WSTR (FM)

Infobox Radio Station


name = WSTR
airdate = 1967
frequency = 94.1 MHz HD Radio
city = Smyrna, Georgia
area = Atlanta metropolitan area
format = Top 40
owner = Lincoln Financial Media
erp = 100,000 watts
haat = 310.4 meters
former_callsigns = WKXI, WQXI-FM
branding = Star 94
former_branding = 94Q
slogan = Atlanta's #1 Hit Music Station
class = C0
facility_id = 30822
webcast = [http://wmc1.liquidcompass.cc/WSTR Listen Live]
website = [http://www.star94.com www.star94.com]
callsign_meaning = STaR 94

WSTR FM ("Star 94", 94.1 MHz) is an Atlanta FM radio station that plays Top 40 Music. It is owned by Lincoln Financial Media, and has Smyrna, Georgia as its city of license.

In mid-1977, the station, formerly WKXI, was officially rechristened 94Q (WQXI-FM). It became one of Atlanta's dominant FM stations and remained so until 1987, when its audience share began to dwindle. Various tweaks were made to the music mix, followed by an outright change of direction in early 1989 that competed head-to-head with then-dominant CHR WAPW/Power 99 (now WWWQ). 94Q was soundly beaten, and the station began to purge most of its management and on-air talent.

At midnight on November 16, 1989, its name was changed to "Star 94" after purchasing the call sign "WSTR" from a Sturgis, Michigan radio station (now WMSH-FM). The station in recent years has begun to play some hip hop songs but remains more pop and rock oriented than most Top 40-style stations, similar to Hot AC stations. Its core audience consists of 18 to 49 year old women, therefore it is sometimes classified as an Adult Top 40 station, a hybrid of Hot AC and Top 40.

Several influential air personalities have worked at the Atlanta station, including American Idol's Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest interned on the night show with Tom Sullivan, who trained him in all areas of broadcasting then gave him his first "on air" shift of his career, before moving to weekends. He did this while attending Dunwoody High School in nearby DeKalb County.

Current/Former On-Air Personalities

The current staff includes:
* Mornings... "The Morning Mess", hosted by Marco, Shannon, and SuperPhat Mikey
* Rob Stadler, news reader/morning personality
* AC, morning traffic reporter
* Tripp West, midday personality
* Afternoons... "The Cindy & Ray Show", hosted by Cindy Simmons and Ray Mariner.
* Stacy, afternoon traffic reporter
* Nights...."Darik at Night", hosted by Darik Kristofer...debuted on April 21st, 2008.
* Weekends... A heavily-edited version of "American Top 40", hosted by former Star 94 staffer Ryan Seacrest. "Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40", a syndicated show hosted by legendary Los Angeles morning-drive DJ Rick Dees.

Additional personalities...
* Chris Carter
* Michael Chase
* Alisa Henderson
* John McFadden
* Doug Miller
* J.J. Quest
* Randy "Spoon" Stien

Former Personalities:
*Kristen Gates, former weekender / traffic reporter / morning show producer. Co-hosted mornings at WKHX until 2/29/2008
*Bender, former weekend/fill-in personality
*Billy Brown, former evening personality
*Craig Hunt, former afternoon personality
*J. Bird, former weekend/fill-in personality
*Eileen Kimble, former weekend personality
*Nikki Knight, former evening personality
*Eric Lauer, former weekend personality
*Vikki Locke, former morning personality (now at WSB-FM)
*Mike Macho, currently on WKHX-FM
*Jamie Massey, now at WUBL co-hosting mornings with Country Commedian Cledus T.Judd
*Dallas McCade (known as Madison Chase on Star 94 and its predecessor 94Q) is currently doing mornings with Cadillac Jack on WKHX in Atlanta after the demise of WYAY as a country station.
*Steve McCoy, former morning personality (now at WSB-FM)
*Mike Oliver, former traffic reporter
*Nudge, former evening personality
*Ryan Seacrest is now on American Idol and has a syndicated morning radio show out of Los Angeles, CA.
*Tracy St. George, formerly on WWWQ Atlanta "All The Hits Q100", recently moved to West Palm Beach, FL. to take the afternoon slot at WRMF 97.9
*Kevin Steele, now programing director at WGMG and WPUP in Athens, GA had worked weekends on Kicks 101.5FM until 3/22/2008.
*Tom Sullivan, former morning personality (now co-hosting WXIA-TV "Atlanta and Company")
*Wendy Threatt, former afternoon traffic reporter (Now doing afternoon traffic on WSB-AM and WSB-FM)
*Billy Ray Evans (former morning show producer also worked as Mike Stiles on WYAY).The station's general manager, Mark Kanov, has worked at the station since the late 1960s announced his retirement for late July 2008.

Trivia

*WSTR FM shares a tower with WPBA TV 30, and in fact shares the same antenna with WSB-FM 98.5 and WVEE FM 103.3. The three radio stations' transmitters are diplexed together, so that they all feed to the antenna instead of into each other.
* WQXI was the inspiration for the television show "WKRP in Cincinnati", and the character Johnny Fever was based on WQXI's morning host Skinny Bobby Harper. [ [http://www.wsbhistory.com/1980s_people_harper.htm 1980s people Harper ] ]
*94.1 was once WGST-FM and was given away in the 1950s as FM did not take off

WSTR broadcasts in HD Radio. It carried an eclectic rock mix on HD-2 and a simulcast of WQXI's sports talk format on HD-3. These two subchannels are both down at the moment.

References

External links

* [http://www.star94.com Star 94 official website]
* [http://www.star94.fm Star94.FM] - Listen Live to Star94 FM
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* [http://www.lincolnfinancialmedia.com Lincoln Financial Media]