WKJO (FM)
 |
|
| City | Smithfield, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area |
Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina Goldsboro, North Carolina |
| Branding | Country Superstars 102.3 |
| Frequency | 102.3 MHz |
| First air date | 1990 (as WOKN-FM) |
| Format | Country |
| ERP | 2,600 watts |
| HAAT | 153.4 meters (503 ft) |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 61259 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 35°34′43″N 78°26′10″W / 35.57861°N 78.43611°W |
| Former callsigns | WOKN-FM (09/24/1982-09/20/1991) WEQR (09/20/1991-02/28/2001) WKIX-FM (02/28/2001-03/12/2001) WKIX (03/12/2001-12/29/2006) WWNF (12/29/2006-12/24/2008) WKIX (12/24/2008-03/04/2010) WWMY (03/04/2010-10/27/2010) WWPL (10/27/2010-09/12/2014) WFNL-FM (09/12/2014-01/23/2015) |
| Owner | Richard Heilmann, Sr. (Triangle Marketing Associates, Inc.) |
| Website | countryss.com |
WKJO (102.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Smithfield, North Carolina. The station is owned by Richard Heilmann, Sr., through licensee Triangle Marketing Associates, Inc. Its studios are located in Raleigh, and the transmitter tower is north of Smithfield and south of Clayton.
WOKN was urban contemporary before picking up the WEQR letters and adult contemporary format of what is now WWPL in 1990. WEQR simulcast WEQQ in Pinetops with a hot adult contemporary format and the name "The Double Q".
Beasley Broadcast Group sold WEQR to Curtis Media in the mid-1990s.
WEQQ became WKTC in 1998 and WEQR continued with the format until 2001, when the station began simulcasting WKXU; the country music format and WKIX letters moved from 96.9 FM. Branding during this time included Kicks 102.3 and Country 102.
The station swapped call letters with 97.7 FM in Kinston in 2006, becoming WWNF. The country music format also moved to 97.7 FM, and on February 1, 2007, WWNF began to simulcast Raleigh oldies station WWMY.
WWNF assumed the WKIX call letters once again late in 2008.
In early 2010, WKIX and WWMY swapped call letters and 102.3 FM planned to transmit a new format from a new tower site on Little Creek Church Road near Clayton in Johnston County.
WWMY ended its simulcast with WKIX-FM on October 23, 2010 and began stunting with future simulcast partner WKXU, which also moved to a new transmitter location, as part of a change in city of license from Goldsboro to Smithfield. On October 27, WWMY became WWPL, and WKXU became WPLW. On October 31, the stunting ended and both stations debuted their new rhythmic contemporary format as "Pulse 102". The format is described as "sort of the hip-hop and R&B that has crossed over into Top 40." Its primary target audience was women aged 25 to 34, and the station was expected to compete with Radio One station K 97.5 and Clear Channel's G105 and 93.9 Kiss FM, who ironically transitioned from Rhythmic AC to Rhythmic Top 40 after Pulse 102 signed on. The stations debuted playing 10,000 songs in a row and promised fewer commercials than other stations. Artists include Lady Gaga, Enrique Iglesias and Ke$ha. By October 2011, WPLW & WWPL were both added to the Mediabase contemporary hit radio panel.
...
Wikipedia