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WKLI-FM (100.9
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 ...
, "100.9/107.1 The Cat") is a
commercial radio Commercial broadcasting (also called private broadcasting) is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship, for example. It was the United States' first model ...
station,
licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...
to
Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is located on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River. Albany is the oldes ...
, and serving the
Capital District A capital district, capital region, or capital territory is normally a specially designated administrative division where a country's seat of government is located. As such, in a federal model of government, no state or territory has any politic ...
, including
Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...
and
Troy Troy (/; ; ) or Ilion (; ) was an ancient city located in present-day Hisarlik, Turkey. It is best known as the setting for the Greek mythology, Greek myth of the Trojan War. The archaeological site is open to the public as a tourist destina ...
. The station is owned by
Pamal Broadcasting Pamal Broadcasting, Ltd. is a family-owned radio group with twenty-three stations in medium-to-small markets in the Northeast. Based in the Albany suburb of Latham, New York, Pamal Broadcasting was founded in 1987 as Albany Broadcasting Company, ...
and 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 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 broadcasting, ...
. Its programming is simulcast on
WKBE WKBE (107.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Corinth, New York, and serving Glens Falls and Saratoga Springs. It is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts a country music radio format, simulcasting WKLI-FM (100.9) from Albany ...
(107.1 FM) in
Corinth Corinth ( ; , ) is a municipality in Corinthia in Greece. The successor to the ancient Corinth, ancient city of Corinth, it is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese (region), Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Sin ...
. WKLI-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 ha ...
(ERP) of 6,000 watts. Its
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
is off Kings Road near the
New York State Thruway The New York State Thruway (officially the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway and colloquially "the Thruway") is a system of controlled-access toll roads spanning within the U.S. state of New York. It is operated by the New York State Thruway ...
in Guilderland near the boundary of Colonie and
Schenectady Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...
, adjacent to the station's former radio studios. WKLI-FM now has its studios and offices in the Pamal Broadcasting facility on Johnson Road in Latham near Crossroads Plaza.


