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| Broadcast area | South Central Pennsylvania |
| Frequency | 96.9MHz |
| Branding | FM97 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | January 1948; 77 years ago (1948-01) |
Former frequencies | 92.3MHz (1945–1947) |
Call sign meaning | Lancaster |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 52259 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 152 meters (499 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°2′52.3″N76°27′23.9″W / 40.047861°N 76.456639°W /40.047861; -76.456639 (WLAN-FM) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | fm97 |
WLAN-FM (96.9MHz, "FM 97 WLAN") is a commercial radio stationlicensed to serveLancaster, Pennsylvania. The station is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC. WLAN-FM broadcasts acontemporary hit radio musicformat. Studios are located on Crown Avenue in Lancaster and the station's broadcast tower is located on Prospect Road inWest Hempfield Township.[2]
On December 5, 1945, theFederal Communications Commission granted Peoples Broadcasting Company a construction permit for a new station on 92.3 MHz.[3] Sam Altdoerffer owned Peoples Broadcasting.[4] The station was assigned the WLAN-FM call sign by the FCC on February 27, 1947.[3] On May 14, 1947, the FCC reassigned the station to 96.9 MHz.[3] The station went through several changes in transmitter location,effective radiated power (ERP) and antennaheight above average terrain (HAAT) by the time its first license was granted on April 14, 1952.[3]
WLAN-FM was a companion toWLAN. In its early years, WLAN-FMsimulcast the programming of its AM sister station. By the 1970s, WLAN-FM was airing a separatealbum-oriented rock format and was anaffiliate of theABC Radio FM Network.
On March 20, 1980, the station was granted a construction permit to relocate the transmitter to its current location inWest Hempfield Township, Lancaster County.[3] The station was granted a new license with the new facilities on November 20, 1980.[3]
In the early 1990s, FM97 had begun to lose both audience and revenue share to several competing radio stations in the Lancaster, York and Harrisburg radiomarkets. New GM/VP Chuck Lontine, with the help ofScott Shannon (then the program director ofWPLJ in New York City), created "The New Sound of FM 97 WLAN" in September 1993. This sound was a hybrid radio format ofhot AC, top 40 and someclassic rock. By avoiding hip hop and softer music, Lontine created a "listener delta strategy" between the popularWROZ (The Rose), which wassoft adult contemporary and harder edged stations in the market playing urban/hip hop and album rock. The results were favorable primarily with women between the ages of 25 and 34. Within a year, the station was ranked number one in the market by the Arbitron Ratings Company.[citation needed]
The station's license was transferred from Peoples Broadcasting Company toClear Channel Communications on September 29, 1997.[4][5]
In April 2018, in response to Cumulus Media movingWWKL to 106.7 (expanding the station's CHR format to cover Lancaster, York, and Reading), iHeartMedia began redirectingWHKF listeners to WLAN-FM to add Harrisburg to its scope. WHKF subsequently flipped to analternative rock format.[6] FM 97 covers Lancaster, Reading, York, Harrisburg, & Hershey.