WEII

WEII
City of license Dennis, Massachusetts
Broadcast area Cape Cod
Branding SportsRadio 96.3 WEEI Cape Cod
Frequency 96.3 MHz
First air date June 15, 1981[1] (as WGTF)
Format Sports radio
ERP 25,000 watts
HAAT 90.5 meters (297 ft)
Class B1
Facility ID 54037
Transmitter coordinates 41°43′44″N 70°10′01″W / 41.729°N 70.167°WCoordinates: 41°43′44″N 70°10′01″W / 41.729°N 70.167°W
Callsign meaning similar to WEEI
Former callsigns WGTF (1981–1984)
WXJY (1984–1988)
WNTX (1988–1993)
Former frequencies 93.5 MHz (1981–1982)
Affiliations WEEI Sports Radio Network
ESPN Radio
Owner iHeartMedia, Inc.
(AMFM Radio Licenses, L.L.C.)
Sister stations WCIB, WCOD-FM, WXTK
Website www.weei.com/963

WEII (96.3 FM, "SportsRadio 96.3") is a radio station in Dennis, Massachusetts. The station airs a sports radio format from Boston-based WEEI-FM. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc..

The station started life in 1981 under the call letters WGTF, operating on 93.5 FM. It moved to 96.3 in 1982[2] (the 93.5 frequency is now occupied by WFRQ) and changed its call letters to WXJY in 1984[3][4] and WNTX in 1988.[4] The station's most popular format as WNTX was "Oldies 96", competing with the larger "Oldies 103" in Boston. The Makkay family, headed by Al Makkay, purchased the frequency in late 1992, and in January 1993, it flipped to a Contemporary Hits CHR format, rebranded as WRZE "96.3 The Rose". In 2003, Makkay Broadcasting sold WRZE, with its sister stations WPXC and WCIB, to Qantum Communications for $32 million. In 2008, the station, which was originally licensed to Nantucket, moved to Dennis.[5]

On March 25, 2009 (though the changeover was originally announced for April 1[6]), WRZE flipped formats again, becoming a simulcast of popular Boston sports radio station WEEI.

On May 15, 2014, Qantum Communications announced that it would sell its 29 stations, including WEII, to Clear Channel Communications (now known as iHeartMedia) for WALK AM-FM in Patchogue, New York as part of the sale of the WALK stations to Connoisseur Media.[7] The transaction was consummated on September 9, 2014.

References

  1. ↑ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-211. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  2. ↑ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 14, 1982. p. 70. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  3. ↑ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 25, 1984. p. 78. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ Hale, Bill (August 2008). "FM News" (PDF). VHF-UHF Digest. p. 12. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  6. ↑ Shemkus, Sarah (February 19, 2009). "Sports radio boosted on Cape". Cape Cod Times. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  7. ↑ Venta, Lance (May 15, 2014). "Qantum Sells To Clear Channel; Connoisseur Expands In Long Island". RadioInsight. Retrieved May 15, 2014.

External links