 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Syracuse metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 1490kHz |
| Branding | Fox Sports 1490 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Sports radio |
| Affiliations | Fox Sports Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | |
| History | |
First air date | May 5,1940[2] |
Former call signs | |
Call sign meaning | Wolf |
| Technical information[5] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 73380 |
| Class | C |
| Power | 1,000 watts unlimited |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°3′30.24″N76°9′58.73″W / 43.0584000°N 76.1663139°W /43.0584000; -76.1663139[4] |
| Translator | 92.5 W223CP (Syracuse) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | foxsports1490 |
WOLF (1490kHz) is a commercialsports radio formatted broadcast AM radio station licensed toSyracuse, New York, serving theSyracuse metropolitan area. The station is owned byCraig Fox, who also owns several other radio and low-power TV stations in thestate of New York. The WOLFbroadcast license is held by WOLF Radio, Inc.[6] The station is also simulcast on FMtranslator W223CP at 92.5 FM, on theFM6 service ofWVOA-LD at 87.75 FM, and inFulton, New York, onWOSW 1300 AM and its FM translator, W253BZ at 98.5 FM.
WOLF first signed on in Syracuse shortly after the start ofWorld War II. Like all local-channel AMs, it was initially limited to only 250 watts of power. During the early 1960s it was permitted to raise daytime power to 1,000 watts, and increased night power to 1,000 watts a decade later along with nearly all other local-channel (Class C) AM stations in the United States. It long programmed a personalitypopular music format, and for many years was highly competitive within its signal area with stronger regional (Class B) signals from similarly formatted stations includingWNDR andWFBL, although it was unable to achieve full metropolitan coverage especially after sunset. In 1984, WOLF began broadcasting inAM stereo using theKahn-Hazeltine independent sideband system. In the 1990s, WOLF stopped broadcasting in AM stereo.[7]
Past radio personalities at WOLF include:
The call sign was changed to WAQX in 1984.[8] It became WNYR on October 4, 1988;[9][10] WNNR on April 1, 1989; and returned to WOLF on October 23, 1989.[10]
On May 3, 1999, WOLF (alongsideWOLF-FM andWKGJ) became theRadio Disney affiliates in theSyracuse metropolitan area,[11][12] and the station switched back using the AM stereo system, this time with aMotorola system. Two weeks later, WOLF stopped broadcasting in AM stereo again. In June 2001,WBGJ started the simulcast of WOLF.[13] On November 25, 2006,WAMF also started the simulcast of WOLF as result of the sale of the station to Craig Fox;[14][15] although in October, the WAMF callsign was heard in the ID of Radio Disney stations in Syracuse.[16]
In December 2006, the FM stations split off and flipped to theMOViN format.[17] In September 2012, WAMF (now WOSW) dropped Radio Disney and flipped to Country.[18]
In December 2013,WMBO dropped the WOLF simulcast and flipped to all-Beatles programming.[19][20] On February 1, 2014, Radio Disney (as part of its phaseout of terrestrial broadcasting) canceled its affiliation with WOLF. WOLF was the last Radio Disney station not owned by theABC, Inc. subsidiary ofThe Walt Disney Company. This resulted in the station goingoff-the-air as it transitioned to a new format, originally slated according to FCC filings to happen in August 2014.[21]
At the time, a construction permit was filed for a new FM translator at 93.9 FM by Pathway Community Radio, Inc. to simulcast WOLF.[22] However, this was never completed.
WOLF was still silent in January 2015. As a result, the station temporarily signed on with a simulcast ofWNDR-FM to keep the station's license active.[23]
On July 20, 2015, the station flipped to sports as theFox Sports Radio affiliate on the area. The station broadcasts the national network lineup.[24] Fox Sports Radio had previously been heard in the area on network owned-and-operatedWHEN until late 2010.
In May 2017, the station began simulcasting on FMtranslator W223CP at 92.5 FM.
On December 18, 2023, the station began simulcasting at 87.75MHz as an ancillary or supplementary analog service ofWVOA-LD, one of only fourteen suchFM6 stations licensed in the United States.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W223CP | 92.5 FM | Syracuse, New York | 13910 | 250 | D | 43°3′30.2″N76°9′58.7″W / 43.058389°N 76.166306°W /43.058389; -76.166306 (W223CP) | LMS |
Listeners' Network ... bought WOLF in January 1981 from Deer River Broadcasting. In July of last year, WOLF switched from Top 40 to country and western format.