WAKC
Broadcast areaManchester–Concord area
Frequency102.3 MHz
BrandingK-Love
Programming
FormatContemporary Christian music
NetworkK-Love
Ownership
OwnerEducational Media Foundation
History
First air date
February 7, 1972 (1972-02-07)
Former call signs
  • WKXL-FM (1972–2000)
  • WOTX-FM (2000–2005)
  • WWHK (2005–2016)
  • WXRG (2016–2021)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID8683
ClassA
ERP3,000 watts
HAAT87 meters (285 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
43°13′0.0″N 71°34′34.0″W / 43.216667°N 71.576111°W / 43.216667; -71.576111 (WAKC)
Links
Public license information
Websiteklove.com
Associated station
WLKC
Broadcast areaWhite Mountains–Lakes Region
Frequency105.7 MHz
Ownership
OwnerEducational Media Foundation
History
First air date
May 1996 (1996-05)[2]
Former call signs
  • WVFM (1996–2005)
  • WUSX (2005)
Technical information[3]
Facility ID72211
ClassA
ERP4,100 watts
HAAT119 meters (390 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
43°45′45″N 71°39′0″W / 43.76250°N 71.65000°W / 43.76250; -71.65000 (WLKC)
Links
Public license information

WAKC (102.3 FM) is an American licensed radio station in Concord, New Hampshire. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and is part of its K-Love network of contemporary Christian music outlets. EMF also owns WLKC (105.7 FM) in Campton, serving the White Mountains and Lakes Region.

History

Early years

The station began operations March 7, 1972,[4] as WKXL-FM, the FM sister station to WKXL (1450 AM), under the ownership of Frank Estes, who also owned WKXR in Exeter, New Hampshire.[5] In 1980, Estes sold the WKXL stations to a group of station employees.

The Music Zone

WKXL-FM, 102.3 FM DJs, 1989

The 102.3 FM signal was largely a repeater of the 1450 AM broadcast until 1986 when the owners launched a "light alternative" adult album alternative format.[6] The format was led by Program Director Renee Blake, Production Director Taft Moore, on-air talent including Dave Doud, Julia Figueras, Norm Beeker, and Jay Dreves,[7] and featured artists such as The Cure, Poi Dog Pondering, 10,000 Maniacs, The Pixies, The Call, and U2.[8] The station won recognition, Best of the Best, in 1990 from the National Association of Broadcasters for community service with their This Island Earth promotion that focused on environmental awareness with on-air and "in-field" activities.[9] The Music Zone format continued until 1991 when financial pressures returned the FM signal to a simulcast of the AM's adult contemporary programming.[10][11] Music programming on the stations ended altogether in 1995, as the adult contemporary format gave way to news, talk, and sports.[12]

"Outlaw" country

In 1999, the employee group sold the WKXL stations to Vox Media,[13] who, after buying WRCI (107.7 FM) in nearby Hillsborough several months later, shifted the simulcast to that station;[14] as a result, on January 3, 2000, the station returned to separate programming as a country station, WOTX-FM ("Outlaw Country").[15]

"The Hawk"

In 2004, Vox sold most of its stations in the area to Nassau Broadcasting Partners;[16] however, Nassau could not buy WOTX outright due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership restrictions.[17] Nassau did take control of the station under a local marketing agreement,[17] and on February 7, 2005, swapped formats with WNHI (93.3 FM) and became a classic rock station as WWHK ("102.3 The Hawk"), in tandem with a nearby Nassau classic rock station, WWHQ (101.5 FM) in Meredith, New Hampshire.[18]

WWHK had planned to drop the classic rock format in favor of sports talk provided by Boston's WEEI in January 2008,[19] but the deal between Nassau and Entercom ended up collapsing.[20] In March 2008, the station shifted from classic rock to a more mainstream rock format.

