WSPT

WSPT (97.9 FM) is a radio station that is licensed to Stevens Point, Wisconsin, United States and serves the Stevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids area. The station is owned by Richard L. Muzzy, through licensee Muzzy Broadcast Group, LLC[2] and broadcasts a classic hits format.

For the Stevens Point, Wisconsin radio station that held the call sign WSPT at 1010 AM from 1996 to 2011, see WPCN.
WSPT
Broadcast areaStevens Point-Wisconsin Rapids
Frequency97.9 MHz
Branding97.9 WSPT
Programming
FormatClassic hits
AffiliationsABC News Radio
United Stations Radio Networks
Ownership
Owner
  • Richard L. Muzzy
  • (Muzzy Broadcast Group, LLC)
WCWB, WPCN
History
First air date
May 1, 1961 (1961-05-01)
Former call signs
WSPT-FM (1961–1977)
WSPT (1977–1996)
WSPT-FM (1996–2012)
Call sign meaning
W Stevens PoinT[1]
Technical information
Facility ID2104
ClassC1
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT103 meters (338 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
44°32′17.00″N 89°35′43.00″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
Website979wspt.com

History

The station first signed on May 1, 1961, as WSPT-FM.[3] Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, it was a dominant top 40 station in the Wausau-Stevens Point market, originally simulcasting its AM sister station WSPT (1010 AM). In April 1968, Peter A. Bernard sold WSPT-AM-FM to Sentry Corp., a subsidiary of Stevens Point-based Sentry Insurance, for $465,000.[4] The simulcast ended in late 1977 when WSPT (AM) flipped to country music as WXYQ; the FM outlet retained the top 40 format and adjusted its call sign to WSPT.[5] Through the early 1990s, WSPT's ratings were second only to Wausau-based rival WIFC.

In the early 1990s, the station switched to an adult contemporary (AC) format, branding itself as "Sunny 98". By the middle of the decade, this was adjusted to a modern AC presentation as "Today's Music Revolution, 98 WSPT"; in 1996, the station changed its call sign back to WSPT-FM. In the 2000s, WSPT-FM segued to hot AC as "97.9 WSPT". In 2005, the station flipped to ABC Radio's fledging syndicated adult hits format, "Jack FM", reverting to the "97.9 WSPT" branding when it flipped to oldies featuring programming from The True Oldies Channel. In 2012, the station dropped the -FM suffix to become simply WSPT. Later, On June 30, 2014, WSPT segued to a classic hits format.

Syndicated programming on WSPT includes America's Greatest Hits, a weekly show hosted by Scott Shannon.

References
  1. "Call Letter Origins". Radio History on the Web.
  2. "Welcome to Muzzy Broadcasting". Muzzy Broadcasting.
  3. "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S." (PDF). 1963 Broadcasting Yearbook. 1963 Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1963. p. B-205. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  4. "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. April 15, 1968. p. 122. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  5. "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. October 10, 1977. p. 85. Retrieved June 8, 2018.
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