WPXY-FM
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| City | Rochester, New York |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Rochester |
| Branding | 98 PXY |
| Slogan | "The #1 Hit Music Station!" |
| Frequency | 97.9 (MHz) (also on HD Radio) 97.9-2 FM: "Modern AC" ("Nina @ 97.9") |
| First air date | 1959 as WROC-FM |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 142 meters (466 ft) |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 53966 |
| Callsign meaning | PXY = Pixy (former beautiful music format) |
| Former callsigns | WROC-FM (1959-1975) |
| Owner |
Entercom Communications (Entercom Rochester License, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WBZA, WBEE, WROC, WCMF |
| Webcast | Listen Live! |
| Website | www |
WPXY-FM is a heritage Top 40/CHR radio station licensed to Rochester, New York, which broadcasts at 97.9 FM. Its transmitter is located on Pinnacle Hill in Brighton, and its studios are located at High Falls Studios in downtown Rochester. WPXY also broadcasts on HD Radio, and includes a secondary subchannel, known as "Nina @ 97.9", which airs a Modern AC format.
WPXY-FM signed on air on September 14, 1959 as WROC-FM, as the FM sister to WROC-AM. It first aired Classical music, before flipping to an automated beautiful music format. In addition to being an FM sister, WROC-FM was also a sister station to WROC-TV, and was originally under the ownership of Veterans Broadcasting. Veterans sold the WROC stations in Rust Craft Broadcasting in 1964, before being sold again in the mid-1970s. Due to the ownership split, in 1975, WROC-FM became WPXY, and was known as "Pixie" (hence the "PXY" call letters). (WROC-AM would become WPXN.) In the Summer of 1982, WPXY began its long running top 40 format. The first Top 40 talent that was heard on 98 PXY was then-morning personality Jim Harrington. Consultant Gary Burns had Harrington demo the new format for an hour, the afternoon before the new format was actually implemented. Harrington had just arrived in Rochester and his car was still unpacked.
WPXY would begin simulcasting on its AM sister station in 1984, with the simulcast running until 1991, when the AM would flip to standards, and then oldies, before returning to a simulcast in 1992, and then splitting again a year later. (The AM would later be sold off in the late 1990s.)
After Veterans Broadcasting sold the station, it would go to a few owners before Pyramid Broadcasting bought it. Lincoln Group would purchase the station in late 1993. American Radio Systems would buy the station in February 1996, with ARS merging with Infinity Broadcasting in September 1997. (Infinity would be renamed CBS Radio in December 2005.) CBS sold WPXY-FM to Entercom Communications on November 30, 2007.
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Wikipedia