WYCK
Simulcasting WWRR Scranton
Broadcast areaWilkes-Barre/Scranton
Frequency1340 kHz
BrandingThe River, 105 & 103.5
Programming
FormatClassic hits
AffiliationsCompass Media Networks
Ownership
OwnerBold Gold Media
WICK, WPSN
History
First air date
January 31, 1925 (as WBRE in Wilkes-Barre)
Former call signs
WBRE (1925-1980)
WKRZ (1980-1987)
WPLJ (1987-1988)
WYOM (1988-1989)
WBCR (1989-1991)
WTSW (1991-1992)
Former frequencies
1300 kHz (1925-1927)
1200 kHz (1927-1928)
1310 khz (1928-1941)
Call sign meaning
similar to WICK
Technical information
Facility ID36835
ClassC
Power810 watts unlimited
Translator(s)100.7 W264CG (Wilkes-Barre)
104.9 W285FT (Hazleton)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitetherivernepa.com

WYCK (1340 AM) is a radio station that is owned by Bold Gold Media. Licensed to the city of Plains, it serves the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton radio market and broadcasts with 810 watts, non-directional.

WYCK simulcasts the classic hits format, branded as "The River 105 and 103-5", from WWRR 104.9 FM Scranton.

History

Advertisement for the station's debut broadcast, as WBRE in Wilkes-Barre, on January 31, 1925.[1]

WYCK was first licensed on January 15, 1925 as WBRE, broadcasting on 1300 kHz with 10 watts, and licensed to the Baltimore Radio Exchange company at 17 West Northampton Street in Wilkes-Barre.[2] WBRE made its debut broadcast on January 31, 1925.[1] In 1927 ownership was transferred to Louis G. Baltimore.[3]

Following the establishment of the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), stations were initially issued a series of temporary authorizations starting on May 3, 1927.[4] On June 15, 1927 WBRE was assigned to 1200 kHz on a time shared basis with the other long time Wilkes-Barre station, WBAX (now WFUZ).[5] Stations were also informed that if they wanted to continue operating, they needed to file a formal license application by January 15, 1928, as the first step in determining whether they met the new "public interest, convenience, or necessity" standard.[6]

On May 25, 1928, the FRC issued General Order 32, which notified 164 stations, including WBRE, that "From an examination of your application for future license it does not find that public interest, convenience, or necessity would be served by granting it."[7] However, the station successfully convinced the commission that it should remain licensed.

On November 11, 1928, under the provisions of a general reorganization resulting from the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40, WBRE was shifted to full time operation on 1310 kHz.[8]

The station remained at 1310 kHz until the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement took effect in 1941, when most of the stations on its frequency, including WBRE, were moved to 1340 kHz.[9]

For many years WBRE was an NBC radio affiliate. In October 1980, the station's call letters were changed to WKRZ.[10]

From 1987 to 1992 the station went through multiple ownership and format changes, resulting in numerous call sign changes, starting with WPLJ in late 1987,[11] followed by WYOM,[12] WBCR[13] (with a Christian radio format), WTSW,[13] and finally, in late 1992, WYCK,[13] simulcasting Scranton's WICK.

After losing the lease on its tower site in Kingston, WYCK moved its transmitter to east of Wilkes-Barre near the VA Medical Center in the 1990s. As a result of this relocation the station had to change its community of license to Plains.

In 2006, Bold Gold dropped its Oldies radio format in favor of a sports format branded as "The Game", with programming for WYCK along with sister stations WICK located in Scranton and WCDL in Carbondale coming from Fox Sports Radio and Premiere Radio Networks's Jim Rome.[14] "The Game" simulcast network also acted as the flagship for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders AAA Minor League Baseball radio play-by-play coverage.

On September 23, 2015 WYCK switched to a simulcast of classic hits-formatted WWRR 104.9 FM Scranton.

During the springs and summers of 2016 through 2018, WYCK returned to a simulcast of WICK 1400 AM Scranton during Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders baseball games, in order to provide coverage for fans in Luzerne County who were unable to receive WICK.

References

  1. 1 2 Baltimore Radio Exchange advertisement (WBRE debut), Wilkes-Barre Evening News, January 31, 1925, page 7.
  2. ↑ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, February 2, 1925, page 3.
  3. ↑ "Alterations and Corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, October 31, 1927, page 9.
  4. ↑ "List of broadcasting stations issued temporary permits", Radio Service Bulletin, April 30, 1927, pages 6-14.
  5. ↑ "Broadcasting Stations" (effective June 15, 1927), Radio Service Bulletin, May 31, 1927, page 9.
  6. ↑ "Extension of Broadcasting Station Licenses", Radio Service Bulletin, December 31, 1927, page 7.
  7. ↑ "Appendix F (2): Letter to and list of stations included in General Order No. 32, issued May 25, 1928", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928 to September 30, 1928, pages 146-149.
  8. ↑ "Broadcasting Stations by Wavelengths" (effective November 11, 1928), Commercial and Government Radio Stations of the United States (edition June 30, 1928), page 175.
  9. ↑ "Assignments of U.S. Standard Broadcast Stations Listed by Frequency", United States Statutes At Large (Vol. 55 part 2, 1942), page 1436.
  10. ↑ "WBRE radio now a part of the past" by Mark L. Hoffman, Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, October 23, 1980, page 3.
  11. ↑ "For the Record: Call Letters: Existing AM's", Broadcasting, January 11, 1988, page 80.
  12. ↑ "For the Record: Call Letters: Existing AM's", Broadcasting, January 16, 1989, page 122.
  13. 1 2 3 "Call Sign History" Facility ID 36835 (FCC.gov)
  14. ↑ "Northeast Radio Watch: Pennsylvania" by Scott Fybush, April 17, 2006 (fybush.com)

41°15′00″N 75°49′29″W / 41.250104°N 75.824831°W / 41.250104; -75.824831

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