| Broadcast area | Evansville, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 105.3MHz |
| Branding | My 105.3 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WDKS,WGBF,WGBF-FM,WKDQ | |
| History | |
First air date | 1964 (1964) (as WVHI-FM) |
Former call signs | WVHI-FM (1964–1982) WYNG (1982–2003) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 36946 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 150 meters |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | my1053wjlt.com |
WJLT (105.3FM, "My 105.3") is aradio station inEvansville, Indiana. Owned byTownsquare Media, it broadcasts anadult contemporary format.
The station started asWVHI-FM, a religious station.
In 1982, the owners decided to compete with WBKR and changed to acountry music format. The station becameWYNG (Wing 105).
WYNG was successful through the 1980s, but then things began to sour. The first blow came when WBKR started to targetEvansville, IN a little more (it was primarily targetingOwensboro, Kentucky, but had a 100 kW signal that was received in Evansville). The second blow came in 1992 when WKDQ dumped itsAdult Contemporary/Oldies hybrid format in favor of country, immediately taking numbers from WYNG. A third blow came when, in a desperate move, WYNG dumped its Wing 105 moniker and started calling itself Y105 and trying to target younger listeners.
WYNG was later acquired byCumulus Media (along with WGBF-FM/AM, WDKS, and WTRI) and later spun toClear Channel Communications (now known as iHeartMedia). Clear Channel elected to move WYNG to the 94.9 frequency which was a 50 kW facility, but the transmitter was further north inMount Carmel, Illinois, and ratings plummeted. Eventually the 94.9 frequency was sold toW. Russ Withers, Jr.
Meanwhile, Clear Channel decided to compete with Evansville's adult contemporary powerhouse and consistent ratings leaderWIKY-FM. With a callsign change to WJLT, Lite 105.3 took to the air, but the ratings plummeted for 105.3 in the new AC format. When Clear Channel spun off its Evansville cluster to Regent Communications (nowTownsquare Media), Regent flipped WJLT tooldies.
WJLT saw much success with that format, with respectable ratings among the top five or six stations in Evansville.[2]
A large part of that success was credited by listeners to the fact that Regent was able to lure Joe Blair, a popular local morning DJ who had previously built up a loyal audience at WIKY and later at WJPS-FM (nowWLYD, to take on the station's morning show.
As an oldies station, WJLT branded itself as "Superhits 105.3" and aired numerous television commercials. The station also simulcasted audio of local television stationWEHT when severe weather was in the area and WEHT carried wall-to-wall weather coverage.
On May 27, 2014, WJLT announced it would flip to sports talk on July 9; with the announcement, WJLT would release their entire airstaff, running jockless until the flip took place. WJLT took theESPN Radio affiliation, then heard on rimshotWYFX, with the change. The change took place at 3PM that day; the last song on Superhits 105.3 WJLT wasIt's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine) byR.E.M, and ESPN 105.3 launched with the premiere of "Ford & O'Bryan", the only local show on 105.3. WJLT became an affiliate of the Chicago Cubs Radio Network starting with the 2015 season.
On December 5, 2016, WJLT dropped ESPN Radio and began playing Christmas music as "My 105.3 WJLT", with a flip to adult contemporary to follow on the 26th. Under the AC format, 105.3 will go up against market powerhouseWIKY-FM.[3]
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)38°04′44″N87°36′36″W / 38.079°N 87.610°W /38.079; -87.610