 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Danbury andBridgeport-New Haven |
| Frequency | 95.1MHz |
| Branding | I-95 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WDBY | |
| History | |
First air date | July 14, 1957; 68 years ago (1957-07-14) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Rock,I-95 |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 15391 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 29,500 watts |
| HAAT | 194 meters (636 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°29′36″N73°25′44″W / 41.4934°N 73.4290°W /41.4934; -73.4290 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | i95rock |
WRKI (95.1FM, "I-95") is acommercial radio stationlicensed toBrookfield, Connecticut, servingGreater Danbury andBridgeport-New Haven, Connecticut. The station is owned byTownsquare Media, and carries aclassic rockradio format. Its studios and offices are located on Federal Road (U.S. Route 202) in Brookfield; the station'stransmitter is located on Carmen Hill Road, also in Brookfield.
On July 14, 1957, the stationsigned on as WGHF.[2] It was owned by the Eastern Broadcasting System. Its AMsister station,WINE (940 AM) signed on in 1963 as asimulcast of WGHF. On December 10, 1967, the FM station'scall sign was changed to WINE-FM.[3]
WINE-AM-FM aired a popularcontemporary format, playing the Top 40 hits of the day. Because WINE was an AMdaytimer, required tosign off at sunset, WINE-FM continued the Top 40 sound into the night when AM 940 was off the air.
WINE-FM stopped simulcasting the AM station at the end of 1976. At 6:00 p.m. on December 24, 1976, it switched to analbum-oriented rock format. The first song played was "The Bitch Is Back" byElton John. On May 11, 1977, WINE-FM changed its call sign to WRKI,[3] using the name of a majorinterstate highway in its listening area,I-95.
The station's original slogan was "Fairfield County's Best Rock". In 1982 the station had a brief detour intomodern rock andnew wave music as "The Rock of the 80s" but soon returned to its album rock sound. The station has also been known as "The Non-Stop Rock Station", "Connecticut's Best Rock & Roll", "Connecticut's Rock & Roll Favorites", "Real Rock" and "Danbury's Rock Station" but has most consistently been and currently known as "The Home of Rock 'n' Roll".
WRKI and WINE were acquired byCumulus Media in 2002.[4] Cumulus is one of the largest owners of radio stations in the U.S.
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in whichTownsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus Media stations, including WRKI and WINE, for $238 million. The deal was part of Cumulus Media's acquisition ofDial Global. Townsquare Media and Dial Global are both controlled byOaktree Capital Management. The sale toTownsquare Media was completed on November 14, 2013.[5]
Upon Townsquare taking control of WRKI, the new owner moved the station toclassic rock. Unlike several Townsquare radio stations, WRKI kept most of the station's local disc jockeys.[6][7]