WUCS

WUCS
Broadcast areaGreater Hartford
Frequency97.9 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingFox Sports 97.9
Programming
FormatSports radio
SubchannelsHD2: Bilingual AC "Magic"
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
July 1990; 34 years ago (1990-07)[1]
Former call signs
WPKX (1990–2012)
Call sign meaning
University of Connecticut—Storrs (station is flagship for Connecticut Huskies athletics)
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID46965
ClassA
ERP3,400 watts
HAAT135 meters (443 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°46′0″N 72°40′38″W / 41.76667°N 72.67722°W / 41.76667; -72.67722 (WUCS)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live (via iHeartRadio)
HD2: Listen live (via iHeartRadio)
Websitefoxsports979.iheart.com

WUCS (97.9 FM) is a commercial sports formatted radio station licensed to Windsor Locks, Connecticut. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and serves as the Hartford media market's Fox Sports Radio network affiliate. The station broadcasts from studios and offices are located on Columbus Boulevard in Hartford.

History

The station first signed on in July 1990[1] as WPKX, a country music station licensed to Enfield, Connecticut. The station originally targeted Springfield, Massachusetts, even though Enfield is part of the Hartford market. However, Enfield is on the Connecticut-Massachusetts state line. It was owned by SFX Broadcasting in the late 1990s, then Capstar. AMFM owned it briefly before being acquired by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) in 2000.

The station had an HD Radio HD2 station broadcasting Americana music since early 2006.

In March 2010, Clear Channel Communications filed an application with the FCC to move the WPKX transmitter from Provin Mountain in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts to the top of City Place in Downtown Hartford, in a bid to move the station from the Springfield Arbitron market to the larger and more lucrative Hartford Arbitron market.[3] In January 2011, the move was refiled with a city of license change to Windsor Locks; this followed an agreement with WMAS-FM, which agreed to change its city of license from Springfield to Enfield as part of a deal involving a Clear Channel-owned generator in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[4] The previous country format moved to WRNX (100.9 FM).

Logo as "ESPN 97.9"

On January 27, 2012, at 6 a.m., the station switched to a simulcast of ESPN Radio affiliate WPOP (1410 AM).[5] The call sign was changed to WUCS on February 7, 2012.[6] WPOP switched to Fox Sports Radio in March 2012, with ESPN Radio remaining on WUCS.

As of the 2018–19 academic year, WUCS serves as the flagship station for Connecticut Huskies radio play-by-play, including the school's football, hockey, and men's and women's basketball programs. Coverage is produced for the school by IMG Media.[7]

The station switched affiliations from ESPN Radio to Fox Sports Radio and rebranded as "Fox Sports 97.9" on January 2, 2024.[8]

References

  1. ^ a b Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-77. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WUCS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "CDBS Print".
  4. ^ Fybush, Scott (January 10, 2011). "CC Shuffles Mass., Connecticut Signals". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
  5. ^ http://www.radio-info.com/news/979-espn-clear-channels-hartford-move-in-is-in-espns-backyard 97.9 ESPN iHeartMedia, Inc.'s Hartford Move In Is In ESPN's Backyard
  6. ^ "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  7. ^ "UConn-IMG Radio Network Announces New Partnership with iHeartMedia To Broadcast UConn Huskies Athletics". University Of Connecticut Official Athletic Site. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
  8. ^ ESPN Hartford Switches to Fox Sports Radio Radioinsight - January 2, 2024


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