 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Charlotte/Metrolina |
| Frequency | 99.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 99.7 The Fox |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Subchannels | HD2:Black-oriented news (Black Information Network) |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| W254AZ,WEND,WHQC,WKKT,WLKO | |
| History | |
First air date | September 1964; 60 years ago (1964-09) (as WRKB-FM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Fox" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 53970 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 321 meters (1,053 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°17′13″N80°41′46″W / 35.287°N 80.696°W /35.287; -80.696 |
| Translator(s) | HD2: 98.7 W254AZ (Belmont) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | 997thefox |
WRFX (99.7FM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toKannapolis, North Carolina and serving theCharlotte metropolitan area. Owned byiHeartMedia, it airs aclassic rockradio format, and calls itself "99.7 The Fox." Theradio studios and offices are on Woodridge Center Drive in South Charlotte. WRFX was theflagship station for theJohn Boy and Billy Big Show, anationally syndicated morning show heard around the country.
WRFX has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts.[2] Thetransmitter is off Caldwell Road in Charlotte.[3] WRFX broadcasts usingHD Radio technology; itsdigital subchannel carries theall newsBlack Information Network, which feedsFM translatorW254AZ (98.7 MHz) inBelmont.[4]
In September 1964, the stationsigned on as WRKB-FM, in Kannapolis, North Carolina. The station was owned by formerWGTL chief engineer and radio/TV repair shop owner Foy T. Hinson, who also served as general manager and chief engineer.
Initially licensed with 3,000watts on a 150-foot (46 m) tower, the station covered most ofCabarrus County, North Carolina, andRowan County, North Carolina, but little beyond. WRKB-FM was co-owned withWRKB (1460 AM), andsimulcast the AM station's daytime-only operation, only separating from the AM station to carry high school sports in the evenings.
WRKB-FM's first studios were located at 101 West 1st Street in Kannapolis, on the second floor of a Jewelry Shop in a building owned by Cannon Mills. In 1967, the station built a 320-foot (98 m) tower and increased the FM power to 10,000 watts. The early format wasEasy Listening and was programmed by Bob Lee. With the additional power and tower height, the station could be heard from Charlotte in the south to Lexington in the north.
On weekdays from 3 to 5 p.m., the station played Top 40 music, on a program called "Tunes For Teens". Early in 1969, Foy T. Hinson died from lung cancer, and his wife, Gertrude Hinson began to manage the station. Her management tenure was short-lived, and in 1971 the WRKB stations were sold toSouthern Gospel singerBill Hefner who partnered with Cabarrus County judge Robert L. Warren.
Upon taking control of the stations, the operating hours of WRKB-FM were extended to 1 a.m. nightly and the stations launched a full-timecountry music format. Populardisc jockeys during this time were Randy Whitley, Kip Yates, Tracey Hudson, David Roberts, George Berry and Randy Turner, the latter of whom would return to the station 15 years later as Animal R. O'Boogie.
In 1972, the nighttime programming of WRKB-FM was changed tosouthern gospel music. Popular disc jockeys in this format includedJohn Stiles, Jeannette Kenley and Sammy Oxendine.
On July 12, 1976, the stations relocated to a studio/transmitter complex at 910 Fairview Street in Kannapolis, and WRKB-FM began broadcasting instereo. Less than a month later, the programming of the AM station was separated from that of the FM station. About a year later, the religious organization, ThePTL Club,brokered the overnight hours on WRKB-FM, to make it a 24-hour operation.
On May 15, 1982, the station began anadult contemporary format aimed at gaining new listeners in Charlotte. One month later, the station changed the call letters to WJZR. Downs Radio, Incorporated bought WJZR-FM in June 1983.
New owner/General Manager Paul Downs extensively improved the station technically, and built out the station's existingconstruction permit for a power increase to 50,000 watts, significantly improving its coverage in Charlotte. Simultaneously with the August 1983 power increase, the format flipped from Adult Contemporary toTop 40. The station was then branded as "Z-100".
In late 1985, the WJZR transmitter moved to a 1,000-foot (300 m) tower nearEnochville, North Carolina, in Rowan County, and the power increased to the legal maximum 100,000 watts. The station made the change toalbum-oriented rock under its current call letters WRFX, "99.7 The Fox", in 1986.[5] Later that year,John Boy and Billy were hired as morning hosts.[6] The show began airing nationally in 1993 out of WRFX's studios.
Over the years, the station's music has moved more in aclassic rock direction. In 1996, the WRFX transmitter site moved again, this time to co-locate withWTVI's facilities in Charlotte.
After 38 years, WRFX droppedJohn Boy and Billy on November 15, 2024; the show will continue to be syndicated by iHeart's Premier Networks.[7]
In 2000, WRFX became the flagship station of theNFL'sCarolina Panthers. That agreement ended after the 2004 season, when the Panthers went back toWBT, their flagship prior to 2000.[8] It picked up sports programming again from 2008 to 2011, simulcastingNorth Carolina Tar Heels basketball with formerly co-ownedSports radio stationWFNZ to compensate for the latter's limited nighttime signal.
In 2011, WRFX joined thePerformance Racing Network to carryNASCARSprint Cup Series races.[9]
The station became the flagship of the Carolina Panthers Radio Network once again starting with the 2022 season.[8]
In August 2014,FM translator W254AZ 98.7 MHz began broadcasting asports talk format from WRFX'sdigital subchannel. This station was anetwork affiliate ofFox Sports Radio, and was also heard oniHeartRadio. Jeff Kent was program director. The programming includedAndy Furman and Mike North in the morning drive,Dan Patrick in the late morning andSteve Gorman in the afternoon.[10]
On August 1, 2016, Martz Media Inc. began leasing the HD channel and translator, and flipped it toSpanishCHR as "Ke Buena 98.7".[11][12]
At 8:00 p.m. on October 31, 2017, iHeartMedia re-assumed control of the HD2 channel and translator, and flipped the Spanish CHR format to an all-Christmas music format as "Christmas 98.7."[13] On December 29, 2017, the station flipped toContemporary Christian as "UP! 98.7". "Christmas 98.7" would return to W254AZ/WRFX-HD2 at the start of November for the 2018 and 2019 holiday seasons, with "UP! 98.7" returning after Christmas.
On June 29, 2020, fifteen iHeart stations in markets with largeAfrican American populations, including W254AZ/WRFX-HD2, beganstunting with African American speeches, interspersed with messages such as "Our Voices Will Be Heard" and "Our side of the story is about to be told," with a new format slated to launch on June 30.[14][15] That day, W254AZ/WRFX-HD2, along with the other fourteen stations, became the launch stations for theBlack Information Network, an African American-orientedall-news network.[16]