 | |
| Broadcast area | Indianapolis metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 93.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 93.9X |
| Programming | |
| Format | Mainstream rock |
| Subchannels | HD2:WXNT simulcast (sports radio) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WFMS,WJJK,WNTR,WXNT,WZPL | |
| History | |
First air date | February 12, 1993; 32 years ago (1993-02-12) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Indy's X |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 71438 |
| Class | B1 |
| ERP | 8,400 watts |
| HAAT | 140 meters (460 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 39°49′39″N85°58′51″W / 39.82750°N 85.98083°W /39.82750; -85.98083 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live Listen live (via TuneIn) |
| Website | www |
WNDX (93.9FM) is acommercial radio station,licensed toLawrence, Indiana, and serving theIndianapolis metropolitan area. It is owned byCumulus Media and airs amainstream rockradio format, using the moniker93-9X. The studios and offices are located on North Shadeland Avenue on the east side of Indianapolis.
WNDX'stransmitter is located off 38th Street, also on the east side of Indianapolis.[3] It is licensed by theFederal Communications Commission to broadcast in theHD (hybrid) format.[4]
The stationsigned on the air on February 12, 1993, as WXTZ, "Ecstasy 93.9." It was licensed toFishers, and carried aneasy listening format similar to the original WXTZ, which broadcast at 103.3 several years prior.[5]
The easy format lasted until January 15, 1996, when it was dropped in favor ofABC Radio's now-defunct "Solid Gold Soul" satellite format, which playedurban oldies, using the moniker "Gold 93.9."[6][7][8] Thecall sign changed to WGLD in February 1996 to reflect this change.[1]
Solid Gold Soul was short-lived, and on October 10, 1996, WGLD changed to another satellite format, Jones Radio Network'ssmooth jazz format.[9]
The license was sold toSusquehanna Broadcasting in 1997. Management decided that Susquehanna's moderncountry music "flanker station," WGRL "104.5 The Bear," would be moved to 93.9, while a new format, under 93.9's WGLD calls, would be placed on 104.5. To smooth over the transition, the two stations begansimulcasting "The Bear" on May 30, 1997.[10] Once the move was complete on June 10, the WGLD call letters moved to 104.5 and becameoldies "Gold 104.5."[1][11] The frequency switch did not help WGRL's ratings, as it experienced a substantial ratings drop once "The Bear" moved to 93.9. As a result, the station became more music-intensive and several disc jockeys were let go. By 2001, WGRL simulcast WFMS in morningdrive time while Donnie Claw, the lone survivor from the 104.5 days, hosted the afternoon drive shift. The end of The Bear came on November 19, 2001, when the format was dropped forChristmas music as "93.9 The Christmas Channel."[12]
On December 25, 2001, 93.9 flipped to an80s hits format as "Retro 93-9."[13][14]
The format lasted until July 9, 2004, when – following a five-daystunt of TV themes as "TV 93.9" – the station flipped toContemporary Christian as "93.9 The Song."[15][16][17] The call sign was also changed at this time to WISG.[1] "The Song" lasted for a couple of years and saw modest success.
A month after the format change, in August 2004, WISG changed itscity of license from Fishers to Lawrence, relocated its transmitter fromNoblesville to east Indianapolis, and upgraded its power from 2,950 watts to 6,900 watts to provide better coverage of the Indianapolisradio market (it later upgraded to 8,400 watts in 2011).
On December 26, 2006, "The Song" was moved to 93.9's HD2 channel while a newtalk format, known as "FM Talk 93.9," moved to the main channel.[18] The station's call letters were changed to WWFT.[1]
WWFT aired mostlynationally syndicated programming, featuringMancow,Sean Hannity,Dave Ramsey, and others until November 16, 2007, when programming was replaced with the return of "93.9 The Christmas Channel."[19] At Noon on Christmas Day, WWFT dropped Christmas music and stunted again, repeating the tracks "Lonesome Road" byDean Elliot & His Big Band and "Swans Splashdown" byJean-Jacques Perrey.
A new format,soft adult contemporary "Warm 93-9," debuted at 9:39 a.m. on January 2, 2008, with a commitment to play 93 hours of commercial-free music during its first week. The first song played on "Warm 93-9" wasThe Police's "Every Breath You Take".[20][21] On March 3, 2008, WWFT changed call letters to WRWM.[1] The program director and morning drive host was Fritz Moser. During the Warm era, "The Song" returned to the main station for six hours on Sunday mornings.
At 12:01 a.m. on July 2, 2009, the station dropped the 18-month-old Soft AC format; the station had finished 21st in the most recent Arbitron ratings and never mounted a serious challenge to main rivalWYXB. The last song on "Warm" wasThe Beach Boys' "Kokomo". Afterwards, the station began stunting again, this time with construction sounds.[22] At 9:40 a.m. on July 3,2009, the station flipped toTop 40/CHR as "Indy's Hit Music Station, i94" and launched with 940 songs commercial-free. The format change marks the frequency's sixth new format since 2001. i94's first song wasThe Black Eyed Peas' "Boom Boom Pow".[23][24]
In July2011, the station adjusted its daytime format tohot adult contemporary, while remaining CHR at night. This did not attract many listeners, with i94 losing the ratings battle againstWNOW-FM andWZPL, along withWNTR when that station flipped to Hot AC in May 2013.
On December 19, 2014, at 3 p.m., after promoting a "major announcement about i94," WRWM began airing a "Classic Hip-Hop Holiday Weekend", forcing rivalWHHH to do the same. Unlike WHHH, however, WRWM announced the following Monday that it would switch to the format full-time, keeping the "i94" name but running jockless.[25] On January 26, 2015, at 9:39 a.m., the station re-branded as "93-9 The Beat", with no change in format.[26]
The flip increased the station's ratings dramatically, going from 15th to first place in the ratings in Indianapolis with a 7.7 share. However, this ratings surge was short-lived, as the station eventually fell back towards a 2.7 share by October 2017.[27][28] WRWM's initial success served as the basis ofWestwood One's "Classic Hip-Hop," a satellite-delivered format that was launched May 22, 2015.[29] Westwood One is co-owned with WRWM.
On November 17, 2017, at 5:30 p.m., after playing "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye" byBoyz II Men, and a 10-minute farewell montage and brief teasers for random new formats, WRWM began stunting withChristmas music again, this time as "93.9 North Pole Radio."[30] The station also began to post teasers on its Facebook page themed around the letter "E", and promoted that "E-Day" would occur at 9:39 a.m. on December 26. At that time, the station changed its call letters to WYRG, and returned to CHR as "Energy 93-9," launching with "...Ready for It?" byTaylor Swift.[28][31]
The future of Energy came in doubt in February 2019, with Cumulus acquiring then-rivalTop 40 (CHR) outletWZPL as part of a multi-station trade withEntercom, rendering Energy's format as redundant. Those doubts would be verified that May, as the sale closed, and WYRG began running liners advising that Energy would soon be "turned off" and redirecting listeners to WZPL.
On May 24, 2019, at noon, after playing "Bye Bye Bye" by*Nsync, Cumulus flipped WYRG to amainstream rock format as "93-9X". The station changed its call sign to WNDX on May 28, 2019. The first song on "93-9X" was "Enter Sandman" byMetallica, which began a commercial-freeMemorial Day weekend to launch the format.
The station now competes withiHeartMedia's combo ofclassic rockWFBQ andalternative rockWOLT.[32][33] Derrek Madden, the program director of co-owned mainstream rock stationKXXRMinneapolis, assisted with setting up WNDX with a similar format for the Indianapolis market. The majority of the station's DJs are pre-recorded from other Cumulus stations across the country.
