| City of license | Lancaster, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Columbus, Ohio |
| Branding | 95.5 The Hawk |
| Slogan | Legendary Country |
| Frequency | 95.5 (MHz) |
| First air date | 1948 |
| Format | Country |
| ERP | 21,000 Watts at 261 meters |
| Class | B |
| Callsign meaning | HOcKing River near Lancaster callsign also mimics the "Hawk" pronunciation |
| Owner | Wilks Broadcasting |
| Website | http://www.whok.com |
WHOK-FM is an FM radio station licensed to Lancaster, Ohio, located at 95.5 MHz. The station operates from a facility located in downtown Columbus, Ohio.
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WHOK has been a country music station for many years in different forms since it first went on the air in 1948, making it Central Ohio's longest-running country station[1]. Currently, the station is known as "95.5 The Hawk - Legendary Country." This format adjustment now compliments WHOK's new country sister station, WNKK, which plays newer mainstream country.
WHOK was initially known as a mainstream Top 40 country station, using the "K95.5" moniker. From September 7, 2003 to January 8, 2007, WHOK played mainly classic country as "Country Legends K95.5". The relaunch of the station in January 2007 (which saw its moniker changed to "95.5 The Hawk," and a new 50/50 classic and current country balance taking place) coincided with a change in ownership from CBS Radio to Wilks Broadcasting. Accordingly, the station completely revamped its website and as of May 2007, the new WHOK.com has been rolled out, offering artist and concert links as well as a streaming audio feature by which users can "listen live" anytime.
Beginning in January 2009, WHOK has incorporated more of the classic country back into its playlist, going all the way back to the 1950s with songs by Hank Williams, Sr., some early Johnny Cash and George Jones numbers, and rare gems by Tammy Wynette and Billy "Crash" Craddock, to name a few. However, the station has not presented this to listeners as a change in format; the branding of the station is still "95.5 The Hawk" and the website still displays the same look and feel as before, albeit with more classic country artists. The playlist extends into the 1990s and early 2000s (e.g. Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Faith Hill) but no current or recent titles are played outside of certain syndicated shows.
Due to the poor signal of WHOK in downtown Columbus, WHOK-FM operates a translator at 102.3 MHz as W272AT. The translator airs exactly the same audio as WHOK-FM.
In addition to WNKK, WHOK also has competition with WCOL-FM and WCLT-FM for country music listenership in the Columbus radio market.
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