WXPK

Infobox Radio Station


name = WXPK
airdate =
frequency = 107.1 MHz
city = Briarcliff Manor, New York
area =
format = Adult Album Alternative
owner = Pamal Broadcasting
licensee = 6 Johnson Road Licenses, Inc.
erp = 1,900 watts
haat = 180 meters
branding = 107.1 The Peak
slogan =
class = A
facility_id = 50056
webcast = [http://www.1071thepeak.com/listen/index.php Listen Live]
website = [http://www.1071thepeak.com/ www.1071thepeak.com]
callsign_meaning =
sister_stations = WBNR, WBPM, WGHQ, WHUD, WLNA, WSPK|

WXPK-FM, known on-air as The Peak, is a rock radio station in White Plains, New York. It is owned by Pamal Broadcasting. It broadcasts to New York's northern suburbs at 107.1 FM and online at www.1071ThePeak.com

The Peak adopted the moniker “World Class Rock for New York’s Backyard” in April 2004. Staffed by veteran broadcasters from New York City and around the country, The Peak was the only commercial Triple A radio station in the New York area until 2008, when WQCD New York City became WRXP, giving New York City 2 triple A stations. The Program Director is Chris Herrmann (WHJY/Providence, WCSX/Detroit, WBOS/Boston) who doubles as the midday host. The morning show host and music director is Rob (Lipschitz) Arrow (WCOZ/Boston, WAAF, Boston, WHJY/Providence). Legendary New York radio personality Jimmy Fink (WHFS/Bethesda, WXRK/New York, WPLJ/New York) is the afternoon host. Nights, The Peak After Hours is hosted by Caroline Corley. Katarina Suda is the station's Promotions Director.

The weekend staff includes:
*Paul Marszalek (VH-1, KFOG/San Francisco, WXRT/Chicago)
*Kerin McCue, (WOR, New York)
*Bruce Figler (WAPP/New York, WRNW/New York, WTFM/New York)
*Carl Mayer (WMUB/Miami University) brother of musician John Mayer
*Chris Bro (WZGC/Atlanta, WRNR/Baltimore) weekend DJ, host of The Peak’s new music show “Next” and husband of Good Morning America anchor Kate Snow

The "Peak Performance Series" brings artists to what the station calls "the world’s most intimate performance venue," the Acme Recording and Mastering studio Mamaroneck, New York. Select members of the Peak Listener Advisory Board are invited to attend. The sessions are recorded and played back on the air. The resulting tracks are exclusive to The Peak and are not available for purchase or download.

Like format leaders KBCO in Denver and KFOG in San Francisco, The Peak airs a locally produced "10 at 10" weekdays at 10 am and 10 pm. The program features 10 songs from a single year peppered with snippets of popular movies, television shows and commercials from that year. In 2006, the editors of Westchester magazine named "The Peak’s 10 at 10 hosted by Rob Arrow" the Best Local Radio Show. In the annual Best of Westchester issue, readers voted The Peak best radio station. In 2008, Jimmy Fink was named "Best Radio Personality" by the readers of Westchester Magazine in their annual "Best of Westchester" issue.

History

In the early '70s WRNW got its start in an attic on Lexington Avenue in Mount Kisco NY.Later in that decade it was the station that gave Howard Stern his first paying radio job. Stern later served as the station's program director. At the time, the radio station was in a garage in Briarcliff Manor, New York.

The station, which had an adult contemporary format, was also known as WZFM in the 1980s up until 1991. It weas best known during those decades as the home of "The Saturday Night Special," a freewheeling five-hour request 'n' contest goodtime oldies/comedy series which, over a nine-year run, became the station's highest-rated program. Co-hosts Gary Theroux and Kerin McCue also developed spinoff specials which were syndicated elsewhere, such as "The Halloween Spooktacular" and the 12-hour "Christmas Through The Years." A three CD adaptation of the latter was released by Reader's Digest Records and ultimately sold over six million box sets.

"The Saturday Night Special" remained on the air through a call letter change to WXPS ("The Express") and ended only when the station was sold to new owners, who embarked on a disastrous alternative format as X-107. Ironically, the week the series ended, it was named "favorite radio program" in a Westchester Weekly readers' poll (the show had previously been repeatedly profiled in The New York Times and elsewhere). After "Today's Rock: X-107" with the WRGX call letters failed, the station switched formats again in December 1996 to country (WYNY, or Y-107).

In 2007 the station's call letters were used on The Daily Show as part of a skit of Oklahoma City television station KWTV weather promo. WXPK was used as the rival station to KWTV even though few television stations west of the Mississippi River begin with "W" & none in Oklahoma.

External links

* [http://www.1071thepeak.com/ WXPK Website]
*FMQ|WXPK
*FML|WXPK
*FMARB|WXPK