WLER
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| City | Butler, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Butler, Pennsylvania / Pittsburgh |
| Branding | 97.7 The Rock Station |
| Slogan | Rock Done Right! |
| Frequency | 97.7 MHz |
| First air date | March 14, 1949 |
| Format | Active Rock |
| ERP | 4,600 watts |
| HAAT | 114 meters |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 71242 |
| Callsign meaning | ButLER County |
| Former callsigns | WISR-FM WBUT-FM |
| Owner | Butler County Radio Network |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 977rocks.com |
WLER-FM is an active rock radio station that officially can be heard in Butler County, Pennsylvania, but can also be heard in parts of northern Allegheny County, including Pittsburgh. The station, which is owned by the Butler County Radio Network, operates at 97.7 MHz with an ERP of 4.6 kw and is licensed to Butler, Pennsylvania.
WLER-FM's beginnings, like most FM's, were rather humble. The station began as WISR-FM, when the AM license had been issued for those same call letters when the license was first granted in 1941. The ownership at that time, Butler Broadcasting Company, chose to turn the license back to the FCC after having the FM license failed to make any kind of an impact financially.
However, the license was recovered years later by WISR's AM crosstown competitor, WBUT, returning to the air in 1959. The station operated as WBUT-FM for many years until the late 1970s, when the call letters were changed to WLER-FM, and the station began to originate more of its own separate programming, though much of it was done through voice-tracked automation on a 10-inch reel tape-based automation system constructed by owners Bob and Ron Brandon. The station was an adult contemporary formatted station for much of its existence, using music and personalities provided by Concept Productions, based in Roseville, California. The procedure of voice-tracking was a relatively new concept at the time, before becoming standard practice in the late 90's. The presentation of the voice-tracked announcers led many to believe that Steve Tyler, Dave Ware, and Terry Nelson were all on-site. The station simulcast from 6 to 8am during morning drive and during the last three hours of the day before signing off at 10pm.
WLER saw its biggest change in the spring of 2006, when the WBUT simulcast ended and the station began to take on a more Adult CHR (Top 40)-oriented approach. Where its two AM affiliate stations tend to serve Butler County, WLER gravitates more towards the suburbs north of Pittsburgh, as well as surrounding communities such as Grove City, Franklin, Mercer, Kittanning, and New Kensington.
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