WCTO

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WCTO-FM
City of license	Easton, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area	Lehigh Valley
Branding	Cat Country 96.1
First air date	1947 as WEST-FM
Frequency	96.1 kHz
Format	Country
Power	50 kW
Callsign meaning	CaT COuntry
Former callsigns	WEST (1947-1973) WLEV (1973-2006)
Owner	Citadel Broadcasting
Website	catcountry96.fm

WCTO, popularly known as Cat Country 96.1, is an FM radio station broadcasting on 96.1. Based in Easton, it serves the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania.

The station offers a country music format, playing country music frrom the 1980s through to the present. The station is owned by Citadel Broadcasting.

[edit] History

96.1 FM began in 1947 as WEST FM on 96.1. For decades, the station simulcast WEST's Middle Of The Road Popular Music format. In 1973, though, 96.1 became WLEV and began offering a Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary format that was very automated. They played the softer rock hits of the 1960s and 1970s, along with a lot of current music. They were known as "Hit Parade Music" at one point. The station was owned by Sound Media and then by Telemedia Group.

Through the 1970s and into the 1980s, WLEV 96.1 continued as an adult contemporary station with no dramatic changes. More personality was added in the late 1980s and, by the 1990s, the station bordered on being a Hot AC station. But the texture of the station was consistent.

In 1995, the station was sold, along with WEST, to Citadel Broadcasting. Still, the format remained Adult Contemporary. In 1997, Citadel acquired WFMZ FM, which by then had a format that was evolving to be musically closer to WLEV. In 1997, it was decided that there was no need for two AC stations in the Lehigh Valley, so they combined aspects of the AC formats from both stations and moved the WLEV call letters and format and some of the air staff to 100.7 that July.

96.1 became Cat Country WCTO and played a country music format. As a country music station, the station achieves some very high ratings. It has a live air staff almost full-time and focuses on country hits of the 1980s, 1990s and current music.

[edit] External link

• Query the FCC's FM station database for WCTO
• Cat Country 96 Official Web Site