WYAY

WYAY
City Gainesville, Georgia
Broadcast area Atlanta metropolitan area
Branding Newsradio 106.7
Slogan "Atlanta's 24 Hour News Station"
Frequency 106.7 MHz (also on HD Radio)
First air date 1949 (as WDUN-FM)
Format News/Talk
HD2: Smooth Jazz
ERP 77,000 watts
HAAT 505 meters
Class C
Facility ID 48727
Callsign meaning W Y Atlanta's Y106 (former branding)
Former callsigns WDUN-FM (1949-1976)
WWID (1976-1983)
WWLT (1983-1984)
Affiliations
Owner Cumulus Media
(Radio License Holdings LLC)
Sister stations WKHX, WWWQ, WNNX
Webcast Listen Live
Website newsradio1067.com

WYAY is a 77,000-watt Atlanta FM radio station that broadcasts a news/talk format. Its city of license is Gainesville, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta, but the station moved in toward the metro area in early 1985.

WYAY is a class C FM radio station. The WYAY transmitter is located east of Loganville, Georgia and its studios are located in Sandy Springs near the Georgia Highway 400 and Interstate 285 interchange.

WYAY broadcasts in the HD format.[1]

History

WDUN-FM/Wide 107/Lite 106

This facility first signed-on in 1949 as WDUN-FM co-owned with WDUN AM. By late 1976, it was WWID "Wide 107", then WWLT "Lite 106" in early 1983, and has been WYAY since mid-1984.

Y106/Eagle 106.7

In mid 1984, "Lite 106" switched to a country music format under "Y106", a moniker it retained until 2000. From 1989 to 1994, there was also "Y104" on the opposite (southwest) side of metro Atlanta, which simulcast with it (except for advertisements) on 104.1 FM (now WALR-FM). 104.1 would be sold to Cox Radio in late 1994.

On September 1, 2000, at 3pm, the station changed to a classic country format as "Eagle 106.7". The station still played current music but mainly focused on the classics. The first song on the new "Eagle" was "T-R-O-U-B-L-E" by Travis Tritt.

In late 2005, WYAY changed transmitters to a new tower that they are sharing with 104.7 WFSH which improved south metro coverage for the 106.7 signal.

On February 29, 2008, Citadel Broadcasting announced that WYAY would drop the country format for oldies.[2] A majority of the on-air talent were released, including Rhubarb Jones, who had served at the station since 1985. This format change was due to Citadel's financial hardships that occurred after the company's purchase of ABC Radio as well as its stations (including WYAY) from The Walt Disney Company in June 2007. Jones was the longest-running morning DJ on Atlanta radio. Dallas McCade and traffic reporter Greg Talmadge were the only on-air survivors and have since moved to sister station WKHX to join Cadillac Jack on the morning show.

True Oldies 106.7/106-7 WYAY

On March 9, 2008 at 12:56 p.m., Eagle 106.7 played their last country song, "Stealing Cinderella" by Chuck Wicks. Then the station went on to air the live NASCAR broadcast (the Kobalt Tools 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway). Then at 7 p.m., just after the race, the station flipped to oldies, rebranding itself as "True Oldies 106.7". The first song on the new 106.7 FM was "Revolution" by The Beatles. The station featured Imus in the Morning and ABC's The True Oldies Channel all day, similar to a format flip that occurred on sister station WJZW on February 29, 2008.[3] The oldies format had been absent from the metro Atlanta area since WFOX-FM, WLKQ, WLCL, and WNSY-FM all were bought by new owners and/or the formats were switched. It promoted an active playlist rotation of over 5,000 songs. Throughout the oldies tenure, WYAY scored higher than the late "Fox 97" and "Cool 105.7" did, as they had very limited Oldies playlists.

On November 7, 2008, WYAY announced that it would not carry NASCAR in 2009, and would become the new FM home of Georgia Tech Football and Men's basketball.

On April 6, 2009, it was announced that Imus in the Morning, would move from WYAY (owned by the show's syndicator, Citadel Broadcasting) to competing station, WCFO, beginning April 13, 2009. The show was replaced by Spiff Carner and Freddie Brooks, moving their afternoon show to mornings.[4]

In 2009, WYAY became the FM flagship station for Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football and men's basketball.

Former logo under the Atlanta's Greatest Hits branding

On November 22, 2010, the station changed its branding to "106.7 Atlanta's Greatest Hits", dropped Scott Shannon and The True Oldies Channel feed, and shifted from oldies to classic hits with an emphasis on 1970s and 1980s music.

Citadel then merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[5]

All News 106.7

previous "All News Logo"

On April 6, 2012, Cumulus registered the domain name allnews1067.com.[6] On April 27, Cumulus announced the debut of "All News 106.7" would be set sometime in mid-May. They hired many former CNN Radio employees to run the station, including Greg Black, Maria Boynton, Andy Rose, Andy Flick, Michelle Wright, and Jackie Howard. They also hired former KDKA/Pittsburgh program director Marshall Adams. The station would also partner with FOX 5 for weather and traffic reports, as well as 680 The Fan for sports updates. The announcement is somewhat unusual, since the vast majority of radio format changes are now typically planned in secret, with most or all existing on-air staff immediately fired on the spot without warning on the day the change takes place.

