WPUR (107.3 FM) is 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 ...

formatted

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 ...

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of ...

. WPUR is more commonly known as "Cat Country 107.3". Its transmitter is located in Atlantic City, while studios are in

Northfield, New Jersey Northfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 8,434, a decrease of 190 (−2.2%) from the 2010 United Stat ...

History

The

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

for a new station on 107.3 in

, was granted the random WZZP call sign on March 17, 1997. It went on the air on February 28, 1998, with a mix of

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 ...

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 ...

, and newer songs. This test broadcast was erratic and mostly heard on weekends through March 17, 1998. Chief engineer Tom McNally was the first voice heard on the station, as a "conducting equipment tests" message aired between the music. On April 9 and 10, 1998, WZZP began broadcasting a mix of

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, ...

songs. Later on April 10 and into April 11, the station played "

Tubthumping "Tubthumping" is a song by British rock band Chumbawamba, released in August 1997 by EMI, Universal Records (1995), Universal and Republic Records as the first single from their eighth studio album, ''Tubthumper'' (1997). It is the band's most ...

" by

Chumbawamba Chumbawamba () was a British anarcho-punk band who formed in 1982 and disbanded in 2012. They are best known for their 1997 single "Tubthumping", which was nominated for Best British Single at the Brit Awards 1998. Other singles include "Amnes ...

over and over. Another

stunt A stunt is an unusual, difficult, dramatic physical feat that may require a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually for a public audience, as on television or in theaters or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Befo ...

format aired from April 12 to April 14, this time with all classic rock songs as "ZZ-107". From April 14 to April 17, CHR was featured with IDs only saying "107.3". This was expanded upon from April 17 to April 25, when more CHR songs were added to the playlist and the station's name shifted to "ZZ-107 The Zipper". On April 25, 1998, "Fun 107" debuted with a

rhythmic CHR Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hits. ...

format, which was easy to do since WZZP's sister station, at the time, in

New Bedford, Massachusetts New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. At the 2020 census, New Bedford had a population of 101,079, making it the state's ninth-l ...

, was "Fun 107"

WFHN WFHN (107.1 FM), better known as Fun 107, is a contemporary hit radio station that serves the New Bedford-Fall River, Massachusetts, market along with (to a lesser extent) the Providence, Rhode Island, market. The station is licensed to Fairha ...

. Most people thought this was going to be the final format, but it was just another long drawn-out stunt that ultimately lasted for a little over two months. At 3 p.m. on June 29, 1998, the real format and name finally debuted: "Cat Country 107.3", with "Fancy" by

Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire ( ; born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music, country singer and actress. Dubbed "Honorific nicknames in popular music, The Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Sin ...

as the station's first song. The call letters officially changed to WPUR on July 20, 1998.

Ownership

Spring Broadcasting, LLC, purchased the construction permit for 107.3 in Atlantic City from Radio-Vision II in the late 1990s. In November 1999,

Citadel Communications Citadel Communications Ltd. was an American private broadcasting company. It was based in Bronxville, New York and most recently owned 1 low-power television station on which it operated a regional 24-hour cable news channel. The company wa ...

entered the Atlantic City market as it purchased Spring Broadcasting. In July 2001, Citadel Communications sold WPUR and its Atlantic City sister stations to newly formed Millennium Radio Group for $19.4 million. In 2011, Millennium's radio stations were turned over to

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

Positioning

WPUR positions itself as "Cat Country 107.3", "#1 for new country". Originally, WPUR was positioned as "South Jersey's Hot New Country" and later "Continuous Country Favorites". WPUR currently uses the 360 Country imaging service from TM Studios. Carter Davis served as the station's voiceover talent for years. All of Cat Country 107.3's previous jingle packages came from Reelworld.

Technical

WPUR is a class B1 FM radio station, operating with 25,000 watts ERP from an antenna 94 meters (308 ft) high (HAAT) on the WFPG tower in Atlantic City. Until early 2008, WPUR's antenna was located on the roof of the

Trump Taj Mahal The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, formerly Trump Taj Mahal, is a casino and hotel on the Boardwalk, owned by Hard Rock International, in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. The casino was inaugurated in 1990 by its owner, Do ...

casino on the Atlantic City boardwalk. WPUR had a severe null in its signal over land until WSNJ-FM 107.7 Bridgeton, New Jersey, went off the air in February 2004. When WSNJ-FM went off the air, WPUR was able to bring a full 25,000-watt ERP signal over land.

Charity work

WPUR supports local non-profit organizations throughout

South Jersey South Jersey, also known as Southern New Jersey, comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is located between Pennsylvania and the lower Delaware River to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, Delaware to its south, ...

. In addition, since 2000, WPUR has held annual two-day radiothons for

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research hospital headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded by entertainer Danny Thomas in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on chi ...

, raising over $1,000,000, and also holds a yearly quest for One Million Pennies for St. Jude.

External links

WPUR official websiteListen live to WPURMillennium Radio Group - Atlantic City
* {{coord, 39.378444, N, 74.447639, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title PUR Townsquare Media radio stations Country radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1998 1998 establishments in New Jersey