History

The 100.9 frequency signed on in 1972 as WWOM (Wonderful World of Music), an
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
station going against up established beautiful music outlets 95.5 WROW-FM and 103.1 WHRL. Unable to make headway, the station quickly gave up easy listening and went through a variation of formats, including several variants of
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 ...
(mid-1970s and again starting in 1980),
soft rock Soft rock (also known as light rock or mellow rock) is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in the United States and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, mel ...
(1977–78), and then
album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. US rad ...
. Briefly in late 1978/early 1979, it identified itself as "WWOM-Albany NY's Best Rock" in its legal ID, putting it into direct competition with 103.9
WQBK-FM WQBK-FM (105.7 MHz "Q105.7/103.5") is a commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Malta, New York, and serving the Capital District, New York. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, and simulcasts a classic rock radio format wit ...
. With the
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
craze catching on, the station abruptly flipped to
disco music Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightlife, particularly in African-American, Italian-American, Gay and Latino communities. Its sound features four-on-the-floor ...
early in the spring of 1979, and then to
soft AC 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, ...
in the summer of 1980. During this period, the station struggled in both ratings and revenue. In 1984, local businessman William Sellwood bought WWOM as a companion to
WABY WABY (900 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Watervliet, New York, and serving the Capital District, New York, Capital District. The station broadcasts a 1990s in music, 1990s-2000s ...
(then on 1400 AM). Two years later, Sellwood relaunched the station as "K-Lite 101" with the WKLI calls coming into use. With no FM competition for mainstream adult contemporary music, the station quickly became a success and spent several years in the Top 5 stations (12+) in the market with several
Arbitron ratings Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...
books as the No. 1 in some demographics and time periods, a rarity for a lower powered signal in the Albany market. In 1990, Paul Bendat purchased the station. After WROW-FM flipped to
WYJB WYJB (95.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Albany, New York, and serving the Capital District, including Schenectady and Troy. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, swit ...
in early 1994, WKLI's ratings underwent a decline as listeners flocked to the far stronger signal of WYJB for adult contemporary music. On January 12, 1996, WKBE (100.3 FM) joined WKLI in a simulcast of "K-Lite" (without the '101' brand); however, the format ended just over two months later when WKLI and WKBE flipped to a Top 40/CHR format as "K-100" at 3 p.m. on March 18. With the flip, the station became one of the charter affiliates of the syndication attempt of the ''Scott & Todd'' morning show from
WPLJ WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station, licensed to New York, New York. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), based in Franklin, Tennessee, it broadcasts EMF's Christian adult contemporary formatted p ...
in New York City, which the station played as a homecoming of sorts for
Todd Pettengill Todd Clark Pettengill (born April 18, 1966) is a former American radio disc jockey who most recently worked for WPLJ 95.5 in the New York area. From 1993 to 1997, he also served as an on-screen backstage interviewer for the World Wrestling Federa ...
(an alum of rival
WFLY WFLY (92.3 FM, ''FLY 92.3'') is a contemporary hit radio station licensed to Troy, New York, and serving the Capital District. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and is considered the company's flagship station. The radio studios and ...
). Though ''K-100'' stayed competitive with WFLY and
WRVE WRVE (99.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed in Schenectady, New York, Schenectady and serving the Capital District, New York, Capital District and Upper Hudson Valley in New York (s ...
, changes in the format and the end of syndication of Scott & Todd in October 1998 marked a quick decline for the station which, by the end of 1998, was seeing ratings not seen in 3 decades. In February 1999, Paul Bendat sold his stations to Tele-Media, Inc., which relaunched the "K-100" format three months later as
modern 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 ...
"The Point" gaining the new calls of WCPT; the WKLI calls and the old "K-Lite" name moved down to 94.5 FM (now
WYKV WYKV (94.5 MHz) is a listener-supported, non-commercial Christian contemporary radio station licensed to Ravena, New York, and serving the Capital District and upper Hudson Valley of New York. The station is owned by Educational Media Foundati ...
). The station struggled to find an audience over the next two years amid staff and management changes as well as corporate problems on Tele-Media's end. Tele-Media sold WCPT and WKBE to Pamal Broadcasting in August 2001 with the sale closing in late October. While WKBE kept a modified version of the "Point" format, WCPT became
adult standards Adult standards (also sometimes known as the nostalgia or Big Band format) is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations. Adult standards started in the 1950s and is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly tho ...
/
soft 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 ...
under the "Magic" name with the WKLI calls returning soon thereafter. Under this format, the station was always one of the top rated stations in the Albany market. As ''Magic'', the station would play Christmas music from mid-November to Christmas Day each year (starting in 2005 and until 2009, the last Christmas season under the format). Pamal announced on February 8, 2010, that "Magic" would move to sister station
WROW WROW (590 AM broadcasting, AM) – branded ''Magic 590-1410 AM and 96.5-100.5 FM'' – is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Albany, New York, and serving the Capital District, New York, Capital District, ...
, with WKLI-FM adopting a new format after a brief simulcast period. After two weeks of simulcasting WROW, and a brief stunt with
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 ...
and
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
, the station flipped to a variety hits format as ''100.9 The Bridge'' on February 24, 2010, with "
Under the Bridge "Under the Bridge" is a song by American Rock music, rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers and the eleventh track on their fifth studio album, ''Blood Sugar Sex Magik'' (1991). It was released in March 1992 by Warner Records, Warner Bros. Records. Vo ...
" by
Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...
being the first (and final) song of the format. However, the variety hits format failed to compete with dominant
WRVE WRVE (99.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed in Schenectady, New York, Schenectady and serving the Capital District, New York, Capital District and Upper Hudson Valley in New York (s ...
and would also take ratings away from sister WYJB, and the station saw its lowest ratings in over a decade. After 18 months under the ''Bridge'' format, WKLI-FM would return to a rock format for the first time since 1979 with a flip to
active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
at noon on September 2, 2011, with "
Wicked Garden "Wicked Garden" is a song by American rock band Stone Temple Pilots that appears on their debut studio album, ''Core''. The lyrics are about lost innocence and longing for youth. Despite the song never being released as a commercial single (only ...
" by
Stone Temple Pilots Stone Temple Pilots, commonly abbreviated as STP, is an American Rock music, rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1989. Originally consisting of lead vocalist Scott Weiland, guitarist Dean DeLeo, bassist Robert DeLeo, and drummer :Songs ...
being the first song played, putting the station in competition with WQBK-FM once again and, to a lesser extent,
WPYX WPYX (106.5 FM "PYX 106") is a commercial radio station licensed to Albany, New York, and serving the Capital District. It broadcasts a classic rock radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. WPYX also carries New York Giants football ...
. By late 2013, the station had gone for more of a
classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
format in order to compete with dominant classic rock station WPYX. At Noon on October 10, 2013, WKLI changed their format to
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
, branded as "The Cat", simulcasting sister station WZMR until December 13, when WZMR began stunting with sound effects of a man hiking until Midnight on December 14, 2013, when it flipped to AAA as "104.9 the Peak". In 2018, with the demise of sister station
WINU WINU (104.9 FM broadcasting, FM, "Big Country 104.9 & 97.9") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Altamont, New York, Altamont and serving New York's Capital District, New York, Capital District. The stati ...
's sports format, WKLI-FM and sister station WROW added play-by-play of the
New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...
and
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
. WKLI played Patriots games during conflicts with Mets baseball on WROW (which were slated to move to WKLI only starting 2019, however this did not take place due to Mets radio network realignments). The Patriots also left WKLI after the 2018 season, leaving the Albany metro area without Patriots radio broadcasts. On March 21, 2023, WKLI's Saratoga area sister station
WKBE WKBE (107.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Corinth, New York, and serving Glens Falls and Saratoga Springs. It is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and broadcasts a country music radio format, simulcasting WKLI-FM (100.9) from Albany ...
flipped to a simulcast of The Cat, as "100.9/107.1 The Cat".


References


External links

* {{Pamal Broadcasting KLI-FM Country radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1972 1972 establishments in New York (state) Pamal Broadcasting