WRKW

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WRKW
City of license	Ebensburg, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area	Johnstown
Branding	"Rocky 99"
Slogan	"The Laurel Highlands' Rock Station"
First air date	July 15, 1962 (as WIYQ)
Frequency	99.1(mHz)
Format	Current and classic rock
ERP	50,000 watts
Class	B
Owner	Forever Broadcasting of Johnstown, LLC
Website	http://www.rocky99.com

WRKW is a commercially-licensed FM radio station, licensed to Ebensburg, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Forever Broadcasting of Johnstown and maintains studios and offices at 109 Plaza Drive in Johnstown. WRKW operates at the federally-assigned frequency of 99.1 megahertz with an effective radiated power of 50,000 watts. There is a relation with WRKY in Altoona, Pennsylvania in that they are part of Forever Broadcasting.

Contents 1 History 2 The End of an Era 3 WRWK Today 4 Rocky99 djs Schedule 5 Rocky Lines

[edit] History

For much of its existence, WRKW was known as WIYQ, first signing on the air July 15, 1962 from studios on Center Street in downtown Ebensburg, its licensed community. The station was founded by Cary H. Simpson, who also founded the Allegheny Mountain Network based in Tyrone. Years later, as Johnstown's economy prospered, the station moved to 1240 Scalp Avenue in Richland Township, where it became more of a regional station serving West Central Pennsylvania.

Throughout its existence, WIYQ went through a series of different formats, from middle-of-the-road to a brief period of hard rock in the mid-1980's. What WIYQ particularly became well-known for was a local polka show broadcast every Sunday afternoon.

"Jo-Jo's Polka Swing" debuted in 1973, and remained a staple of WIYQ's programming for twenty years, becoming one of the most successful programs on the station. Joe Veshnevsky, a Coalport high school history teacher by trade who also did sports play-by-play for another area station, hosted the show, gaining an especially strong following because of his mastery of the native Polish language and the powerful signal of WIYQ, which reached 27 counties in three states.

[edit] The End of an Era

After 31 years, the station's history as WIYQ came to sad end as the station was sold to TMZ Broadcasting of State College for $440,000. Gone were the popular oldies music and Jo-Jo's Polka Swing, which would resurface years later at a 5,000 watt AM radio station in Philipsburg.

WIYQ then became known as WQKK, or "Quick Rock", operating as a satellite of rocker WQWK in State College. The station was purchased by TMZ as part of a strategic move to increase its presence in Johnstown and Altoona. WQWK's weaker signal at 97.1 did not have the ability to reach those more populous areas, unlike 99.1.

[edit] WRWK Today

Quick Rock was eventually spun off to Dame Broadcasting which owned CHR formatted WGLU 92.1. While owned by Dame Broadcasting, both WQKK and WGLU swapped formats. In 2005 both stations were purcased by Forever Broadcasting (who along with a subsidiary company own most of the commercial radio stations in the Johnstown market) then reverted back to their original ones so the CHR station could serve the populated areas, and 99.1 could reach the less sophisticated listeners and took its current call sign of WRKW from 92.1, and a new name...Rocky 99. At the same time the primarily rock based station then began a mostly oldies driven format, mostly playing 'classic' rock songs over 30 years old, while still pretending to be a rock station.

[edit] Rocky99 djs Schedule

• 6-10am AJ Waters Rocky WakeUp Show
• 6-9am Rick Shepard with News
• 10am-2pm Mike Stevens
• 2-7pm Dave Charles
• 7pm-12 midnight Stone Wilson
• Midnight-6am: Music without DJ

Satudays Rick Rock Sundays Brandy Alexander Sundays Derek Webb

[edit] Rocky Lines

• Business: 814-255-8554
• Studio: 255-6105
• Toll Free 877-445-6105