Omaha, Nebraska. It airs an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. The station is owned by SummitMedia, and its studios a ...
, the station segued to an
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
format after the Christmas holiday at midnight on 12/26, filling the void left by
WSPA-FM
WSPA-FM (106.3 Hertz, MHz) is a Regional Mexican-formatted radio station in the Greenville-Spartanburg area of Upstate South Carolina. The Norsan Media outlet is licensed by the FCC to Simpsonville, South Carolina, and broadcasts at with an ERP ...
’s sale and subsequent flip to a
Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by ...
format in April 2024.
A New Star in Greenville
/ref>
References
External links
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{{Adult Contemporary Radio Stations in South Carolina
258CB
Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 2007
2007 establishments in South Carolina