 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Harrisburg metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 102.3MHz |
| Branding | Red 102.3 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Affiliations | Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | 1959; 66 years ago (1959) (as WHYL-FM)[1] |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "Cat" (previous branding of106.7 FM) |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 74557 |
| Class | A |
| ERP |
|
| HAAT | 100 meters (330 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°17′23″N77°08′09″W / 40.289806°N 77.135806°W /40.289806; -77.135806 |
| Repeater(s) | 1480 WRDD (Shippensburg) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaTuneIn) |
| Website | www |
WCAT-FM (102.3MHz "Red 102.3") is acommercial radio stationlicensed toCarlisle, Pennsylvania, and serving theHarrisburg metropolitan area. It is owned by Harold Z. Swidler, with the license held by Radio Carlisle, Inc. WCAT-FM broadcasts acountry music format, mixing current and recent hits withclassic country. Programming issimulcast on co-ownedWRDD (1480 AM) inShippensburg, Pennsylvania. The radio studios and offices are on North Hanover Street in Carlisle.
WCAT-FM has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 3,000 wattshorizontal polarization and 2,750 watts vertical polarization. Thetransmitter is on Spring Road (Route 24) inMiddlesex Township, Pennsylvania.[3]
In 1959, WHYL-FM firstsigned on the air. It was a simulcast of co-ownedWHYL (960 AM). The two stations were owned by Mid-Atlantic Broadcasting. WHYL had amiddle of the road format of popular adult music, news and sports. By the 1970s, WHYL-FM began playingcountry music usingbroadcast automation.
On December 31, 1979, thecall sign changed to WZUE and was branded as "Zoo 102". The WZUE calls were short-lived as the call sign reverted to WHYL-FM on October 14, 1981, branded as "Country 102". On April 26, 2002, the call sign was changed to WRKZ-FM. It began as a simulcast ofWCAT-FM 106.7, and branded itself as "Cat Country 106.7". After a brief period, WRKZ-FM flipped formats to all-1980s rock hits and re-branded itself as "Z102.3".
Another format change came shortly thereafter when "Cat Country 106.7" WCAT-FM, on 106.7, changed its call sign to WCPP (known as "Cool Pop") and changed its format tohot AC. On February 17, 2004, the WCAT-FM call sign was moved to 102.3, the format was again changed to country, and it became "Red 102.3".
Citadel Broadcasting, the station's former owner, merged withCumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[4] To comply withDepartment of Justice regulations, WCAT-FM, the license forWWKL, and the intellectual property ofWTPA, along withWRSR inFlint, Michigan, were transferred to Potential Broadcasting LLC. In August 2012, Potential Broadcasting sold WCAT-FM to Harold Z. Swidler, owner ofWIOO in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.[5] The sale was consummated on November 7, 2012. The studio facilities were relocated fromCamp Hill, Pennsylvania, at the former home of Citadel Harrisburg, to Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
The station has a "New Country & The Legends" format, with an emphasis on the local community, as reflected on the official website, boasting "Community-Minded Local Radio. Local Personalities. Local Owners."
