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WXRC

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Coordinates:35°27′18″N81°03′47″W/ 35.455°N 81.063°W/35.455; -81.063
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WXRC
Broadcast areaCharlotte/Metrolina
Frequency95.7MHz
Branding95.7 The Ride
Programming
FormatClassic hits
Ownership
OwnerPacific Broadcasting Group
(David Lingafelt)
History
First air date
1962(1962)
Former call signs
WIRC-FM (1962–1966)
Call signmeaning
"X-Rock" (previous branding)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID51174
ClassC0
ERP100,000watts
HAAT311 meters (1,020 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
35°27′16.50″N81°3′45.30″W/ 35.4545833°N 81.0625833°W/35.4545833; -81.0625833
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitewww.957theride

WXRC(95.7FM,"95.7 The Ride" ) is a commercialFM radio stationlicensed to serveHickory, North Carolina,and targeting theCharlottemarket. The station is owned by David Lingafelt and his Pacific Broadcasting Group and broadcasts aclassic hitsformat. Its studios are located inNewtonand its broadcast tower is located east ofLincolnton, North Carolina.[2][3]

WXRC airs Acoustic Storm, anacousticbased set, Sundays from 8-11AM and 9PM-midnight.[4]The station is the Charlotte affiliate forNorth Carolina State Wolfpackfootball and basketball.[5]

History

[edit]

On May 8, 1962, theFederal Communications Commissiongranted Foothills Broadcasting, Inc. a construction permit for a new FM station on 95.7 MHz with aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 11,300 watts. The station was granted its first license on January 24, 1963, with theWIRC-FMcall sign.[6]

The station's call sign was changed toWXRCeffective September 26, 1966. On January 13, 1967, Foothills Broadcasting applied for a construction permit to increase the station'sERPto 27,000 watts. The FCC granted the permit on March 13, 1967, followed by a new license with the upgraded facilities on April 2, 1968.[6]

On April 19, 1979, Foothills Broadcasting applied for a construction permit to increase the station'sERPto 100,000 watts. The FCC granted the permit on February 5, 1980, followed by a new license with the upgraded facilities on January 27, 1981.[6]

From the early 1980s to 1985, WXRC was "X-Rock", anadult contemporaryformat using the automatedTMStereo Rock programming service.

On March 28, 1984, Foothills Broadcasting applied for a construction permit to relocate the station's transmitter to "SMITH MOUNTAIN, 3.7 KILOMETERS SOUTH-SW OF CONNELLYS SPRINGS" with an accompanying increase in the station'sheight above average terrain(HAAT) to 389 meters (1,276 ft).[7]Three months later, on June 21, 1984, the FCC granted a voluntary reassignment of the station's license from Foothills Broadcasting, Inc. to Broadcast, Ltd with a consummation date of December 11, 1984.[8]The FCC granted the construction permit on November 20, 1984[7]and granted a new license with the new facilities on August 21, 1985.[9]On July 31, 1985, the FCC granted a voluntary reassignment of the station's license from Broadcast, Ltd to Westcom, Ltd. with a consummation date of September 20, 1985.[10]

In 1985, the station changed to localalbum-oriented rock,changing its name from "X-Rock" to "The Rock", and targeting older listeners rather than fans ofMötley Crüe.[11]Programmed in the first year by local native and Appalachian State Graduate Greg Mull (WRXK-FMandWXTB) and fellow ASU graduates Justin 'Jay' Phelps and Jon Austin,[citation needed]the station placed in the top 10 of Charlotte Arbitron ratings during Fall 1985[12]and Spring 1986, dropping to number eleven in summer 1986 after the debut of similarly formattedWRFX.[13][14]After Mull's departure in 1986, both Phelps and Austin served in music director roles, under various hired program directors in the 1980s including Bob Raleigh who later went on to launch classic rock WCKN (nowWROQ) in Greenville, SC. Raleigh also went on to become a corporate programmer for many years at Cumulus Media and Westwood One Network.

On March 7, 1986, Westcom, Ltd. applied for a construction permit to change the transmitter location to "2.1 KM W-SW OF INTERSECTION OF STATE RTE. 1382 & 1360, 7.1 KM SW OF DENVER, NEAR DENVER, NC" with an accompanying decrease in the station'sHAATto 335 meters (1,099 ft) and a change in the directional antenna pattern (see Signal note below). The FCC granted the permit on August 4, 1988.[15]On December 14, 1989, the FCC granted a modification to the construction permit requested by Westcom, Ltd. to move the transmitter to "LINCOLN COUNTY, 0.5 KM SW OF INTERSECTION OF STATE ROUTES 73 & 1385".[16]The FCC granted a new license with the upgraded facilities on May 4, 1990.[17]

On October 5, 1994, the FCC granted a voluntary reassignment of the station's license from Westcom, Ltd. to Pacific Broadcasting Group, Inc. The sale consummated on November 22, 1994.[18]

