WJKS (104.3
MHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...
) is a commercial
FM radio station in the
Champlain Valley of northern
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
, in the United States. WJKS broadcasts a
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
radio format, simulcast with 100.9
WWFY in
Berlin, Vermont
Berlin ( ) is a town in Washington County, Vermont, United States, founded in 1763.
The population was 2,849 at the 2020 census. Being the town between Barre and Montpelier, the two largest cities in the region, much of the commercial busines ...
. The two stations are owned by Great Eastern Radio. WJKS serves the
Burlington–
Plattsburgh media 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 station, television and radio broadcasting, ra ...
, while WWFY serves
Barre–
Montpelier.
History
Before it went on the air, the station first took the
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
WVFA on May 3, 1991, and changed to WGLV on June 14, 1991. It officially launched on March 15, 1992, with a
religious
Religion is a range of social- cultural systems, including designated behaviors and practices, morals, beliefs, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations, that generally relate humanity to supernatural ...
format in
Hartford, Vermont
Hartford is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. It is on the New Hampshire border, at the intersection of Interstates 89 and 91. It is the site of the confluence of the White and Connecticut rivers; the Ottauquechee River also f ...
. On October 11, 2000, the station launched its WWOD call letters and changed its format to
oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music.
Since 2 ...
as "Oldies 104.3".
In 2008, the station was granted a
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains ju ...
(FCC) construction permit to change its
city of license
In U.S., Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.
In North American broadcast ...
from Hartford, Vermont, to
Keeseville, New York
Keeseville is a hamlet (New York), hamlet (and census-designated place) in Clinton County, New York, Clinton and Essex County, New York, Essex counties, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2010 census. The ...
, increasing its
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 ha ...
(ERP) to 25,000 watts and decreasing its tower's height above average terrain (HAAT) to , using a
directional antenna
A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna that radiates or receives greater radio wave power in specific directions. Directional antennas can radiate radio waves in beams, when greater concentration of radiation in a certain directio ...
located in
Au Sable, New York
Au Sable, or Ausable ( ), is a town in Clinton County, New York, United States. The population was 3,146 at the 2010 census. The name is from the Ausable River that flows through the town and means "of sand".
The town is in the southeastern corn ...
.
On May 22, 2012, WWOD, along with 28 other Nassau Broadcasting stations in Northern New England, was purchased at bankruptcy auction by Carlisle Capital Corporation, a company controlled by
Bill Binnie
William Harrison "Bill" Binnie is an American industrialist, investment banker, and philanthropist, who is currently president of the Carlisle Capital Corporation, president of the media company New Hampshire 1 Network and owner of Carlisle One M ...
(owner of
WBIN-TV
WWJE-DT (channel 50) is a television station licensed to Derry, New Hampshire, United States, serving the Boston area as an affiliate of True Crime Network. It is owned by TelevisaUnivision alongside Univision- owned station WUNI (channel 66). ...
in
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
). WWOD and 11 of the other stations, were then acquire by Vertical Capital Partners, controlled by Jeff Shapiro. As this would put Shapiro over the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
's ownership limits in the
Lebanon
Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
-
Rutland
Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town.
Rutland has a ...
-
White River Junction
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the New England town, town of Hartford, Vermont, Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the ...
market, WWOD and
WEXP were acquired by Electromagnetic Company, a company controlled by William and Gail Goddard.
[ (updated June 14, 2012)] This transaction was consummated on November 30, 2012, with the WWOD/WEXP portion of the purchase valued at $600,000.
On November 30, 2012, WWOD went silent and swapped call signs with
WMXR in
Woodstock, Vermont
Woodstock is the shire town (county seat) of Windsor County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,005. It includes the villages of Woodstock, South Woodstock, Taftsville, and West Woodstock.
History
Cha ...
. On July 9, 2013, the call letters were again changed, to WMVY.
WMVY returned to the air on October 30, 2013, still operating from the Hartford facility.
The call letters became WECM on June 9, 2014.
[
On November 10, 2014, WECM began transmitting from its new Keeseville facilities stunting with Christmas music, branded as "Ho Ho 104". After the holiday season, the station continued to run the stunt.
Electromagnetic Company sold WECM to Jeffrey D. Shapiro's Great Eastern Radio, LLC in a transaction that was consummated on March 23, 2015. Electromagnetic received a 6.4% equity interest in Great Eastern Radio (valued at $250,000) in exchange.
On June 15, 2015, at noon, after seven months of stunting, the station finally flipped to ]classic hip hop
Classic hip hop is a music radio format focusing primarily on hip hop music from the 1980s, 1990s, and the early to mid-2000s.
Although stations with such a format date back as far as 2004, the format was first popularized in October 2014, after ...
as "Kiss 104.3", with the new call sign WJKS. On June 15, 2020, WJKS replaced the classic hip hop format with a simulcast of WWFY (100.9 FM), a co-owned country music station in Berlin, Vermont, under the "Froggy 104.3 & 100.9" branding.Kiss Classic Hip-Hop Away As Country Simulcast Moves Onto WJKS
Radioinsight - June 15, 2020
References
External links
FCC construction permit
{{coord, 44.5255, N, 73.5187, W, type:landmark_region:US-NY_source:FCC, display=title
Clinton County, New York
Country radio stations in the United States
Essex County, New York
Radio stations established in 1992
JKS (FM)