WBGI-FM

WBGI-FM (105.5 MHz) is a radio station broadcasting a classic country radio format. It is licensed to Bethlehem, West Virginia, and it serves the Wheeling metropolitan area. WBGI-FM is owned by Cody Barack through licensee Ohio Midland Newsgroup LLC.

WBGI-FM
Broadcast areaWheeling metropolitan area
Frequency105.5 MHz
BrandingBig Willie 105.5
Programming
FormatClassic country
Ownership
Owner
  • Cody Barack
  • (Ohio Midland Newsgroup, LLC)
WOMP, WLYV, WRQY
History
First air date
1985 (1985)
Former call signs
WHLX (1982-1996)
WRIR (1996-1997)
WZNW (1997-2001)
WZNW-FM (2001)
WVKF (2001-2004)
WUKL (2004-2021)
Call sign meaning
"Biggie"
Technical information
Facility ID4996
ClassB1
ERP13,500 watts
HAAT95 meters (312 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°03′17″N 80°42′26″W
Links
WebcastListen Live

The station has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 13,500 watts. The transmitter is on Highland Lane in Bethlehem, near Interstate 470.[1]

History

The station first signed on the air in 1985 (1985). Its original call sign was WHLX.

Beginning in 2001, 105.5 was the home of WVKF, a CHR/Top 40 station under the Kiss-FM brand. But the CHR/Top 40 format moved to 95.7 in 2004. After Kiss-FM moved, 105.5 flipped to Classic Hits as "Kool 105.5" under the WUKL call sign.

On August 12, 2021, the station cluster was sold by Forever Media to Cody Barack's Ohio Midland Newsgroup, LLC. The properties included WBGI-FM, WLIE (now WLYV), and WRQY. The price tag was $1,250,000 along with the sale of FM translator W235BX.[2]

On December 28, 2021, Ohio Midland Newsgroup announced that WUKL and WBGI-FM would swap formats on January 3, 2022, at 5:30 a.m. The switch put the classic hits format on 100.5 as a revived "WOMP-FM”, and the country format on 105.5 as "105.5 Biggie Country", with both stations exchanging call signs before the announcement on December 24, 2021.[3]

On September 22, 2022, after stunting with a one day loop of "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus, WBGI-FM changed its format to classic country as "Big Willie 105.5", positioned as "The Greatest Country Hits of the 80s, 90s & More".[4]

References
  1. Radio-Locator.com/WBGI-FM
  2. Venta, Lance (August 12, 2021). "Forever Media Sells Wheeling Cluster". RadioInsight.
  3. "More on WOMP-FM Return To Wheeling". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
  4. "After Achy Breaky Stunt, Big Willie Rises In Wheeling". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2022-09-23.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.