WSYR-FM: Difference between revisions

| logo = File:WSYR_Newsradio_570-106.9_logo.png

| area = [[Syracuse, Newmetropolitan Yorkarea]]

| airdate = {{start date and age|19491946|57|2019}}<ref name="start date"/>

| format = FM/HD1: [[NewsTalk radio|News/talk]]/[[Talk
| radiosubchannels = {{ubl|talk]]<br/>HD2: [[Urban adult contemporary]] ([[WHEN (AM)|WHEN]] simulcast)<br/>|HD3: [[Contemporary worship music|Christian worship]] "[[Air1]]"}}

| callsign_meaning = same as [[WSYR (AM)]]<br/>'''SYR'''acuseSyracuse

| owner = [[iHeartMedia, Inc.]]

| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WMBO-FM (1949–1970)<br>|WRLX (1970–1981)<br>|WPCX (1981–1997)<br>|WHCD (1997–2001)<br>|WPHR (2001–2005)<br>|WPHR-FM (2005–2011)}}

| website = [https://wsyr.iheart.com/ https://wsyr.iheart.com/]

'''WSYR-FM''' (106.9 [[Hertz|MHz]]) is a [[talkcommercial radio|news/talkcommercial]] [[radio station]] serving [[Syracuse,city Newof Yorklicense|Syracuselicensed]] and centralto [[NewSolvay, York (state)|New York]]., Theand serving the [[iHeartMediaSyracuse metropolitan area]]-owned outletand broadcasts[[Central atNew 106York]].9 MHz withOwned anand ERPoperated ofby 9 kW[[iHeartMedia]], andit isbroadcasts licensed toa [[Solvay, Newtalk Yorkradio]]. It[[radio is currently aformat|format]], [[simulcast]] ofwith [[WSYR (AM)|WSYR]] ([[570 AM)]] since January 2011. The [[radio studio|studio]]s and offices are on Plum Street in Syracuse.

The current WSYR-FM has been licensed for most of its time on air to the city of [[Auburn, New York]]. It signed on May 20, 1949<ref name="by2009">{{cite book|title=Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2009|year=2009|page=D-371|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2009/Radio-BC-YB-2009.pdf|format=PDF|accessdate=March 23, 2020}}</ref> as WMBO-FM. It became WRLX on February 13, 1970.<ref name="fcc-cards">{{cite web |title=WRLX (WSYR-FM) history cards |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=82962 |website=CDBS Public Access |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |accessdate=March 23, 2020 |format=PDF}}</ref> The station was run by Humans and not automation, with turntables and tape cartridge machines providing the " Beautiful Music " format with one slogan being " Relax with WRLX " (The [[WRLX]] call sign is now used by a station in [[West Palm Beach, Florida]], also owned by iHeartMedia.) In 1981, the station changed its call sign and re-branded as WPCX, " Pix 106 " and featured Bob Paris in the morning. Paris had been the morning drive personality for WSEN-FM in Syracuse, New York in the 1970s when it featured a country music format. Then byIn 1997, the station beganflipped targetingto the[[smooth areajazz]] as Smooth Jazz WHCD. By 2000, it would flipswitched to [[Urbanurban Contemporarycontemporary]],. in an attempt to complement their [[Rhythmic]]-leaning [[Top 40]] sister station [[WWHT]] (who later shifted to Rhythmic Top 40 full-time by November 2011) and to fill the void left open by [[WZUN-FM|WRDS]], who lasted one year in the format. After three years, they wouldit evolveevolved into an [[urban ACadult contemporary]] direction, focusing on targeting the [[African-American]] community and in the process allowing WWHT to expand their Rhythmic-heavy playlist with the [[R&B]]/[[Hip-Hop]] product. For the first three years as an [[urban AC]], there was no competitor until [[WCIS-FM|WOLF-FM]] flipped to the [[MOViN]] format.

On August 28, 2009, at 5 pm, Power 106.9 dropped the Urban AC format for a [[country music|country]] format, branding itself as "Young Country 106.9"." This was despite the fact that station owner Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) already had a country music outlet in the Syracuse area, the market leader 104.7 [[WBBS]] in [[Fulton, Oswego County, New York|Fulton]], a more mainstream country station. The move was ostensibly an effort to hedge its bets against competition from [[WCIS-FM|WOLF-FM]] in [[DeRuyter, New York|DeRuyter]], which Clear Channel sold in March 2009 and changed to country music at the same time as WPHR did. As it turned out, the country format on WPHR was a weekend-long [[stunting (broadcasting)|stunt]];. the The station switched back to its regular format that Monday morning (August 31).<ref>[http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2009/090831/nerw.html#ny WPHR is reportedly back to its former "Power" urban format as of 8 AM.], ''Scott Fybush NorthEast Radio Watch'', August 31, 2009.</ref> The station, after the stunt, moved to its current location in Solvay, which gives it greater coverage over the city of Syracuse but far less over the Finger Lakes. Coverage was very large in the centralCentral NYNew York area down into PAPennsylvania and up into Canada in the 1970s when the station was WRLX. and itIt also ran a [[Subcarrier multiplexing|subcarrier]] music program similar to the old style [[Muzak]] of those days.

In December 2010, five domains suggesting that 106.9 would be changing to a simulcast of [[WSYR (AM)|WSYR]]/570 were registered and parked at [[GoDaddy]]. Later discovered, none of those domains were registered/owned by the station or used. WSYR was already simulcastssimulcasting on WPHR's [[HD Radio]] [[digital subchannel]].<ref>[http://radioinsight.com/2010/am-to-fm-talk-move-in-syracuse/ AM to FM talk move in Syracuse] {{Dead link|date=February 2022}}</ref><ref>Naughton, Peter (2010-12-December 20, 2010). [http://www.cnyradio.com/2010/12/20/wsyr-to-begin-fm-simulcast/ WSYR to begin FM simulcast?] ''cnyradio.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-21.</ref> Concurrently with the discovery, [[WHEN (AM)|WHEN]]/620 adopted an identical format and branding as "Power 620.". The "Power 106.9" Websitewebsite was rebranded as "Power620.com" at the same time. As of December 27, Clear Channel hashad filed to swap call signs with '''WSYR-FM''' in [[Gifford, Florida]].<ref>Naughton, Peter (December 27, 2010-12-27). [http://www.cnyradio.com/2010/12/28/cc-aloha-file-to-swap-wsyr-fm-wphr-fm-calls/ CC & Aloha File to Swap WSYR-FM / WPHR-FM Calls]. ''cnyradio.com''. Retrieved 2010-12-27.</ref> The format change took effect Sunday evening, January 2, 2011. News on the station is provided by [[Fox News Radio|Fox Radio]], the station simulcasts mostly talk radio during the week, including [[The Glenn Beck Program]], [[The Rush Limbaugh Show]], [[The Sean Hannity Show]], [[The Savage Nation]], and [[Coast to Coast AM]], as well as local shows, ''The Morning News with Joe Galuski'', and ''The Bob Lonsberry Show''.

For a time, the FM side gained priority in on-air advertising and on the Webweb site banner;. atAt the outset, the simulcast was branded "Newsradio 106.9 WSYR.".<ref>[http://radioinsight.com/2011/am-to-fm-talk-move-in-syracuse/ "Urban AC Goes To AM, Talk Coming To FM in Syracuse"] from Radioinsight (January 2, 2011)</ref> However, the AM side remained the primary station, and over the next two years most references to the FM side were cut back, to the extent that the station now refers to itself as "Newsradio 570 WSYR, Nownow on 106.9 FM.".

*{{FM station data|25018|WSYR-FM}}