Ownership limbo

In September 2006, the FCC ruled that local marketing agreements and joint sales agreements counted towards the operator's ownership count in a market.[21] Initially, Nassau continued to operate WWHK in violation of this ruling as it attempted to obtain a waiver to buy WWHK outright, but the FCC ruled in April 2008 that Nassau had worked with Arbitron to create a Concord radio market, and barred its purchase of WWHK.[17] Four months later, the FCC ordered Nassau to terminate the joint sales agreement with Capitol Broadcasting (the Vox Media subsidiary that continued to hold the WWHK license while Nassau ran the station).[21] Nassau complied, and on August 22, 2008, Vox reassumed control of the station with a commercial-free rock format.[22] The station switched to classical music in September 2008;[23] soon afterwards, the station went silent.[24]

Vox reached a deal to sell WWHK to Andrew Sumereau in 2009.[25] In the interim, Vox returned the station to the air in July, again airing a classic rock loop.[26] WWHK's programming would also include a simulcast of WTPL (the former WRCI and second WKXL-FM).[27] The sale to Sumereau's company, Birch Broadcasting, was finally completed on June 22, 2011; a week earlier, Vox temporarily signed WWHK off once more.[28] Birch returned the station to the air on June 15, 2012[29] (after an earlier return on June 8[30] was ended three days later due to the station's tower not being grounded to safely handle lightning strikes[31]). For nearly two years, 24 hours a day, the station aired rock songs performed in classical style by the group known as the Vitamin String Quartet.[32]

A "River" in Concord

In early 2014, Steven Silberberg's Northeast Broadcasting reached a deal to purchase WWHK from Birch Broadcasting.[27][33] Northeast took control of the station through a local marketing agreement on April 1;[33] soon thereafter, WWHK began broadcasting commercial-free selections from Andover, Massachusetts, sister station WXRV's "River Music Hall" performances.[34] On May 2, 2014, WWHK began simulcasting WXRV.[33] However, the station broadcasts separate news, weather, and advertising.[33][34] WXRV's programming was already available in portions of the Concord-Lakes Region market through WLKC (105.7 FM) in Campton;[34] WWHK is located between the coverage areas of WXRV and WLKC.[33] The sale to licensee Devon Broadcasting Company, Inc., at a price of $425,000, was consummated on June 19, 2014. On March 28, 2016, WWHK changed its call letters to WXRG.

K-Love

The Educational Media Foundation (EMF) acquired WXRG and WLKC from Devon Broadcasting Corporation, a subsidiary of Northeast Broadcasting, for $395,000 in 2020, as part of its sale of three New Hampshire FMs to the Christian broadcaster.[35][36] The call letters in Concord changed to WAKC on January 6, 2021, coincident with the consummation of the sale.

WLKC

The 105.7 FM facility in Campton signed on in May 1996 as WVFM; under a local marketing agreement, the station was a simulcast of WLKZ, an oldies station in Wolfeboro.[2][37] Daphne Corcoran's White Mountain Radio sold WVFM to Northeast Broadcasting for $325,000 in 1999;[38] that February, the station shifted to a simulcast of new sister station WXRV.[39]

In June 2005, the call sign was changed to WUSX;[40] that call sign was transferred to a co-owned station in Vermont in September, with 105.7 taking on the WLKC call sign formerly used by another Vermont sister station, WWMP.[41] For a brief time during 2012 and 2013, WLKC was programmed separately (though retaining the "River" branding and AAA format), before returning to the WXRV simulcast.

WLKC was included in EMF's 2020 purchase of three New Hampshire radio stations from Devon Broadcasting.[35][36]

