WXRL

WXRL
Lancaster, New York; United States;
Broadcast area	Buffalo metropolitan area
Frequency	1300kHz
Branding	WXRL
Programming
Language(s)	English
Format	Classic country
Affiliations	United Stations Radio Networks
Ownership
Owner	Family ofRamblin' Lou Schriver; (Dome Broadcasting Inc.);
History
First air date	1965;59 years ago
Call signmeaning	WX Ramblin' Lou
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	17068
Class	B
Power	5,000 watts (day); 2,500 watts (night);
Transmitter coordinates	42°52′58″N78°37′54″W/ 42.88278°N 78.63167°W
Translator(s)	95.5W238DD (Lancaster)
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen live
Website	www.wxrl/index.html

WXRL(1300AM) is acommercial radiostation inLancaster, New York,serving theBuffalo metropolitan area.It broadcasts aclassic country radio format.WXRL is owned and operated by the family ofRamblin' Lou Schriver,a localcountry musicperformer, under the name Dome Broadcasting Inc. WXRL's studios andtransmitterare on William Street in Lancaster.

By day, WXRL transmits with 5,000 watts. At night, to protect other stations on1300 AMfrom interference, it reduces power to 2,500 watts. WXRL uses adirectional antennawith a four-tower array.^[2]Programming is also heard on 250-wattFM translatorW238DDat 95.5MHz.

History

The stationsigned onin 1965, as WMMJ. It had been founded by Stan Jasinski, a local media personality known mostly for hispolkabroadcasts. Polka has been a fixture of the station's format since its inception. When Jasinski shifted his focus to television and started up Channel 29WUTVin 1970, he sold the radio station toRamblin' Lou Schriver,who owned the station for the rest of his life and installed what was then the firstcountry musicstation in Western New York.^{[citation needed]}

When more modern FM country stations such asWYRKandWNUCstarted reaching the airwaves in the early 1990s, Schriver, like numerous other AM country stations, maintained aclassic countryformat. Schriver died January 17, 2016, from heart failure at age 86.^[3]His family and heirs continue to own and operate the station.

As of October 23, 2018, after a long application process with the FCC, WXRL added anFM translatorat 95.5 MHz. The station's format did not change with the addition of the new translator. In 2020, WXRL became the last commercial radio station in the Buffalo area to begin streaming its programming on the Internet.

Programs

Local hosts include Ron Dombrowski, Matty K and Lynn Carol Schriver. Scott Cleveland was a longtime on-air personality with the station until his death in 2015. Ramblin' Lou Schriver's reruns of "The Old Country Church" continue to be posthumously broadcast on the station. The station has a "Drive Time Polkas" show from 5 till 7 pm Monday thru Saturday and also devotes a large portion of its weekend programming to polka music.

Syndicated programs include theRenfro Valley Gatherin',Classic Country Todaywith Keith Bilbrey and "Country Music Greats"withJim Ed Brown.WXRL is an affiliate ofCBS Radio News.

The station also airs some local sports programming, predominantly fromLancaster High School.

WXRL carries only a small amount of external advertising, with most of its commercial spots advertising appearances by the Ramblin' Lou Family Band and "Ramblin' Lou Tours" (bus trips sold and promoted by the Schriver family to locations mostly in the eastern United States).