WTOS

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WTOS
The Mountain of Pure Rock
City of license	Skowhegan, Maine
Broadcast area	Augusta, Maine
Branding	Rock 105 TOS
Slogan	The Mountain of Pure Rock
First air date	Early 1970's
Frequency	105.1
Format	rock
Power	100 kw
ERP	57 kw
Class	C
Owner	[Clear Channel Broadcasting]]
Website	[1]

WTOS, "The Mountain of Pure Rock", is an FM radio station located in Augusta, Maine. It is located on 105.1 on the FM Dial.

Contents 1 History 2 Broadcast Area 3 WTOS Homegrown and Battle of the Bands 4 WTOS Peronalities 5 External Links

[edit] History

WTOS originated as a free-form rock station in 1973 on 107.1 fm, with a studio based in Skowhegan, Maine. The tower was moved to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain with an upgrade to the current frequency of 105.1. WTOS remained locally owned by Mountain Wireless, and gained a reputation as the regions more daring stations throughout the 80s and 90s, due to their penchant for playing harder or more obscure rock bands that did not normally appear on commerical radio stations. "The Mountain" built up a large local following of fans, which was especially obvious at their frequent on-location remotes, usually at area bars and nightclubs.

WTOS was acquired by Cumulus Media in late 2000, and in a move that sparked outrage among some longtime listeners, the main studios were moved from Skowhegan to Augusta. The association with Cumulus did not last long, as only months later, WTOS was purchased by media giant Clear Channel Communications, which has maintained ownership of the station to this day. However, the station has been put up for sale by Clear Channel, along with the other stations in the Clear Channel Augusta group.

[edit] Broadcast Area

With a 100,000 watt signal, plus the advantage of having a tower placed at such a high elevation, WTOS reaches a significant portion of northern New England. The station can be heard over the airwaves from their studios in Augusta to Bangor and as far north as Houlton. It carries into the Estrie region of Quebec province to places such as Lac Megantic and Thetford Mines, and can be received in Eastern Maine in places such as Bar Harbor. The station is also heard listeners in northern New Hampshire and parts of Vermont.

Until April 1, 2005, WTOS broadcast area included greater Portland area, However, the FCC granted a license to a small jazz station (WJZP) to broadcast on the 105.1 frequency. As such, WTOS' signal is overlapped by WJZP to listeners south of Brunswick and Freeport, this area has been partially covered by WCME whitch simulcasts the morning show.

As of January 19, 2007, WTOS has begun streaming its signal over the internet.

[edit] WTOS Homegrown and Battle of the Bands

WTOS made a committment to air more local acts starting in 2002 with the creation of "WTOS Homegrown", a local show dedicated to airing rock bands from all over Maine and New Hampshire. This evolved into the WTOS Battle of the Bands, which takes place annually at the Skowhegan fairgrounds in mid-August. The event has gained in popularity, and almost 6,000 fans attended the most recent event in 2006. The winners of the events include Emptyhead (2003) and Dead Season (2004, 2005, 2006).

WTOS also hosts Rock Relief every September, which is a fundraiser for various causes. It originated as a response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and has become an annual event to raise money for charity or charities in need.

[edit] WTOS Peronalities

Tom O & Mr. Mike--The Mountain Morning show, which has been on the air since the late 1980's.

Jessie--Mid-days from 10-2, and host of the "Workforce Lunch" request show.

Chris Rush--Afternoon and evening drive personality who often represents the station in public. Host of "Rush Hour" request show and "WTOS Homegrown".

The Reverend--Director of WTOS and night-time personality. Hosts "90s at 9 and Beyond" show, plus "Roll Your Own" request show.

Kennedy-- Hosts "Pure Rock Playground" request show, and "The Metal Church", a Sunday-night show dedicated to classic and vintage heavy metal from the 70s, 80s and early 90s.

Oakes -- Weekend guy.

[edit] External Links

http://www.tosrocks.com --the station's official site and link to live webcast