Jump to content

WLTB

Add links
Coordinates:42°03′22″N75°56′38″W/ 42.056°N 75.944°W/42.056; -75.944
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WLTB
Broadcast areaGreater Binghamton
Frequency101.7MHz
BrandingMagic 101.7(FM/HD1)
102.5 The Vault(HD2)
Programming
FormatClassic Rock Hits
SubchannelsHD2:Classic hits
Ownership
OwnerGM Broadcasting
History
First air date
1972;52 years ago(1972)(as WEBO-FM)
Former call signs
WEBO-FM (1972–1979)
WWWT (1979–1985)
WQWT (1985–1987)
WQXT (1987–1992)
WGRG (1992–1998)
Call signmeaning
"Lite Binghamton"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID71400
ClassA
ERP580watts
HAAT312 meters (1,024 ft)
Translator(s)HD2:102.5W273AB (Vestal)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
HD2:Listen live
Websitemagic1017fm.com
HD2:1025thevault.com

WLTB(101.7MHz"Magic 101.7" ) is acommercialFMradio stationlicensedtoJohnson City, New York,and serving theGreater Binghamtonradio market.Owned locally by GM Broadcasting, the station broadcasts aclassic hitsradio format,playing hits of the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s. It leans towardadult rockand omits pop and dance artists such asMichael Jackson,MadonnaandWhitney Houstonwho are heard on most classic hits stations. Thestudiosare on East Main Street inEndicott.

WLTB is aClass Astation with aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 560watts.Thetransmitteris on Ingraham Hill in Binghamton.[2]WLTB broadcasts usingHD Radiotechnology. Its HD2digital subchannelairs a mainstream classic hits format, known as "102.5 The Vault." It feedsFM translatorW273ABat 102.5 MHz inVestal.[3]

History

[edit]

WEBO-FM, WWWT

[edit]

WEBO Radio, Inc., the owner ofWEBO1330 AM,applied for aconstruction permitto build a new FM radio station inOwegoon September 23, 1971. It received the permit on January 17, 1972.[4]The stationsigned onthe air in September 1972;52 years ago(September 1972).Itscall signwas WEBO-FM, broadcasting from a new tower in South Owego. WEBO which was adaytimerstation wouldsimulcastits programming with its FMsister station.Listeners could continue hearing its programming at night by listening to 101.7 FM.[5]

Then on March 1, 1979, the simulcast ended. FM 101.7 became WWWT "3WT" and flipped to an all-discoformat.[6]The exception was morningdrive timewhen it continued to simulcast the AM.[7]The disco format gave way within several months later, switching to a mainstreamTop 40 - CHRapproach.[8]

WQWT, WQXT, WGRG

[edit]

WWWT's hit radio format changed in October 1985. The station becamesoft adult contemporaryWQWT "The Lite Q", aiming for an older demographic than it had under its previous format.[9]In 1987, the station returned to contemporary hits, this time as WQXT "Q102". Two years later, the station activated a new tower and transmitter site on Bornt Hill, expanding its coverage area.[10]

In 1991, the Aubol family, which owned the station, retired and sold WEBO and WQXT to Steven Gilinsky. FM 101.7 changed to anoldiesformat.[11]The call letters were changed to WGRG in 1992, and in September of the same year that the station reverted to Top 40 - CHR known as Power 101.[12] FM translatorW273AB at 102.5 FM, was added the next year. By 1996, the format on 101.7 FM changed toalternative rock.[13]

WLTB

[edit]

WGRG became WLTB "Lite 101.7", returning to soft adult contemporary music, in 1998. The call sign was retained in 2001 when the station shifted tohot adult contemporaryas "Magic 101.7". Since that time, the station has changed formats three times while keeping the Magic 101.7 moniker, starting in 2016 by returning to CHR known as Binghamton's #1 Hit Music Station. In 2021, the station adopted anAdult Hitsformat, and in 2022, it changed formats once more to rock-leaning Classic Hits.

Gilinsky, who had previously sold 75 percent of WLTB to Thomas Mollen, repurchased his stake in the station in 2015.[14]

The Vault

[edit]

The station has anHDdigital subchannel,known as "The Vault". It began broadcasting in 2017 and replaced the 102.5 simulcast of WLTB.[15]The Vault airs a more mainstream classic hits format.


References

[edit]
  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WLTB".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^Radio-Locator.com/WLTB
  3. ^Radio-Locator.com/W273AB
  4. ^FCC History Cards for WLTB
  5. ^"New Tower Rises In Owego's Hills".The Evening Press.Binghamton, New York. July 22, 1972. p. Saturday 11.Archivedfrom the original on January 14, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^Grey, Gene (March 4, 1979)."Local stations muse: Is disco here to stay?".Press and Sun-Bulletin.Binghamton, New York. p. 16-C.Archivedfrom the original on January 14, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^"Owego radio station changes tune".Press and Sun-Bulletin.Binghamton, New York. February 28, 1979. p. 3A.Archivedfrom the original on January 14, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^DeGrasse, Diana (October 20, 1980)."The beat goes on".Press and Sun-Bulletin.Binghamton, New York. p. 1B.Archivedfrom the original on January 14, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^"Owego radio stations tune to changing audiences".Press and Sun-Bulletin.Binghamton, New York. September 25, 1985. p. 1B.Archivedfrom the original on January 14, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^"Owego station plants new tower".Press and Sun-Bulletin.Binghamton, New York. March 25, 1989. p. 1B.Archivedfrom the original on January 14, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^Karlson, Katherine (February 6, 1991)."Owego stations sold; WEBO to go country".Press and Sun-Bulletin.Binghamton, New York. p. 6B.Archivedfrom the original on January 14, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^"Format Changes and Updates"(PDF).M Street Journal.September 23, 1992. p. 1.Archived(PDF)from the original on September 30, 2021.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022.
  13. ^Mastronardi, Michelle; Puttanniah, Suraj; Komarinetz, Michael (December 17, 1996)."Radio raves: Teen-agers tune in with frequency".Press and Sun-Bulletin.Binghamton, New York. p. 1C,3C.Archivedfrom the original on January 14, 2022.RetrievedJanuary 14,2022– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^Venta, Lance (August 7, 2015)."Station Sales Week Of 8/7".RadioInsight.Archivedfrom the original on 2022-01-14.Retrieved2022-01-14.
  15. ^Venta, Lance (September 25, 2017)."Vault Opens In Binghamton".RadioInsight.Archivedfrom the original on 2020-02-22.Retrieved2022-01-14.
[edit]

42°03′22″N75°56′38″W/ 42.056°N 75.944°W/42.056; -75.944

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WLTB&oldid=1243352191"