WMTK (106.3

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 ...

; ''106.3 The Notch'') is 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 ...

formatted station located in northern

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. It is

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 Littleton, and is owned by the Vermont Broadcast Associates, Inc., along with

WSTJ WSTJ (1340 AM, "The Trail 104.1") is a radio station broadcasting an adult album alternative format. Licensed to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, United States, the station is owned by Vermont Broadcast Associates, Inc. Under a local marketing agreemen ...

, WKXH, and WGMT. Programming is also

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

on 1490/103.1

WIKE WIKE (1490 AM) is a commercial radio station located in Newport, Vermont. It is owned by Vermont Broadcast Associates, Inc. and it broadcasts a classic rock format, simulcast from 106.3 WMTK in Littleton, New Hampshire. Both stations call ...

in Newport, Vermont. Under a

local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one corporation, company agrees to operate a radio station, radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it ...

, Russ Ingalls' Green Mountain Broadcasters LLC operates the stations pending a full acquisition. The station went on the air in 1985 as 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 ...

station, later changing to the classic rock format.

History

On August 1, 1985, WMTK became the first local

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

FM station to

sign on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonwealth countries exce ...

in the

North Country North Country may refer to: Places * North Country, Cornwall, England * North Country, the northern third of New Hampshire, U.S. **Great North Woods Region (New Hampshire) *North Country (New York), a region of Upstate New York ** North Country Co ...

of New Hampshire and

Northeast Kingdom The Northeast Kingdom (also, locally, "The Kingdom" and abbreviated NEK) is the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Vermont, approximately comprising Essex, Orleans, and Caledonia counties and with a population of 64,764 at the 2010 census. T ...

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

.Broadcasting Yearbook 1986 page B-292
/ref> The station began with a

format, a local morning show, with local news and weather inserted throughout the day. The

satellite A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scient ...

country music service came from the

Transtar Radio Networks Transtar was the first radio network to provide 24-hour music programming to local affiliates. The slate of 24-hour networks is now owned by Westwood One and operated by Dial Global. The studios were located in Valencia, California. History T ...

, now

Westwood One Westwood One, Inc. is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1976. The co ...

. WMTK was never owned with Littleton's first radio station, WLTN (1400 AM), so Littleton had two stand-alone radio stations at the time, an unusual distinction for a town of its size. WMTK was known initially as "K 106.3", though over time became known as 106.3 WMTK. The studios were located at historic Thayer's Inn on Main Street. For years, WMTK used to compete with both advertisers and listeners with

St. Johnsbury St. Johnsbury (known locally as "St. J") is the shire town (county seat) of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,364. St. Johnsbury is situated on the Passumpsic River and is located approximatel ...

's WNKV 105.5 FM (now Kix 105.5 WKXH). When WMTK and WNKV came under common ownership of Vermont Broadcast Associates (VBA), WMTK was flipped to a broad-based classic rock/classic hits variant that is still being programmed today. While still transmitting from Mann's Hill in Littleton, the studios were consolidated in the VBA broadcast building co-located with the WKXH and WSTJ studios on Concord Avenue in St. Johnsbury when Thayer's Inn needed the studio space for hotel purposes. In February 2025, Bruce James agreed to sell the seven Vermont Broadcast Associates stations to Green Mountain Broadcasters, owned by Vermont state senator Russ Ingalls, for $996,000. Green Mountain then began managing the stations under a

References

External links

* MTK Classic rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1985 1985 establishments in New Hampshire Littleton, New Hampshire {{NewHampshire-radio-station-stub