WFYX
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name = WFYX
| logo = WFYX Penguin 96.3 101.7 106.5 106.7 logo.png
| logo_size =
| logo_alt =
| caption =
| city = Walpole, New Hampshire
| country = US
| area = Monadnock Region, Upper Valley
| frequency = {{Frequency|96.3|MHz}}
| branding = The Penguin
| language = English
| format = Adult hits
| affiliations = {{ubl|CBS News Radio|Boston Red Sox Radio Network}}
| owner = Great Eastern Radio, LLC
| licensee =
| sister_stations = WEEY, WGXL, WHDQ, WKKN, WTHK, WTSL, WTSV, WWOD, WXXK
| airdate = {{Start date and age|2001|1}}
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WLPL (1991–2001)|WCFR-FM (2001–2005)|WPLY-FM (2005–2008)}}
| licensing_authority = FCC
| facility_id = 23307
| class = A
| erp = 320 watts
| haat = {{convert|124|m|ft|sp=us}}
| coordinates = {{coord|43|8|14|N|72|25|59|W|region:US-NH_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| translators = {{ubl|{{Radio Relay|106.5|W293AB|Keene}}|{{Radio Relay|106.7|W294AB|Hanover|WHDQ-HD3}}}}
| repeaters = {{Radio Relay|106.1|WHDQ-HD3|Claremont}}
| webcast = {{listenlive|url=https://streamdb9web.securenetsystems.net/v5/index.cfm?stationCallSign=WTSV}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.thepenguinradio.com}}
}}
WFYX (96.3 FM, "The Penguin") is a radio station broadcasting an adult hits music format. Licensed to Walpole, New Hampshire, United States, it serves the Monadnock Region in Southwestern New Hampshire and Southeastern Vermont. It first began broadcasting in 2001 under the call sign WLPL. The station is owned by Great Eastern Radio. Programming is simulcast with the third HD Radio channel of WHDQ (106.1 FM) in Claremont and translator W294AB (106.7 FM) in Hanover, which serve the Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction area; a second translator, W293AB (106.5 FM), serves Keene.
History
The station went on the air in January 2001 as WLPL, owned by Gary Savoie and simulcasting Vox Radio Group-owned oldies station WWOD (104.3 FM).{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-010115.html|title=Citadel, WROL, and WKOX -- Sold!|last=Fybush|first=Scott|date=January 15, 2001|work=North East RadioWatch|accessdate=August 3, 2009}} WLPL's sign on was delayed when environmental objections prevented the station from building a tower in Athens, Vermont;{{cite news|last=Fybush|first=Scott|title=Back to Boston|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-970522.html|accessdate=December 2, 2012|newspaper=North East RadioWatch|date=May 22, 1997}}{{cite news|last=Fybush|first=Scott|title=ARS Grows Again|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-970605.html|accessdate=December 2, 2012|newspaper=North East RadioWatch|date=June 5, 1997}} it chose to transmit from an existing tower in New Hampshire. The call letters were changed to WCFR-FM on October 19, shortly after they were dropped from WXKK (93.5 FM, now WEEY);{{cite news|last=Fybush|first=Scott|title=North East RadioWatch|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-011029.html|accessdate=December 2, 2012|date=October 29, 2001}}{{cite web|title=Call Sign History (WFYX)|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=23307&Callsign=WFYX|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|accessdate=December 2, 2012}} soon afterward, Savoie sold the station to Vox.{{cite news|last=Fybush|first=Scott|title=Doing the Albany Shuffle|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-011105.html|accessdate=December 2, 2012|newspaper=North East RadioWatch|date=November 5, 2001}} Nassau Broadcasting Partners acquired most of Vox's northern New England radio stations, including WCFR and WWOD, in 2004.{{cite news|title=Nassau Will Buy 10 Vox Stations in New England|url=http://www.rwonline.com/article/nassau-will-buy-10-vox-stations-in-new-england/10025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524014413/http://www.rwonline.com/article/nassau-will-buy-10-vox-stations-in-new-england/10025|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 24, 2013|accessdate=December 2, 2012|newspaper=Radio World|date=March 16, 2004}} WCFR-FM's call letters were changed to WPLY-FM on October 12, 2005, then to WFYX on October 7, 2008.
