W253BG
| City of license | Greenville, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Upstate South Carolina |
| Branding | X98.5 |
| Slogan | The NEW Rock Alternative |
| Frequency | 98.5MHz FM / 107.3MHz HD2 |
| First air date | March 27, 2007 |
| Format | Alternative rock |
| ERP | 200 W FM |
| Class | D |
| Facility ID | 156113 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 34°56′07″N 82°24′18″W / 34.93519°N 82.40505°WCoordinates: 34°56′07″N 82°24′18″W / 34.93519°N 82.40505°W |
| Callsign meaning | (serially assigned) |
| Owner |
Tower Above Media LLC (leased to Cox Radio) |
| Webcast | Listen Live (prospective Listen Live link as of 8/6/2012) |
| Website | X985FM.com |
W253BG, known on-air as X98.5, is an Alternative rock radio station located in Greenville, South Carolina area. Although licensed as a broadcast translator prohibited from carrying its own programming, it broadcasts under a legal loophole allowed by the Federal Communications Commission, by simulcasting on HD Radio channel 2 of WJMZ FM 107.3, allowing such stations to sidestep the restriction on translators, as well as regulations regarding the excessive concentration of media ownership by a single company in a given media market.
History
98.5 FM began broadcasting in March 2007 in Arial, re-broadcasting WHRZ-LP in Spartanburg, which carries a Christian Contemporary format. In June 2012, an application was filed to move the station to Paris Mountain in Greenville, with a downgrade from 250 to 200 watts, however allowing the station to cover Greenville County, as well as portions of neighboring Pickens and Spartanburg counties with a solid signal. The station would also re-broadcast Cox Radio's WJMZ-FM's HD2 signal. The station's new tower also houses sister station W249CB, 97.7 Chuck FM.
In early July 2012, shortly after the construction permit was granted, a website linked to Cox surfaced that indicated that "Talk 98.5" would launch, with a countdown to "something to talk about" on August 6 featured on the homepage. On Sunday, August 5, the station went live, running a loop of The Neal Boortz Show from sister station WSB. The following day, at 11am, a local talk show came on the air, referring to "Talk 98.5." Shortly after noon, the station played a montage of It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine) by R.E.M. and sound clips, the true station was launched, as X-98.5, "The Upstate's New Rock Alternative." The first song heard on X-98.5 was We Are Young by Fun. and Janelle Monae.
The station registered websites in September 2013, referring to a format change in the future to a gospel format as 98.5 Praise, Gospel 98.5, Praise 98, or Praise 98.5.
References
External links
- Query the FCC's FM station database for W253BG
- Radio-Locator information on W253BG
- Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for W253BG
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