 | |
| Broadcast area | Madison metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 94.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 94.9 WOLX |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Classic hits |
| Subchannels | HD2:Channel Q |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | 1947; 79 years ago (1947) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Oldies" (former branding and format) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 60236 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 37,000 watts |
| HAAT | 396 meters (1,299 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°25′40″N89°39′14″W / 43.42778°N 89.65389°W /43.42778; -89.65389 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (via Audacy) |
| Website | www |
WOLX-FM (94.9MHz) is a commercial radio stationlicensed toBaraboo, Wisconsin, and serving theMadison metropolitan area, owned byAudacy, Inc. The station airs aclassic hits format, its studios and offices are on Ganser Way in Madison. WOLX broadcasts from atransmitter inDevil's Lake State Park near Baraboo inSauk County, Wisconsin.
WOLX-FM broadcasts inHD Radio.
The station first started experimental broadcasts in1945 and was licensed as WWCF in 1947.[2] It was thesister station toWIBU inPoynette, Wisconsin, which went on the air in 1925. At first, WWCF mostlysimulcast WIBU. By the 1970s it separated its programming from WIBU, airing abeautiful music format, using thecall sign WLVE meaning "Love". In 1984, it moved tosoft adult contemporary as WNLT[3] with theLT standing for "Lite Music". In May 1985, the call letters changed to WILV.[4]
On April 3, 1989, WILV flipped to anoldies format, initially concentrating on 1950s and 1960s music. Branded "Oldies 94.9", the station changed its call letters to WOLX-FM.[5][6][7][8] The new format proved immediately successful; in the Spring 1989Arbitron report, WOLX-FM jumped to second place amongadults 25–54 in the Madison market from eleventh in the same period the previous year.[9] In May 1996, long-time owner Shockley Communications, headed by Terry K. Shockley, sold WOLX-FM toDubuque, Iowa-based Woodward Communications for $10.5 million.[10]
In May 2000, Woodward sold all of its Madison stations – WOLX-FM,WMMM-FM, andWYZM — toEntercom for $14.6 million.[11] As the 2000s progressed, WOLX-FM adjusted its format toclassic hits, dropping the "Oldies 94.9" moniker in favor of "94.9 WOLX" and featuring primarily music from the 1970s thru the 1990s.
Syndicated programming on WOLX-FM includesDick Bartley's Classic Hits,America's Greatest Hits hosted byScott Shannon, andM. G. Kelly's Classic Hit List.
As one of the oldest FM stations in Wisconsin, WOLX-FM operates at a highereffective radiated power (ERP) than would be granted today. It is agrandfathered "superpower"Class B FM station, operating at 37,000 watts from aheight above average terrain (HAAT) of 396 meters (1,299 ft). UnderFederal Communications Commission rules, a Class B FM station at the same HAAT would be allowed a maximum ERP of 6,700 watts.[12] The station once used the slogan "High atop the Baraboo Bluffs inGreenfield Township". WOLX-FM's signal can reach 33 of Wisconsin's 72 counties, including those along theLake Michigan shoreline on clear days, though reception is usually blocked by theKettle Moraine hills northeast of Madison. The station can also be heard in the western suburbs ofMilwaukee, inSheboygan County, and in portions ofIllinois andIowa.