WFYX, WWOD, and 28 other Nassau stations in northern New England were purchased at bankruptcy auction by Carlisle Capital Corporation, a company controlled by Bill Binnie (owner of WBIN-TV in Derry), on May 22, 2012. The stations, and 11 of the other stations, were then acquired by Vertical Capital Partners, controlled by Great Eastern Radio owner Jeff Shapiro. As this would put Shapiro over the U.S. Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) ownership limits in the Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction market, WWOD and WEXP were acquired by Electromagnetic Company, a company controlled by William and Gail Goddard; WFYX was not included in that transaction.{{cite news|title=Carlisle Capital Corp. Wins Bidding For Rest Of Nassau Stations|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/106283/carlisle-capital-corp-wins-bidding-for-rest-of-nas|accessdate=May 22, 2012|newspaper=All Access|date=May 22, 2012}}{{cite news|last=Venta|first=Lance|title=Nassau Broadcasting Auction Results|url=http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/57250/nassau-broadcasting-auction-results/|accessdate=June 16, 2012|newspaper=RadioInsight|date=May 22, 2012}} (updated June 14, 2012){{cite news|title=Jeff Shapiro spins off two former Nassau FMs to "Electromagnetic"|url=http://www.radio-info.com/news/jeff-shapiro-spins-off-two-former-nassau-fms-to-electromagnetic|accessdate=June 16, 2012|newspaper=Radio-Info.com|date=June 15, 2012}} As a result, on December 1, 2012, WFYX began to simulcast classic hits station WMXR (93.9 FM, now WWOD), while 104.3 FM left the air{{cite news|last=Venta|first=Lance|title=Northern New England Change Rundown|url=http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/79804/northern-new-england-change-rundown/|accessdate=December 2, 2012|newspaper=RadioInsight|date=December 1, 2012}} (that station is now WJKS in Keeseville, New York). The Vertical Capital Partners stations were transferred to Great Eastern Radio on January 1, 2013.{{cite web|title=APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGN BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE OR TO TRANSFER CONTROL OF ENTITY HOLDING BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1533507&Service=FM&Form_id=316&Facility_id=17798|date=December 11, 2012|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|accessdate=June 8, 2013}}{{cite web|title=Consummation Notice|url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1536345&Form_id=905&Facility_id=17798|date=January 4, 2013|work=CDBS Public Access|publisher=Federal Communications Commission|accessdate=June 8, 2013}}
On January 9, 2013, WFYX was granted an FCC construction permit to increase ERP to 600 watts. On July 7, 2016, Dartmouth College announced that WWOD and WFYX would be the new carriers of Big Green men's and women's basketball broadcasts as part of the Big Green Sports Network / Learfield Sports.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dartmouthsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=11600&ATCLID=211056403|title = New Home for Dartmouth Athletics on the Radio| date=July 7, 2016 }}
On November 1, 2017, Great Eastern Radio transferred the "Kool FM" programming, which by then had shifted to an oldies format provided by Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel, from WWOD to WHDQ-HD2 and W294AB; the format continued to simulcast on WFYX.[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/120854/great-eastern-shuffles-hanoverlebanon-nh/ Great Eastern Shuffles in Hanover/Lebanon, NH] Radioinsight - November 7, 2017
On October 1, 2024, WFYX and its simulcasts dropped the oldies format for adult hits, branded as "The Penguin". The "Penguin" programming was already available in the market via WTSL (1400 AM and 97.5 FM) in Hanover and W269DI (101.7 FM) in Claremont.[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/283039/the-penguin-expands-in-new-hampshire/ The Penguin Expands in New Hampshire] Radioinsight - October 7, 2024
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{officialwebsite|https://www.thepenguinradio.com}}
- {{FM station data|23307|WFYX}}
- {{FCC-LMS-Facility|17796|W293AB}}
- {{FXL|W293AB}}
; WHDQ-HD3 translator
- {{FCC-LMS-Facility|17799|W294AB}}
- {{FXL|W294AB}}
{{Brattleboro-Keene Radio}}
{{Lebanon-Hanover-White River Junction Radio}}
Category:2001 establishments in New Hampshire
Category:Adult hits radio stations in the United States
Category:Cheshire County, New Hampshire