WIBT

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WIBT
City of license	Shelby, North Carolina
Broadcast area	Charlotte, North Carolina
Branding	"96.1 The Beat"
Slogan	Charlotte's Beat
First air date	1970s
Frequency	96.1 (MHz)
Format	Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio
ERP	100,000 watts
Callsign meaning	W I BeaT
Owner	Clear Channel
Website	http://www.charlottesbeat.com/

WIBT (96.1 The Beat) is a Rhythmic Top 40 station licensed to Shelby, North Carolina, USA and serves the Charlotte area. The Clear Channel Communications outlet broadcasts at 96.1 MHz with an effective radiated power of 100 kW. Its transmitter is located in Dallas, North Carolina.

[edit] History

The station was originally known as WOHS-FM, which complimented its AM counterpart WOHS out of Shelby, North Carolina. In the late 1970s, the station moved to Charlotte and expanded its coverage as WXIK-FM, adopting a Top 40 format that was heavy on "deep cut" rock hits. In the early 1980s, the station changed to Adult Contemporary for a time before it went with an Oldies format in 1987. A new set of call letters, WWMG-FM, were adopted at that time as well.

Even though the Oldies format remained successful for nearly two decades, its later years deemed less successful. In 2004, the station made headlines when the Oldies format was dropped for its current format. The WIBT calls were chosen shortly afterwards, even though it initially created confusion between it and legendary Charlotte station WBT, which also has a spot on the FM dial as well.

Despite the controversy that ensued, WIBT would become a success story when it went to #1 in the Fall 2004 Arbitrons. As a Rhythmic Top 40 formatted station, WIBT is in competition with long-time Urban heritage station WPEG Power 98 and Pop station WNKS Kiss 95.1.

[edit] Trivia

By mere coincidence, WIBT is the eastern reflection of KIBT in Colorado Springs, which also calls itself 96.1 The Beat with a Rhythmic format.

[edit] External links

• Charlotte's Beat Online
• Tragic96.com - WWMG memorial site
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WIBT

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