In mid-May 2012, an application was filed with the FCC to change the frequency from 106.7 to 106.5, change the city of license from Gainesville to Sandy Springs, and change class from C to C1, any of which would require a rulemaking proceeding to amend the table of allotments. However, this would depend on as-yet-unknown change that would have to be made to co-channel WSKZ FM 106.5 in Chattanooga, also owned by Cumulus. That station would have to reduce its signal strength toward the south and southeast to prevent RF interference between the two. It could do so by changing frequencies itself, moving further away, downgrading its overall power and class, or installing a directional antenna. It would be the first facilities change for that station since at least 1978 (if ever), already transmitting from north of the city and unlikely to be moved further away.

WYAY's application lists the Inman Park tower east of downtown Atlanta as the proposed site. This was built for WUPA TV 43 (69.1) and later joined by WHSG-TV 44 (63.x), though both have since moved. The signal would change from 77 kW height at 505 meters (1,657 ft) to 100 kW at 299 meters (981 ft), keeping it barely under the threshold for class C0, in turn allowing the shorter separation that class C1 stations are permitted. While this would be a loss of land area, it would be a significant gain in population in the west, southwest, and far northwest parts of the media market, despite losing the Athens area. Although what is now WNNX was previously denied the use of Sandy Springs because it was "not a city" at the time, it was later allowed for WFGM AM. However, in June 2012, the FCC denied the application.

WYAY is also listed as the primary station for W228CA FM 93.5 Oakwood, located roughly between Athens and Gainesville. It is not listed whether this station is actually retransmitting WYAY (which would be unnecessary since it is entirely within its current broadcast range, unblocked by terrain), or simulcasting an HD Radio digital subchannel (which makes the designation of "broadcast translator" a legal fiction, as with other Cumulus stations in metro Atlanta). W228CA has a construction permit to move west as well, keeping its 250-watt power (the maximum for translator-class stations), but going in height from at 418 meters (1,371 ft) to 266 meters (873 ft). The city of license will change from Oakwood to Suwanee. The service contour will include Lawrenceville, Cumming, Winder, and Gainesville, with all but Gainesville still being within the range of WYAY's proposed coverage area.

On May 29, at 4:50 AM, after playing "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen, "Last Dance" by Donna Summer, and "A Day in the Life" by the Beatles, WYAY began a 10-minute stunt montage featuring snippets of songs and movie scenes happening to feature news (either in parody form or by just having the word "news" in them). At 5AM, the station began their all-news format.

All News 106.7's first on-air lineup change came on July 16. It was announced that Melissa Carter would replace Cheryl Castro, who moved to mid-days with John Lisk.

Kristen Charles, who had been with WYAY since the previous oldies/classic hits format, resigned from her traffic duties. She was replaced with Fred McFarlin.

One October 21, 2013, Cumulus executives announced the first of two changes to WYAY programming. Beginning in November, popular local Atlanta host Kim Peterson, better known as "The Kimmer," began hosting the flagship program for WYAY known as "Newsmakers." Also beginning with the 2014 season, WYAY (along with partner WCNN), would serve as the flagship station for the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.

WYAY's program director is Jennifer Perry, and their creative service director is Adam Schneider.

On May 12, 2014 WYAY relaunched with a news/talk format, branded as "Newsradio 106.7".[7]

Reporting staff

Newsradio 106.7 has multiple reporters that present their stories at different times. General Assignment reporters at WYAY are Chuck Roberts, Drew Nelson, Christy Hutchings, Scott Kimbler, Randy Wyles, Steve Nichols, Brett Barney, Tina Douglas. WAGA-TV reporters also contribute reports to broadcasts. Fill In Traffic Reporters include Adam Drescher, Kevin O'Brien

Former on-air staff

Y106/Eagle 106.7 Era 1984-2008
True Oldies/106-7 WYAY era 2008-2012

References

  1. ↑ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=11 HD Radio Guide for Atlanta
  2. ↑ http://www.accessatlanta.com/entertainment/content/custom/blogs/radiotalk, Retrieved on 2008/03/01.
  3. ↑ "Radio Stations". Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel. Archived from the original on July 28, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  4. ↑ Radio-Info: "Spiff and Fred to Mornings at True Oldies 106.7, Imus to WCFO 1160", 4/6/2009.
  5. ↑ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  6. ↑ http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/netgnomes/56275/cumulus-planning-all-news-in-la-atlanta-minneapolis-more/#.T4H3LHiLHww
  7. ↑ WYAY Relaunches as Newsradio 106.7

Coordinates: 33°52′01″N 83°49′44″W / 33.867°N 83.829°W / 33.867; -83.829

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