Over the years, WXRC has tried various rock formats, includingTriple-A.At one point, the station emphasizedhard rockandheavy metal,branding itself as "The Panther". TheCarolina Panthers,Charlotte'sNFLteam, subsequently sued the station.[19]The switch to the current format was made in 2002.[20]

WXRC was the Charlotte affiliate forThe Howard Stern Showfrom April 15, 1997,[21]to 2001. It climbed as high as second in the Charlotte ratings until dropping Stern forLex and Terryin 2001.[22]Throughout many changes musically, its playlist today consists mostly of artists from the "classic rock" era including the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

One of the few independently owned-and-operated stations in the Charlotte market, its sound is very similar to how most FM stations sounded in the 1970s. Lingafelt has received a number of offers to sell his station over the years. However, he toldThe Charlotte Observerthat he was not willing to sell to anyone, claiming that his station's format would never be possible under a corporate owner. In 2008, the station was rated the 12th most popular station in Charlotte byArbitron,but was rated second in the critical 25-49 demographic.[23]

Signal note

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WXRC is short-spaced toWHPE-FM(licensed to serveHigh Point, North Carolina) as they operate on first adjacent channels (95.5 and 95.7) and the distance between the stations' transmitters is 67 miles as determined by FCC rules.[24]The minimum distance between a Class C0 FM radio station (WXRC) and a Class C1 FM radio station (WHPE-FM) operating on first adjacent channels according to currentFCCrules is 122 miles.[25]WXRC uses adirectional antennato reduce its signal toward the northeast,[3]in the direction of WHPE-FM.

References

[edit]
  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WXRC".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"Contact The Ride".957theride.95.7FM - The Ride.Retrieved2017-07-06.
  3. ^ab"FM Query Results for WXRC".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.Retrieved2017-07-06.
  4. ^"Acoustic Storm:: Stations".Retrieved2017-07-06.
  5. ^"Wolfpack Sports Network Radio Affiliates".gopack.The Official Site of NC State Athletics.Retrieved2017-07-06.
  6. ^abc"History Cards for WXRC".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.Retrieved2018-08-01.
  7. ^ab"MAJOR MODIFICATION TO A LICENSED FACILITY [WXRC]".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.November 20, 1984.Retrieved2018-08-01.
  8. ^"ASSIGNMENT OF LICENSE [WXRC]".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.December 11, 1984.Retrieved2018-08-01.
  9. ^"LICENSE TO COVER [WXRC]".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.August 21, 1985.Retrieved2018-08-01.
  10. ^"ASSIGNMENT OF PERMIT/LICENSE [WXRC]".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.July 31, 1985.Retrieved2018-08-01.
  11. ^Borden, Jeff (October 1, 1985). "Hickory Album-Oriented Station Enters Charlotte Radio Wars".The Charlotte Observer.p. 15A.
  12. ^Borden, Jeff (January 11, 1986). "WSOC FM Regains Ratings Lead".The Charlotte Observer.p. 17A.
  13. ^Borden, Jeff (November 12, 1986). "Charlotte Radio Dial Flipping Out".The Charlotte Observer.p. 1F.
  14. ^Borden, Jeff (July 20, 1986). "Summer Ratings Show WPEG Out Front".The Charlotte Observer.p. 13A.
  15. ^"MINOR CHANGE TO A LICENSED FACILITY [WXRC]".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.August 4, 1988.Retrieved2018-08-01.
  16. ^"MINOR MODIFICATION TO A CONSTRUCTION PERMIT [WXRC]".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.December 14, 1989.Retrieved2018-08-01.
  17. ^"LICENSE TO COVER [WXRC]".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.May 4, 1990.Retrieved2018-08-01.
  18. ^"ASSIGNMENT OF LICENSE [WXRC]".fcc.gov.Federal Communications Commission.October 5, 1994.Retrieved2018-08-01.
  19. ^Jamieson, Sean (June 16, 1995). "NFL Team Rocks Radio Station with Suit Over Panther Problem".The Charlotte Observer.
  20. ^Washburn, Mark (September 5, 2002). "95.7 FM Has New `Ride' for Listeners - Progressive Hits from '60s And '70s Will Be Station's New Format".The Charlotte Observer.
  21. ^Spanberg, Erik (April 14, 1997)."Charlotte radio tuning in big changes".Charlotte Business Journal.Retrieved2017-07-06.
  22. ^Washburn, Mark (May 7, 2001). "Lex & Terry' Talk Sex, Sports and Eating".The Charlotte Observer.
  23. ^Washburn, Mark (August 1, 2008)."'The Ride' roars in radio ratings ".The Charlotte Observer.Retrieved2017-07-06.
  24. ^"Reference points and distance computations. 47 CFR § 73.208".Retrieved2021-07-17.
  25. ^"Minimum distance separation between stations. 47 CFR §73.207 (b)(1)"(PDF).Retrieved2021-07-17.
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35°27′18″N81°03′47″W/ 35.455°N 81.063°W/35.455; -81.063

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