WNBL (FM)
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| City | South Bristol, New York |
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| Broadcast area | South Bristol/Rochester, New York |
| Branding | 107.3 The Bull |
| Slogan | Rochester's New Hit Country |
| Frequency | 107.3 MHz (also on HD Radio) 107.3-2 FM: Classic Country ("Country Road") |
| First air date | 1996 (as WRCD) |
| Format | Country |
| ERP | 650 watts |
| HAAT | 303 meters |
| Class | A |
| Facility ID | 27580 |
| Callsign meaning | W estern N ew York B u L l (station branding) |
| Former callsigns | WFUD (1991–1996, CP) WRCD (1996–1998) WMAX-FM (1998–1999) WLCL (1999–2003) WFXF (2003–2004) WNVE (2004–2006) WSNP (2006–2007) WCRR (2007–2009) WROO (3/2009–9/2009) WHTK-FM (2009–2012) WODX (2012–2014) |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Owner |
iHeartMedia (Citicasters Licenses, Inc.) |
| Sister stations | WAIO, WDVI, WHAM, WHTK, WKGS, WVOR |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1073thebull.com |
WNBL is an FM radio station licensed to South Bristol, New York currently airing a country-formatted station branded as 107.3 The Bull. The iHeartMedia outlet broadcasts at 107.3 MHz with an ERP of 650 watts. It is programmed and operated by iHeartMedia's Rochester, New York cluster. The station has been prone to frequent format changes in its history and is currently Rochester's iHeartCountry-affliated station.
The station now known as WNBL was granted a construction permit in 1991 under the calls WFUD. It signed on in 1996 as WRCD, licensed to Honeoye Falls. A sister station to WMAX-FM 106.7, WRCD operated from the WMAX studios at 412 State Street in downtown Rochester and a transmitter site in Bloomfield, on the southeastern edge of the Rochester market. Under original owner Auburn Cablevision, WRCD used a satellite-delivered smooth jazz format from Sony's SW programming service.
In 1997, Auburn Cablevision sold WMAX-FM and WRCD to Jacor Communications. On February 19, 1998, Jacor rearranged the formats on its new acquisitions. WRCD's smooth jazz was replaced by a rhythmic top-40 format called "Jam'n 107.3." On March 1, 1998, WRCD changed calls to WMAX-FM, as the former WMAX-FM on 106.7 became WYSY.
The "Jam'n" nickname gave way to a more mainstream top-40 format as "Kiss 107" in December 1998. On April 30, 1999, "Kiss" moved down the dial to 106.7, which changed calls from WYSY to WKGS (who 11 years later they would shift to Rhythmic in 2011). 107.3 stunted briefly as "Big Cow Country," then flipped to rhythmic oldies on May 1, 1999 as "Jammin' Oldies," later modified to "Cool 107" under new calls WLCL which took effect July 9, 1999.
In February 2000, WLCL changed format to 1980s pop music as "Channel 107.3." On September 3, 2001, WLCL began stunting with an all-ABBA format, returning the following week to rhythmic oldies. At the same time, station owner Clear Channel Communications (which would become iHeartMedia in September 2014) was preparing to relocate the 107.3 facility to South Bristol as part of an upgrade to sister station WNVE on 95.1, which was changing city of license from South Bristol to Honeoye Falls in order to move its transmitter to Baker Hill, closer to Rochester. In January 2002, WLCL relocated its transmitter to the Bristol Mountain site built in 1948 for the Rural Radio Network and formerly used by WNVE. As a class A station from Bristol Mountain, WLCL's new signal in the Rochester market was relatively weak, though the station was well heard in most of the western Finger Lakes region.
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