WNCI
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| City | Columbus, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Columbus, Ohio |
| Branding | WNCI 97.9 |
| Slogan | Columbus' Hit Music Station and #1 for New Music! |
| Frequency | 97.9 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | July 1961 (as WRFD-FM) |
| Format | Commercial : Top 40 (CHR) |
| ERP | 175,000 watts |
| HAAT | 171 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 47741 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°58′10.0″N 83°00′10.0″W / 39.969444°N 83.002778°W |
| Callsign meaning |
Nationwide Communications Inc. |
| Former callsigns | WRFD-FM (1961-1967) |
| Owner |
iHeartMedia, Inc. (Citicasters Licenses, Inc.) |
| Webcast | Listen Live! |
| Website | WNCI 97.9 |
WNCI (97.9 FM) is a Top 40 (CHR) radio station in Columbus, Ohio. It is consistently one of the top-rated stations in not only Central Ohio, but the entire country by Arbitron.
The station has had a hit music format since the early 1970s, making it one of the oldest continuously airing Top 40 stations still in the format. WNCI was named the Top 40 Station of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2007 for market size 26 to 100 at the national Radio & Records convention.
The broadcast tower for the station is still located atop the skyscraper known as One Nationwide Plaza in Columbus, along with the transmitters for sister station WXZX; the studios are located on the city's westside. The station broadcasts with a power of 175,000 watts, which is 3.5 times what would normally be permitted. The station is permitted to do so because it was operating with a 175,000 watt power output before current Federal Communications Commission regulations were enacted. There are only 6 FM stations in the United States that operate with more power.
The station is home to the popular "WNCI Morning Zoo" featuring Dave Kaelin, Jimmy Jam and Kelsey Webb. The Morning Zoo has been airing for over 20 years and has had many members in the past, such as current KDWB host Dave Ryan, Tom Kelly, John Cline, Matt Harris, Kim Zandy, Shawn Ireland, Alaina Sheer, and Medha Gandhi.
The WNCI Morning Zoo is the most popular morning show in Ohio. The show is available for syndication to other stations as "Dave and Jimmy" and airs on WLKT, WYHT, WXZQ, KXNC, WHMJ, WXXO, WROM, WKEI AND WTBO.
The Morning Zoo is followed by:
WNCI started broadcasting with a classical music format in July 1961 as WRFD-FM, sharing studios with AM sibling WRFD, east of Powell, Ohio. In early 1967, a request for a change in call letters from WRFD-FM to WNCI-FM was requested and subsequently granted. The call letter changed marked a change in programming from primarily classical music. In mid 1968, WNCI began programming CBS supplied "Young Sound" format. In 1972, WNCI moved to the sixth floor of the new Scot's Inn, later the Carousel Inn, at 4900 Sinclair Road. Since that time, the studios of WNCI have been relocated to various places in the Columbus area, including the Nationwide Building, The Continent, Broadcast Lake (a former quarry overlooked by several Clear Channel radio studios and the television studios of WSYX), and their current location at 2323 West Fifth Avenue.
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Wikipedia