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| Broadcast area | Reno metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Wild 102.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Rhythmic contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KBUL-FM,KKOH,KNEV | |
| History | |
First air date | 1966 (as KTHO-FM at 103.1) |
Former call signs | KTHO-FM (1966–1990) KZFF (1990–1992) KGLE (1992–1996) KZZF (1996–2000) KNVQ (2000–2003) |
Former frequencies | 103.1 MHz (1966-1980s) |
Call sign meaning | KWYL = WYLD. Pronounced WILD |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 67816 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 39,000watts |
| HAAT | 892 meters (2927 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | Wild1029.com |
KWYL (102.9MHz) is acommercialFMradio stationlicensed toSouth Lake Tahoe, California, and serving theReno metropolitan area. The station broadcasts in full 5.1 digital surround sound and has arhythmic contemporaryradio format. It is owned byCumulus Media. Thestudios and offices are located on Plumb Lane in South Reno.
KWYL has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 39,000watts. Thetransmitter is inNew Washoe City, Nevada, nearSlide Mountain, amid thetowers for other Reno-area FM and TV stations.[2] Programming can also be heard on a 250 wattFM translator, 106.1K291AA inBattle Mountain, Nevada.[3]
In April 1966, the stationsigned on the air asKTHO-FM at 103.1 MHz. It was owned by the Emerald Broadcasting Company,simulcasting the programming of itssister stationKTHO590 AM, both licensed then toTahoe Valley, California. The licensing was changed to South Lake Tahoe when Tahoe Valley became part of the newly incorporated City of South Lake Tahoe. The AM-FM simulcast format featuredmiddle of the road music per theBillboard magazine "Easy Listening" charts. KTHO-AM-FM also used news and information fromABC News Radio.
In 1973, KTHO-FM started a separately programmedbeautiful music format that was largelyautomated. Later, itscall sign was changed toKZFR ("K-Zephyr"), then briefly another change, but changed again to KZFF when its sought previous KZFR letters had already been reassigned elsewhere.
In the early 1980s, the station slightly shifted its dial position from 103.1 to 102.9 which allowed more coverage from a new transmitter location atop Genoa Peak on the eastern side of Lake Tahoe. A new ownership of the AM-FM combo sold-off the FM station to a Carson City, Nevada, operator who made another change of call-letters but that station was short-lived. Ultimately, and with another change of ownership, the transmitter site was moved again, to Slide Mountain, NV, affording greatly increased power and coverage. With its current call-sign KWYL at 102.9 and broadcasting from Reno, NV, it remains licensed as a South Lake Tahoe, CA station.
KWYL began broadcasting in2001 as "Wild 93.7", but in2003 switched frequencies to 102.9, giving the station more signal coverage. Prior to this change, it was a rhythmic oldies outlet known as KGVN ("93.7 The Groove") from2000 to2001.
The 93.7 signal was later used by two more top 40s stations after KWYL: Rhythmic KYWD ("93.7 The Bomb") from 2003 to2004, and KWNZ, which later returned to its former home at 97.3 as mainstream urbanKSGG, only to later move to an AM signal and a combined FM translator/HD2 channel by 2013; the AM switched formats to Sports in March 2014 but the HD2/FM translator broadcasts continues on as the sub channels of Top 40/CHR rivalKLCA. KWYL, which had reported to music trades as a Mainstream Top 40 while still in a rhythmic top 40 direction, was officially moved toMediabase's Rhythmic panel in April 2014 (BDS followed suit in June 2016)[4]
39°18′36″N119°53′06″W / 39.310°N 119.885°W /39.310; -119.885