WYYY

WYYY
Broadcast areaCentral New York
Frequency94.5 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingY94
Programming
FormatAdult contemporary
Subchannels
AffiliationsPremiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
WBBS, WHEN, WSYR, WSYR-FM, WWHT
History
First air date
1946; 78 years ago (1946) (as WSYR-FM)
Former call signs
WSYR-FM (1946–1983)
Call sign meaning
Y94 moniker
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID48725
ClassB
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT198 meters (650 ft)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Listen Live (HD2)
Websitey94fm.iheart.com

WYYY (94.5 FM "Y94") is a commercial radio station licensed to Syracuse and serving Central New York. It broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to all Christmas music for much of November and December. It is owned by iHeartMedia and has its radio studios and offices on Plum Street in Syracuse along with sister stations WBBS, WHEN, WSYR, WSYR-FM and WWHT. Evenings, WYYY carries Delilah, a call-in and dedications show, syndicated from co-owned Premiere Networks. The station also carries the weekly syndicated Ellen K show on Saturday mornings.

While most area FM stations are limited to 50,000 watts or less, WYYY is grandfathered at an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts. The transmitter is on Sentinel Heights Road in Lafayette, New York, near Interstate 81.[2] WYYY broadcasts using HD Radio technology. Its HD-2 digital subchannel runs an all-80s format known as "iHeart80s". The HD-3 subchannel runs "The Breeze," iHeart's soft adult contemporary music service.

History

In 1946, the station first signed on the air as WSYR-FM. It mostly simulcast co-owned WSYR 570 AM. From the late 1940s until the early 50s, WSYR-AM-FM were affiliates of the NBC Red Network, carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio." But as network programming moved from radio to television, WSYR-AM-FM switched to a full service middle of the road format of popular music, news and sports.

In the late 1960s, the Federal Communications Commission encouraged AM-FM combo stations to offer separate programming. WSYR-FM switched to an album-oriented rock (AOR) format, calling itself "94 Rock." In 1983, it flipped to its current format of adult contemporary music, changing the call sign to WYYY. The format change was quite a surprise as WSYR-FM was one of the top rated stations in Syracuse, playing rock music. In fact, it was the first FM station to achieve double digit ratings. But management thought an AC format was a better pairing for the AM station's advertising sales.

In 2007, the station somewhat tweaked the format, playing more soft rock and pop hits from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s rather than mostly contemporary music. This was to distance itself from its one-time co-owned sister station, Hot AC WWDG 105.1. WWDG was sold off to new owners in 2009. (As of now, 105.1 is part of the religious Family Life Network.)

WYYY is one of the two prominent Christmas music stations in Syracuse (WZUN-FM being the other); WYYY traditionally changes to Christmas music on the second Friday of November.[3]

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WYYY". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ Radio-Locator.com/WYYY
  3. ^ Herbert, Geoff (2024-11-09). "Syracuse radio station switches to all Christmas music 20 days before Thanksgiving". The Post-Standard. Retrieved 2024-11-09.

42°56′46″N 76°07′05″W / 42.946°N 76.118°W / 42.946; -76.118