WOKW

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WOKW
Broadcast area	Curwensville, Pennsylvania / Clearfield
Branding	"OK! 102.9"
Slogan	"Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites"
First air date	October 29, 1989
Frequency	102.9(mHz)
Format	Adult contemporary
ERP	3,000 watts
Callsign meaning	WOKW
Owner	Raymark Broadcasting
Website	http://www.wokw.com/

WOKW is a commercially-licensed FM radio station. It operates on the federally-assigned frequency of 102.9 mHz at an effective radiated power of 3,000 watts. WOKW is licensed to Curwensville, Pennsylvania, but maintains studios and offices in Clearfield.

[edit] History

WOKW signed on the air on October 29, 1989 at 10:29am. That exact time and day was chosen as they numerically reflected the new station's frequency of 102.9. The station was initially assigned the call letters WWWS, but those were changed shortly before the station went on the air. The station has been owned by Raymark Broadcasting since it first went on the air and has maintained the same adult contemporary format through ABC/SMN.

Prior to the existence of this station, WOKW was assigned to the station now known as WIII in Cortland, New York.

WOKW was for much its history, the sister station of AM 1160 WCCS, located south of Curwensville in Homer City. WCCS first went on the air back in 1983 under a partnership by two former radio station managers, Ray Goss of Indiana, and Mark Harley of Clearfield (Raymark is an amalgam of their first names). Both men had worked for radio stations in Indiana and State College, respectively, that were under the ownership of Progressive Publishing Company, which also owned radio stations in Clearfield.

Goss and Harley, who had worked together for years prior to putting WCCS on the air, pooled their resources together to build WCCS, and continued their partnership until 1988, when Goss decided to pursue other interests. Harley bought out Goss' stake in the company and retained possession of WCCS, and with a desire to put a station on the air closer to his home, successfully applied for a construction permit for an FM station to be built in Curwensville.

A broadcast tower was built just outside of the Curwensville borough limits, and a studio was built in space shared by a local trucking company on Old Town Road in suburban Clearfield.

In 1991, Harley decided to expand his portfolio to include a third station, which he built in Northern Cambria County. WCCZ (now WPCL) went on the air at 97.3 from studios at PA Routes 219 and 271 in downtown Spangler, now known today as Northern Cambria (through the merger of Barnesboro and Spangler boroughs). Unforeseen circumstances, however, forced Harley to sell WCCZ to WKYN, Inc. of Ridgway for $167,000.

Harley moved WOKW to its permanent location in the late 90's to a former gas station location he purchased along Clearfield/Curwensville pike near a local shopping center. The building was completely renovated with office space being leased next door and an apartment on the top floor, which for many years, allowed an announcer to live upstairs rent-free.

In 2002, Harley decided to sell WCCS to Renda Broadcasting Corporation of Pittsburgh for $1.3 million, despite it being the more profitable of the two stations. Harley did maintain possession of WOKW and continues to operate the station today.

[edit] WOKW Today

Following the sale of WCCS, WOKW began to take on a more full-service approach to its programming, including the broadcasts of Curwensville Golden Tide football, which continues today.

Harley continues today to run WOKW, along with his wife Carol and his daughter Yvonne. WOKW is the only standalone FM station in Clearfield County.