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WAKC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (May 21, 1996). "New England RadioWatch". Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WLKC". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ↑ Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1989 (PDF). 1989. p. B-188. Retrieved April 5, 2010.
  5. ↑ "NHAB Alumni: Frank Estes". New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters. October 28, 2001. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  6. ↑ "Is 92.5 FM 'The River' Coming to Concord?". Concord, NH Patch. April 6, 2014.
  7. ↑ https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Album-Netwok-IDX/IDX/Album-Network-1989-09-13-OCR-Page-0009.pdf
  8. ↑ https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Gavin-IDX/IDX/80s/89/Gavin-Report-1989-07-09-OCR-Page-0038.pdf
  9. ↑ "This Island Earth". mediaeyequerevised.
  10. ↑ https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-RandR-IDX/IDX/90s/91/RR-1991-01-11-OCR-Page-0028.pdf
  11. ↑ "Format Changes" (PDF). The M Street Journal. January 14, 1991. p. 1. Retrieved April 2, 2003.
  12. ↑ "Format Changes & Updates" (PDF). The M Street Journal. October 25, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved April 2, 2003.
  13. ↑ Fybush, Scott (April 2, 1999). "The Eagle Has Crash-Landed". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  14. ↑ Fybush, Scott (December 26, 1999). "Citadel Bulks Up in Worcester". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  15. ↑ Fybush, Scott (January 28, 2000). "Welcome Back WMEX, and We Take On LPFM". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  16. ↑ Fybush, Scott (March 22, 2004). "Vox Sells 10 More to Nassau". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  17. 1 2 3 Fybush, Scott (April 7, 2008). "CBS Cutbacks Hit Local TV Staffs". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  18. ↑ Fybush, Scott (February 7, 2005). "Qantum Buys the Cape; Cherry Creek Buys the East End; WSMN Goes Dark". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  19. ↑ "Nassau Broadcasting Brings A Championship To New Hampshire" (Press release). Nassau Broadcasting Partners. October 26, 2007.
  20. ↑ "Entercom-Nassau Deal Falls Through". Radio Ink. January 4, 2008. Archived from the original on February 9, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2008.
  21. 1 2 "FCC Denies Waiver Bid, Rules Nassau Must End JSA". Radio Ink. August 12, 2008. Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  22. ↑ Fybush, Scott (August 25, 2008). "Atlantic Coast, Nassau Shake Up Maine". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved August 26, 2008.
  23. ↑ Fybush, Scott (September 8, 2008). ""Now" Time at Philly's WJJZ". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
  24. ↑ Fybush, Scott (September 29, 2008). "Scranton's Ron Allen Dies". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved September 30, 2008.
  25. ↑ Hanna, Maddie (March 21, 2009). "Off-air station purchased; future unclear". Concord Monitor. Retrieved March 21, 2009.
  26. ↑ Fybush, Scott (July 27, 2009). "Whither Pulse?". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved July 27, 2009.
  27. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (April 7, 2014). "NERW 4/7/2014: Live from the NAB Show". Fybush.com. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  28. ↑ Sumereau, Andrew T. (June 24, 2011). "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved June 30, 2011.
  29. ↑ "Resumption of Operations". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 15, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Resumption of Operations". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 8, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 11, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  32. ↑ Lavoie, Rebecca (August 8, 2012). "From Classic Rock to Classical Pop". New Hampshire Public Radio. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  33. 1 2 3 4 5 WWHK Concord Begins WXRV Simulcast
  34. 1 2 3 Doyle, Megan (May 1, 2014). "92.5 the River begins simulcast on Concord station". Concord Monitor. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  35. 1 2 Jacobson, Adam (August 27, 2020). "EMF Bolsters Its Presence In New England With Dual Deals". Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved February 12, 2021.
  36. 1 2 Venta, Lance (August 27, 2020). "EMF Acquires Four In Northern New England". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  37. ↑ "Format Changes" (PDF). The M Street Journal. May 29, 1996. p. 1. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  38. ↑ "Marathon Goes The Distance With $16 Million Deal". Radio & Records. January 22, 1999. pp. 6, 8. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  39. ↑ "Format Changes & Updates" (PDF). The M Street Journal. February 10, 1999. p. 2. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  40. ↑ Fybush, Scott (June 20, 2005). "Burlington TVs Join Forces". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  41. ↑ Fybush, Scott (September 5, 2005). "Hall Buys Big in Burlington". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
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