WGIR-FM's studios and offices are on Foundry Street in Manchester.[3] The transmitter is on Mount Uncanoonuc, off Perimeter Road in Goffstown, near other towers serving Southern New Hampshire TV and FM stations.[4]
History
On June 5, 1963, WGIR-FM first signed on, under the ownership of Knight Quality Stations, Inc.[5] At first, it simulcast co-owned WGIR (610 AM) with a mix of middle of the road music, talk and information, including NBC Radio News. It was powered at 5,000 watts, less than half its current output.
From the 1990s to the early 2000s, WGIR-FM played mostly classic rock. Saturdays and Sundays featured "Block Party Weekends" where three songs were played in a row from the same rock artist. In 1997, WGIR-AM-FM was purchased by the Capstar Corporation, which was later acquired by Clear Channel Communications, the forerunner to current owner iHeartMedia.[7]
In the early 2000s, the station moved to a harder-edged rock format featuring current and past rock acts. By 2005, the station had moved to a more contemporary rock format, After a few years, the playlist once again included a good number of rock artists from past years, including Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, Aerosmith, and Ozzy Osbourne. WGIR-FM was part of the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and would broadcast NASCAR races; the station dropped MRN after the 2017 season.
