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| Broadcast area | Worcester County, Massachusetts |
| Frequency | 98.9MHz |
| Branding | 98.9 Nash Icon |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | April 8, 1994 (1994-04-08) |
Former call signs | WXXW (1994–1998) |
Call sign meaning | Former FM sister station ofWORC |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 50231 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 1,870 watts |
| HAAT | 125 meters (410 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°2′11.3″N71°59′20.3″W / 42.036472°N 71.988972°W /42.036472; -71.988972 (WORC-FM) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WORC-FM (98.9MHz) is acommercial radio stationlicensed toWebster, Massachusetts, and serving theWorcester metropolitan area. It is owned byCumulus Media and airs acountryradio format, mostly featuring songs from the 1990s and early 2000s, with occasional newer songs. The studios are on Commercial Street in Downtown Worcester in the Winsor Building. It carries the games of theWorcester Red Sox andWorcester Railers.
WORC-FM has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 1,870 watts. Itstransmitter is on Blackmere Road inDudley.[2] The station serves most ofWorcester County, Massachusetts, and northeasternConnecticut.
The station signed on April 8, 1994, as WXXW. Its initial format, a blend ofhot talk andoldies, would not launch until April 11; in the interim, the stationstunted by continuously playingBob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll".[3]
Following original owner Alan Okun's death on December 31, 1996,[4] the station and its AMsister stationWGFP were sold to Bengal Atlantic Communications in 1997.[5] Bengal Atlantic sold them to Chowder Broadcasting soon afterward.[6] Chowder switched WXXW to aclassic rock format in 1998.[7] In September, this was followed by acall sign change to WORC-FM, reflecting its newly-common ownership withWORC (1310 AM).[8]
Montachusett Broadcasting, the owner ofWXLO, acquired WORC-FM in 1999.[9] Several months later, the stations were sold toCitadel Broadcasting.[10] Citadel subsequently acquired competing classic rock stationWWFX and as a result reverted WORC-FM to oldies on May 26, 2000.[11] During its oldies era, WORC-FM would broadcastAmerican Top 40: The 70s withCasey Kasem on Saturday mornings and Sunday evenings.[12]
Citadel merged withCumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[13] On October 31, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., WORC-FM flipped to country music. It used Cumulus' brand for 1990s and 2000s country music, "Nash Icon".[14]
On July 7, 2017, theWorcester Railers hockey team announced that WORC-FM would broadcast its games.[15] In March 2020, WORC-FM was named as the flagship radio station for the inaugural season of theWorcester Red Sox. The games began to be broadcast in the 2021 season.[16]