 | |
| Broadcast area | Knoxville Metropolitan Area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.7MHz |
| Branding | News/Talk 98.7 FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/talk |
| Network | Fox News Radio |
| Affiliations | Westwood One Premiere Networks Tennessee Titans Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WIVK-FM,WNML,WNML-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | September 15, 1989; 36 years ago (1989-09-15) (as WXVO) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Oak Ridge (the community of license for100.3, the original WOKI-FM) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 10457 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 8,000watts |
| HAAT | 174 meters (571 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 36°06′48″N84°03′44″W / 36.11333°N 84.06222°W /36.11333; -84.06222 |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | newstalk987.com |
WOKI (98.7FM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toOliver Springs, Tennessee, and serving theKnoxville metropolitan area. It is owned byCumulus Media and it broadcasts anews/talkformat. The studios and offices are on Old Kingston Pike in theSequoyah Hills section of West Knoxville.
WOKI has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 8,000watts. Thetransmitter is on Granville Lane inHeiskell, Tennessee, using atower about twenty miles northwest of Knoxville.[2]
Weekdays on WOKI begin withThe Phil Show hosted by Phil Williams. Late mornings feature Bob Yarbrough with Hallerin Hilton Hill heard in afternoondrive time. The rest of the weekday schedule is made up ofnationally syndicatedconservative talk programs, mostly from co-ownedWestwood One:The Vince Coglianese Show,The Mark Levin Show andRed Eye Radio. FromPremiere Networks,The Sean Hannity Show airs in the early evening.
Weekend programming features specialty topics including money, health, real estate, gardening, home maintenance, car repair and technology. Syndicated weekend personalities includeKim Komando and Ron Annanian. The station is anaffiliate of theTennessee TitansNFL radio network.[3] Some hours begin with an update fromFox News Radio.
WOKI-FM, previously on the 100,000-watt 100.3 FM frequency inOak Ridge, Tennessee, began in 1974 with aprogressive rock format usingautomated announcements. By the late 1970s it had switched to successfulTop-40 format mixed with some southern and hard rock, and livedisc jockeys. WOKI-FM was started and owned by local Knoxville radio broadcaster Johnny Pirkle. During the late 1970s WOKI-FM also carriedUniversity of TennesseeTennessee Volunteersfootball games and for two years sponsored the "Ramblin' Raft Race" on theClinch River.
The station had several popular air personalities including Mike Beverly, "The Brothers",Shotgun Stevens, and Brother John St. John who held court each evening with the "Boogie Check" call-in program. WOKI was named from itscity of license, Oak Ridge.
Meanwhile, WORI was adaytimer, broadcasting at 1550 kHz on the AM dial with anadult contemporary format. WORI eventually ceased broadcasting altogether, while WOKI-FM after its switch to the Top 40 format was in competition withWIMZ-FM (103.5 FM) for the Knoxville market's top rock station. After the early 1980s, WOKI dropped the hard and southern rock and sports, and became strictly a mainstream Top 40 station thru 1993, broadcasting as "FM 100", "Hits 100", and "I-100".
In 1993, the station became known as "The Hitkicker," broadcasting acountry music format until 1997 when it briefly became “Outlaw Country 100.3.” That was followed by a classic hits format, known as “Eagle 100”. In 2001 WOKI-FM changed to anAdult Album Alternative (AAA) format as "100.3 The River", which was later "98.7 The River" when the WOKI call letters moved to 98.7.[citation needed] The 100.3 frequency then switched to atalk radio format whenWNOX moved to WOKI's frequency on July 19, 2010.
On July 7, 2010, Oak Ridge FM announced plans for WNOX to stay with its talk format but with different hosts.[4]
WOKI's tower, while on 100.3, was located onCross Mountain.[5] That tower had an elevation of 3,534 feet, located north ofBriceville, Tennessee. Accordingly, its signal could be received throughoutEast Tennessee as well as parts ofKentucky,Virginia,South Carolina,North Carolina,West Virginia andGeorgia.
The station at 98.7 MHz firstsigned on the air on September 15, 1989; 36 years ago (1989-09-15).[6] Itscall sign wasWXVO, airing a country music format. It was owned by Charles E. Phillips.
It later switched toactive rock as "98.7 The X". From 1999 to 2002 the station wasWSMJ, with asmooth jazz format. AsWYIL "Wild 98.7", the station wasRhythmic Contemporary.[7][8] At that point, it moved from 100.3 to 98.7. Starting in 2007 the station was known as "98.7 Earl-FM" with anoldies format usingThe True Oldies Channel.
On June 14, 2010, it was announced that on July 9, sister stationWNOX would move its talk radio format to WOKI's 100.3 frequency while WOKI's music format would switch to 98.7 FM.[9] Citadel merged withCumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[10] The 100.3 frequency has since switched to Country stationWCYQ, owned bySummitMedia.
After filing forbankruptcy,Citadel Broadcasting ended its lease agreement with Oak Ridge FM, Inc. for the 100.3 WNOX frequency two years early.[11] On July 19, 2010WNOX moved its former programming to 98.7 WOKI, with 100.3 FM airing nothing but reminders that former WNOX listeners should turn to 98.7.[12] The switch came 14 days earlier than they had originally announced.[11] The True Oldies Channel programming has since moved toWMTY AM 670 andWMTY-FM 98.7 MHz.[13]