City of license | Albany, New York |
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Broadcast area | Adirondacks, Capital District, and upper Hudson Valley |
Branding | PYX 106 |
Slogan | "Your Classic Rock" |
Frequency | 106.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
First air date | September 1967 (as WDKC) |
Format | Classic rock (with mainstream rock lean) |
ERP | 15,500 watts |
HAAT | 275 meters |
Class | B |
Facility ID | 73911 |
Callsign meaning | Calls chosen for name (play on "picks") |
Former callsigns | WDKC (1967-1971) WTRY-FM (1971-1973) WHSH (1973-1980) |
Affiliations | New York Giants Radio Network |
Owner | Clear Channel Communications |
Sister stations | WGY, WGY-FM, WRVE, WTRY-FM, WKKF, WOFX |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | pyx106.com |
WPYX (PYX 106) is a Classic Rock radio station licensed to Albany, New York and primarily serving New York's Capital Region, the Adirondacks, and surrounding areas. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 106.5 MHz at 15.5 kilowatts ERP from a non-directional transmitter located from the Helderberg Mountains antenna farm in New Scotland.
Though billed as classic rock, WPYX plays a moderate amount of currents which puts it on a fringe alongside mainstream rock. Regardless of what format the station is filed under, WPYX is one of the longest lasting stations in the Capital District since it began on September 15, 1980. However, newer rock can still be heard on Townsquare Media's Q103 active rock stations (WQBK-FM/WQBJ) and Albany Broadcasting's WKLI-FM (Rock 100.9).
During the NFL season, WPYX also broadcasts New York Giants football games.
The 106.5 frequency signed on in September 1967 as WDKC, operating as an MOR music station. It was owned by Kopps-Monahan Communications, Inc., owners of Top 40 powerhouse WTRY 980 (today's WOFX). In 1971, the call letters were changed to WTRY-FM. It continued as an MOR station during the day, but simulcasted WTRY's Top 40 format at night; returning to full-time MOR programming in 1972. In early 1973, the WTRY stations were sold, and WTRY-FM became WHSH, which then went to its first full-time rock format as the format was changed to a Top 40–Oldies hybrid with live DJs. The station was now known as "Wish" as well as "The Albany Stereo Giant". Ownership automated the station a year later in 1974, and changed the format to Oldies. During Labor Day weekend, 1975, the format was flipped again, this time to beautiful music, while keeping the "Wish" nickname.
By 1980, there was an obvious hole for a mainstream album-oriented rock station in the Albany market, and the station flipped to its current format on September 15, 1980, changing its call letters to WPYX.
WPYX and WTRY went through several ownership changes which includes Scott Broadcasting of Pennsylvania, television personality Merv Griffin and Capstar Broadcasting (which was controlled by billionaire mogul Tom Hicks). In 1999, Capstar merged with another Hicks-owned company, Chancellor Media Corporation, to form AMFM Inc. In 2000, the stations were acquired by its current owner Clear Channel Communications when they merged with AMFM.
The Wolf is the host of the WPYX morning show, Wakin' Up With the Wolf. His program runs weekdays 5:30 to 10:00 a.m. Until April 28, 2009, other personalities included:
Presently, only morning drive and afternoon drive remain local and live.
In 2005, WPYX upgraded to IBOC digital radio alongside the rest of Clear Channel's Albany stations. On August 17, 2006, WPYX began airing an HD2 channel with a deep tracks classic rock format, known as Vinyl Vineyard which remains to this day.
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