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WORC-FM
Webster, Massachusetts; United States;
Broadcast area	Worcester County, Massachusetts
Frequency	98.9 MHz
Branding	98.9 Nash Icon
Programming
Format	Country
Affiliations	Worcester Railers; Worcester Red Sox;
Ownership
Owner	Cumulus Media; (Radio License Holding CBC, LLC);
Sister stations	WWFX, WXLO
History
First air date	April 8, 1994; 30 years ago
Former call signs	WXXW (1994–1998)
Call sign meaning	Former FM sister station of WORC
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	50231
Class	A
ERP	1,870 watts
HAAT	125 meters (410 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	42°2′11.3″N 71°59′20.3″W / 42.036472°N 71.988972°W
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	www.nashicon989.com

WORC-FM (98.9 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Webster, Massachusetts, and serving the Worcester metropolitan area. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a country radio format, mostly featuring songs from the 1990s and early 2000s, with occasional newer songs. The studios are on Commercial Street in Downtown Worcester in the Winsor Building. It carries the games of the Worcester Red Sox and Worcester Railers.

WORC-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,870 watts. Its transmitter is on Blackmere Road in Dudley.^[2] The station serves most of Worcester County, Massachusetts, and northeastern Connecticut.

History

The station signed on April 8, 1994, as WXXW. Its initial format, a blend of hot talk and oldies, would not launch until April 11; in the interim, the station stunted by continuously playing Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll".^[3]

Following original owner Alan Okun's death on December 31, 1996,^[4] the station and its AM sister station WGFP were sold to Bengal Atlantic Communications in 1997.^[5] Bengal Atlantic sold them to Chowder Broadcasting soon afterward.^[6] Chowder switched WXXW to a classic rock format in 1998.^[7] In September, this was followed by a call sign change to WORC-FM, reflecting its newly-common ownership with WORC (1310 AM).^[8]

Logos as an oldies station

Montachusett Broadcasting, the owner of WXLO, acquired WORC-FM in 1999.^[9] Several months later, the stations were sold to Citadel Broadcasting.^[10] Citadel subsequently acquired competing classic rock station WWFX and as a result reverted WORC-FM to oldies on May 26, 2000.^[11] During its oldies era, WORC-FM would broadcast American Top 40: The 70s with Casey Kasem on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings.^[12]

Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.^[13] On October 31, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., WORC-FM flipped to country music. It used Cumulus' brand for 1990s and 2000s country music, "Nash Icon".^[14]

On July 7, 2017, the Worcester Railers hockey team announced that WORC-FM would broadcast its games.^[15] In March 2020, WORC-FM was named as the flagship radio station for the inaugural season of the Worcester Red Sox. The games began to be broadcast in the 2021 season.^[16]

References

^ "Facility Technical Data for WORC-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ Radio-Locator.com/WORC-FM
^ Fybush, Scott D. (April 12, 1994). "New England Radio Watch". rec.radio.broadcasting/Google Groups. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
^ Fybush, Scott (January 8, 1997). "WRKO Shakeup". New England RadioWatch. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
^ Fybush, Scott (July 24, 1997). "Remembering Walt Dibble". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
^ Fybush, Scott (March 5, 1998). "Loss of Two Legends". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
^ Fybush, Scott (May 20, 1998). "North Country Changes". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
^ Fybush, Scott (September 4, 1998). "One Shoe Drops in Maine..." North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
^ Fybush, Scott (April 30, 1999). "Fuller-Jeffrey Sells Out". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
^ Fybush, Scott (December 10, 1999). "John Otto Dies at 70". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
^ Fybush, Scott (June 9, 2000). "Laquidara Says "Aloha!"". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 3, 2010.
^ "Casey Kasem's "American Top 40: The '70s"". Archived from the original on July 12, 2009. Retrieved September 13, 2023.
^ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
^ Nash Icon Enters Worcester
^ "Railers games to be broadcast on 98.9 FM". Worcester Business Journal. July 7, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
^ Sargent, Patrick (March 9, 2020). "Nash Icon 98.9 to Carry all Worcester Red Sox Games in 2021". This Week in Worcester. Retrieved November 13, 2020.