| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Hartford |
| Frequency | 97.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Fox Sports 97-9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports radio |
| Subchannels | HD2:Bilingual AC "Magic" |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | July 1990; 35 years ago (1990-07)[1] |
Former call signs | WPKX (1990–2012) |
Call sign meaning | Connecticut Sports |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 46965 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 3,400 watts |
| HAAT | 135 meters (443 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°46′0″N72°40′38″W / 41.76667°N 72.67722°W /41.76667; -72.67722 (WUCS) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast |
|
| Website | foxsports979 |
WUCS (97.9FM) is a commercialsports radio station licensed toWindsor Locks, Connecticut, and owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. It serves as the Hartfordmedia market'sFox Sports Radio affiliate. The station broadcasts from studios and offices located on Columbus Boulevard in Hartford.
The station first signed on in July 1990[1] as WPKX, acountry music station licensed toEnfield, Connecticut. The station originally targetedSpringfield, Massachusetts, even though Enfield is part of the Hartford market. However, Enfield is on the Connecticut-Massachusetts state line. It was owned by SFX Broadcasting in the late 1990s, then Capstar. AMFM owned it briefly before being acquired by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) in 2000.
The station had anHD Radio HD2 station broadcastingAmericana music since early 2006.
In March 2010, Clear Channel Communications filed an application with the FCC to move the WPKXtransmitter fromProvin Mountain inFeeding Hills, Massachusetts to the top ofCity Place inDowntown Hartford, in a bid to move the station from the SpringfieldArbitron market to the larger and more lucrative Hartford Arbitron market.[3] In January 2011, the move was refiled with a city of license change to Windsor Locks; this followed an agreement withWMAS-FM, which agreed to change its city of license from Springfield to Enfield as part of a deal involving a Clear Channel-owned generator inAlbuquerque, New Mexico.[4] The previous country format moved toWRNX (100.9 FM).
On January 27, 2012, at 6 am, the station switched to asimulcast ofESPN Radio affiliateWPOP (1410 AM).[5] The call sign was changed to WUCS on February 7, 2012.[6] WPOP switched toFox Sports Radio in March 2012, with ESPN Radio remaining on WUCS.
As of the 2018–19 academic year, WUCS serves as the flagship station forConnecticut Huskies radio play-by-play, including the school'sfootball,hockey, andmen's andwomen's basketball programs. Coverage is produced for the school byIMG Media.[7]
The station switched affiliations from ESPN Radio to Fox Sports Radio and rebranded as "Fox Sports 97.9" on January 2, 2024.[8]