WKAP (former Allentown radio station)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WKAP was a radio station located in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania, United States. These call letters were on AM 1320 from 1948 to 1996 and on AM 1470 from 1996 to September 11, 2006. They were owned by Clear Channel Communications since 2001. Today the station is known as WYHM, which has a Christian format and serves as the Lehigh Valley affiliate for Philadelphia Phillies baseball broadcasts.
From 2001 until September 11, 2006, the station as WKAP played "oldies music" from the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s. It also continues, as WYHM, to be the Lehigh Valley affiliate for game broadcasts of the Philadelphia Phillies professional baseball team.
Contents |
[edit] See also
- WKAP is currently used in Reading, Pennsylvania.
[edit] History
[edit] AM 1470 history
AM 1470 began operation in 1923. Over the years, they employed a popular music music format. In the 1970s, they switched to a country music format, until about 1980. At that time, they switched to a big band music/adult standards format called "Unforgettable". Initially, the station played the hits of the 1940s, early 1950s, and non-rock songs of the 1950s and 1960s with a small amount of soft rock cuts from the 1960s and 1970s.
In 1983, operating with the call letters WSAN, the station evolved into more of a popular music format using "Unforgettable II" and playing soft hits of the 1950s through the 1980s. By 1984, the station had become a soft adult contemporary station. The station had been family-owned for decades.
In Spring 1985, WXKW 104.1 dropped country music for a soft adult contemporary format. The station then became known as [{WAEB-FM]]. At the same time, WSAN dropped its adult contemporary format for country music and became 1470 WXKW.
In 1992, Holt Broadcasting, which owned the local stations WZZO and 1320 WKAP, purchased the station. It maintained its country music format for a few more years. In 1996, Holt Broadcasting sold both WZZO, and 1470 WXKW to Capstar, which already owned WAEB-AM and WAEB-FM. Holt kept 1320 AM and switched the station to a sports format and changed the call letters to WTKZ.
[edit] WKAP history
WKAP began operation on 1320 AM in 1948. The station employed a popular music format for many years. They were owned by Rahill Communications. In the 1950s, they opted to play mostly non rock music and some softer songs by rock and roll artists. This format was known as MOR. By 1970, the station evolved to more of an adult contemporary format. In 1972, WKAP decided to compete with the two Top 40 stations in the Lehigh Valley, WAEB 790, which was very current music based, and WEEX 1230, which played more oldies music, based as an Adult Top 40 station. WKAP's Top 40 format emulated West Coast giant KCBQ in San Diego. Some of the original WKAP DJs were Kevin Fennessy, Walt Brown, Shotgun Steve Kelly, Mark Stewart and J. Robert Taylor. The station was known as WKAP Radio 13 (rounded off to the nearest hundredth). The station was sold to Gulf Broadcasting in the late 1970's.
By 1980, WKAP evolved into more of an adult contemporary music format. At the end of the Summer 1982, WKAP dropped the adult contemporary format for an adult standards format, which was known as "Music Of Your Life". The station featured easy listening vocalists from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as big band music from the 1930s and 1940s. The station also played a limited amount of non-rock songs from the 1970s.
The station stayed with this format through the 1980s. In 1984, Gulf Broadcasting sold WKAP to Holt Broadcasting, which owned WZZO. WKAP stayed with its standards music format, but added a bit more baby boomer pop (songs by artists like Elvis Presley and The Beatles). In 1990, though, WKAP switched to a satellite-delivered oldies music format, playing mostly songs from 1964-1969 with some 1955-64 songs, with some 1970-73 songs mixed in. They continued with this format until 1992, at which time they returned to adult standards' Westwood One's AM-only format. This featured non-rock music as well as some soft rock music of the 1950s and 1960s, along with a small amount of 1940ss hits and some soft hits form the 1970ss. It was more of an easy listening based format than "Music Of Your Life". Their decision to abandon oldies music in 1992 was due to 99.9 FM WODE's adopting the format in late 1991.
In 1992, Holt Broadcasting also bought 1470 WXKW, which remained a country music station for several more years. Then, in 1996, Holt Broadcasting sold all of their stations except for AM 1320. They kept 1320 and made it a sports station. Capstar, which already owned WAEB-AM and WAEB-FM then purchased both 1470 AM and WZZO. The WKAP intellectual unit then moved from AM 1320 to AM 1470.
1470 WKAP continued with the Westwood One easy Listening format, playing a blend of standards and soft oldies/adult contemporary songs. Capstar merged with Chancellor Media in 1999, making WKAP 1470 an AM/FM station. At the beginning of 2001, Clear Channel Communications merged with AM/FM. Clear Channel, however, was limited by federal regulations to the number of Lehigh Valley stations they could own. They then opted to sell WEEX and WODE to Nassau, while opting to keep WAEB, WAEB-FM, WZZO, and WKAP.
In November 2001, a few days after Oldies 99.9 FM WODE stopped playing oldies music in favor of classic rock music hits, WKAP switched back to playing oldies songs from 1955 to 1973. WKAP is still owned by Clear Channel Communications. Many of the air staff on WKAP came from WODE after WODE switched from oldies to classic hits and wanted a somewhat younger air staff.
[edit] Christian programming
On August 13, 2006, Clear Channel Communications announced that, beginning September 11, 2006, WKAP would end its oldies format and adopt a Christian teaching and preaching format. The station would be assigned WYHM as new call letters. Blocks of time would be sold to various Christian organizations. Morning and afternoon drive times would be occupied by a blend of soft adult contemporary Christian songs, Gospel music, and Rhythmic Praise and Worship music. This change was carried out on September 11 as announced.
The switch in WKAP's format has left the Lehigh Valley without an oldies music station. But at least three other Lehigh Valley stations, including 1400 WEST FM, WGPA 1100 FM, and 1320 AM, may represent good candidates to adopt the Lehigh Valley's traditionally popular oldies music format in light of WKAP's programming change.
[edit] External links
By frequency: (FM) | 88.1 | 89.3 | 90.3 | 91.3 | 91.7 | 95.1 | 96.1 | 99.9 | 100.7 | 102.5 | 104.1 | 107.5 | (AM) | 790 | 1100 | 1230 | 1320 | 1400 | 1470 | 1600
By callsign: | WAEB-FM | WAEB (AM) | WCTO | WDIY | WEEX | WEST-AM | WFKB | WGPA | WHOL | WJCS | WLEV | WLVR | WMUH | WODE | WRFY | WTKZ | WXLV | WYHM | WZZO
Past Stations: WKAP
- See also: List of Lehigh Valley AM Radio Stations
- See also: List of Lehigh Valley FM Radio Stations
Allentown | Altoona | Erie | Harrisburg-Carlisle-Lebanon (FM) (AM) | Indiana | Johnstown | Lancaster (FM) (AM) | Meadville-Franklin | Philadelphia (FM) (AM) | Pittsburgh (FM) (AM) | Reading | State College | Sunbury-Selinsgrove-Lewisburg | Wilkes Barre-Scranton | Williamsport | York (FM) (AM)
