 | |
| Broadcast area | South Central Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 105.1MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | I 105 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Affiliations | Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| WARM-FM,WSBA,WSOX | |
| History | |
First air date | November 9,1962 (as WGSA-FM) |
Former call signs | WGSA-FM (1961–1969) |
Call sign meaning | Western andRoman numerals for "105" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 55308 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 25,000watts |
| HAAT | 214 meters (702 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°10′30.3″N76°9′29.8″W / 40.175083°N 76.158278°W /40.175083; -76.158278 (WIOV-FM) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WIOV-FM (105.1MHz, "The Big I 105") is acommercialradio stationlicensed to serveEphrata, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Radio License Holding CBC LLC, a part ofCumulus Media, and broadcasts acountry musicradio format. The station'sstudios and offices are located on South Reading Road, alongPA 272, at Rothsville Road inEphrata. The station's broadcast tower is located off Tower Road near Ephrata at (40°10′30.2″N76°9′29.5″W / 40.175056°N 76.158194°W /40.175056; -76.158194).[2]
WIOV-FM has localDJs in the daytime withsyndicated shows at night from Whitney Allen (evenings) andBlair Garner (overnight).
TheFederal Communications Commission granted Garden Spot Broadcasters, Inc. a construction permit for the station on April 24, 1962, with theWGSA-FM call sign.[3] On November 9, 1962, the stationsigned on for the first time.[4] It was the FM counterpart toAM 1360 WGSA (nowoff the air). WGSA-AM-FM were both owned by Garden Spot Broadcasters with the two stationssimulcasting part of their day. At the time, WGSA-FM was licensed for only 1,580 watts, a fraction of its currenteffective radiated power (ERP). The station was granted its first license by the FCC on January 23, 1963.[3]
On April 4, 1970, Garden Spot Broadcasters was granted a construction permit by the FCC to increase the station's ERP to 50,000 watts while itsheight above average terrain (HAAT) remained at 500 feet, followed by a new license with the upgraded facilities on October 19, 1970.[3] By 1970, the FM station was running anautomatedcountry music format, with the newcall signWIOV, using a mix of western andRoman numerals to represent the dial position at 105 MHz. Over time,disc jockeys were added and the automation was scaled back.
In 1984, the FM station was acquired by Brill Media.[5] Brill moved the studios to 44 Bethany Road.
On April 14, 1999, the FCC granted a construction permit to increase the station's HAAT to 214 meters (702 ft) while decreasing the station's ERP to 25,000 watts.[6]
In 2004, Citadel Broadcasting acquired WIOV-FM.[7] In 2011, theUnited States Department of Justice approved the purchase ofCitadel Broadcasting byCumulus Media.[8] The sale was completed September 18, 2011.[9][10]
Longtime morning host Jerry Murphy was found dead in his home on February 14, 2018, when he failed to show up for work.[11] Murphy (born Gerald Gebhard) had been the wake up voice on WIOV-FM since 1999. He was 61. Casey Allen, his co-host, is now paired with Program Director Rich Creeger for morningdrive time.
On March 2, 2018, Cumulus Media announced that two stations in its Harrisburg cluster,country formatted 106.7WZCY-FM, would trade places withTop 40/CHR formatted 93.5WWKL effective March 15. WIOV and WZCY had service contours that overlapped in much ofSouth Central Pennsylvania. The move to the lower-poweredClass A station on 93.5 MHz would allow WZCY to continue focusing on covering the Harrisburg market,[12] while WWKL, at 106.7 MHz, would get aClass B signal having a larger service contour, covering Lancaster, York and Lebanon in addition to Harrisburg.[13] In December 2021, WIOV became the sole Cumulus country station in South Central Pennsylvania, as WZCY switched its format toclassic rock.
WIOV-FM is short spaced to three otherClass B stations:WDAS-FM105.3 WDAS-FM (licensed to servePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania),WWPR-FMPower 105.1 (licensed to serveNew York City) andWAVA-FM105.1 WAVA (licensed to serveArlington, Virginia).
WIOV-FM and WDAS-FM operate on first adjacent channels (105.1 MHz and 105.3 MHz) and the distance between the stations' transmitters is 49 miles as determined by FCC rules.[14] The minimum distance between two Class B stations operating on first adjacent channels according to current FCC rules is 105 miles.[15]
WIOV-FM and WWPR-FM operate on the same channel and the distance between the stations' transmitters is 121 miles as determined by FCC rules. WAVA-FM also operates on the same channel as WIOV-FM and the distance between the stations' transmitters is 103 miles as determined by FCC rules.[14] The minimum distance between two Class B stations operating on the same channel according to currentFCC rules is 150 miles.[15]