 | |
| Broadcast area | Wilkes-Barre -Scranton -Northeastern Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 98.5 KRZ |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Subchannels |
|
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | 1948 (1948) |
Former call signs | WBRE-FM (1948–80) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 34379 |
| Class | B |
| ERP |
|
| HAAT | 357 meters (1,171 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°11′56.3″N75°49′4.7″W / 41.198972°N 75.817972°W /41.198972; -75.817972 (WKRZ) |
| Translator(s) | 103.9 W280FJ (Bloomsburg) HD3: 92.5 W223CC (Wilkes-Barre) HD3: 97.5 W248BP (Scranton) |
| Repeater(s) | 107.9 WKRF (Tobyhanna) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (via Audacy) |
| Website | www |
WKRZ (98.5FM, "98.5 KRZ") is a commercial radio stationlicensed toFreeland, Pennsylvania, and serving theWilkes-Barre -Scranton -Northeastern Pennsylvaniaradio market. It has aired acontemporary hit radio format since 1980. The station is owned byAudacy, Inc., through licensee Audacy License, LLC.
WKRZ has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 8,700 watts. The station broadcasts usingHD Radio; thecountry music programming of sister stationWGGY (Froggy 101) is heard on its HD2digital subchannel andFamily Life Network is heard on its HD3 digital subchannel. Thetransmittertower is located inBear Creek Township at (41°11′56.0″N75°49′5.0″W / 41.198889°N 75.818056°W /41.198889; -75.818056).[3] WKRZ programming issimulcast on WKRF (107.9 FM) inTobyhanna, serving theStroudsburg area of Pennsylvania andNew Jersey.
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The station firstsigned on in 1948.[4] Thecall sign was WBRE-FM, originally licensed toWilkes-Barre. It was thesister station to WBRE (1480 AM, nowWYCK).[5] The WBRE call letters stood for Baltimore Radio Exchange for the original owner, the Baltimore family, and not Wilkes-Barre like commonly thought. WBRE-AM-FM evolved through a number of radio formats and by the 1970s, wasall-news radio.[6] At first, the stations usedNBC's NIS (News and Information Service). When that was discontinued, it ran the all-news format with its own staff. WBRE-FM, up to that point, broadcast inFM mono since its start in 1948. The station's audience was loyal but the ratings were not great.[7]
WBRE-FM made a big change in 1980, when it was sold. The new owners addedFM stereo, along with a format switch tocontemporary hit radio music, and with the call sign change to the present WKRZ. WKRZ has been a contemporary hit radio station since 1980, branded at first as98½ FM KRZ. The station was sold in 1999 toEntercom Communications.[8]
Entercom receivedFederal Communications Commission (FCC) approval in 2003 to move co-owned WAMT (103.1 FM, nowWILK-FM) from Freeland toAvoca. As a condition of the move, Entercom agreed to change thecity of license of WKRZ from Wilkes-Barre to Freeland due to FCC concerns about the "loss of local service" to Freeland because of the WAMT move. In practice, the only change was the legalstation identification.[9] The studios remained in Wilkes-Barre and the transmitter remains in Bear Creek Township.
One full-power stationsimulcasts the programming of WKRZ:
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | Facility ID | ERP W | Height m (ft) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | Service contour |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WKRF | 107.9 FM | Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania | 14643 | 830 | 267.7 meters (878 ft) | A | 41°02′39.6″N75°22′37.7″W / 41.044333°N 75.377139°W /41.044333; -75.377139 (WKRF) | CoversStroudsburg, Pennsylvania |
This station was originally assigned the WPMR call sign on November 29, 1989. The call sign was changed to WPMR-FM on March 11, 1992[10] and was off the air but began a simulcast of WKRZ in 1995.[11] Its call sign was changed to WKRF on May 15, 1995.[10]
WKRZ is short-spaced toWYCRRocky 98.5 (licensed to serveYork-Hanover, Pennsylvania) as they operate on the same channel and the distance between the stations' transmitters is 110 miles as determined by FCC rules.[12] The minimum distance between twoClass B stations operating on the same channel according to currentFCC rules is 150 miles.[13]WKRF is short spaced to WPPZ-FM in Pennsauken, New Jersey and WOTH-FM in Williamsport.
