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| Broadcast area | Fort Myers -Naples -Southwest Florida |
| Frequency | 107.1MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Cat Country 107.1 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBCG,WBTT,WCCF,WCVU,WIKX,WOLZ,WWCD,WZJZ | |
| History | |
First air date | January 1, 1976 (1976-01-01) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | sounds like "Cat" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 55755 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 23,500 watts |
| HAAT | 220 meters (720 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | catcountry1071.iheart.com |
WCKT (107.1FM) is a commercialradio station licensed toLehigh Acres, Florida, and serving theFort Myers-Naples area ofSouthwest Florida. It airs acountry music format branded as "Cat Country" and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. In morning drive time, the station carriesThe Bobby Bones Show fromNashville. It airsThe Boxer Show with Brandon Nasby fromWCOL-FMColumbus in evenings.[2] And overnight,After Midnite with Granger Smith is heard. WCKT's studios and offices are on Metro Parkway in Fort Myers.
WCKT is aClass C2 FM station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 23,500 watts. The transmitter is off Old 41 Road at Channel 30 Drive inBonita Springs.
The station signed on the air on January 1, 1976.[3] Its call sign was WAYK-FM and it was owned by Broadcast Management, Inc., as the sister station to WAYK 1440 AM (nowWWCL). At first, WAYK-FM wasautomated with abeautiful music format. It played quarter-hour sweeps of soft, mostly instrumental music and was an affiliate of theABC Information Network. It was originally powered at just 2,350 watts, a fraction of its current output.
In the late 1970s,disco music was gaining in popularity. In 1979, the format was flipped to all-disco and the call letters were changed to WSWF-FM (standing for Southwest Florida). In 1985, the station flipped toalbum-oriented rock (AOR) and the call letters were changed to WOOJ (Orange Rock 107). In 1988, facing competition from a new and more powerful rock competitor, 96.1WRXK, WOOJ tweaked its format toclassic rock.
In 1989, the station changed to "Cat Country 107.1" and the call sign became WCKT. In only one ratings period, the new Cat Country beat longtime Southwest Florida country outlet 101.9 WHEW to become the area's #1 country station. WCKT programmed a music intensive format up against WHEW's morefull service personality approach. WCKT 107.1 continued for several years until WHEW made a major change. It stayed country but becomeWWGR as "Gator Country 101.9" about the same time as the Ft. Myers and Naples markets were combined to become oneradio market. Since then, WWGR has been the #1 country outlet in the Ft. Myers - Naples metro area.
In 1996, WCKT was acquired byClear Channel Communications, which changed its name to iHeartMedia in 2014.[4] During WCKT's history, Clear Channel briefly had the station on its 100.1 FM frequency (what is nowWZJZ). Even though the 100.1 frequency is a stronger Class C1 signal, it is based inPort Charlotte. Its tower there didn't send a strong enough signal to cover the population living around Naples andMarco, on the southern end of the Fort Myers-Naples market.
In 2007, "Cat Country" returned to the 107.1 frequency. Over the years, it has gotten a boost in power and antenna height to better cover the spread-out Fort Myers radio market.
26°19′01″N81°47′13″W / 26.317°N 81.787°W /26.317; -81.787