WWLS-FM

Infobox Radio station
name = WWLS-FM


city = The Village, Oklahoma
area = Oklahoma City metropolitan area
branding = The Sports Animal
slogan =
airdate = 1962 as KWHP
frequency = 98.1 MHz
format = Sports/Talk
power =
erp = 31,000 watts
haat = 470 meters
class = C1
facility_id = 37435
callsign_meaning = WWLarrySteckline (owner when station obtained this callsign in 1981)
owner = Citadel Broadcasting
webcast = [http://www.thesportsanimal.com/article.asp?id=579140 Listen Live]
website = [http://www.thesportsanimal.com thesportsanimal.com]
sister_stations = KATT, KKWD, KQOB, KYIS, WWLS-AM, WKY

WWLS-FM (98.1 FM), known as "The Sports Animal", is a sports/Talk radio station serving the Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA, area and is owned by Citadel Broadcasting.

History

The station was put on the air in a small house on 1305 South Boulevard Street in Edmond, Oklahoma, (radio station in his home, transmitter in the bedroom, studio in the garage) his wife threaten to leave unless the radio station was moved out of the house. In 1964 the station moved to Kelly street at a frequency of 97.7 mHz, with call letters KWHP (from the initials of William "Bill" Haydon Payne, its owner). It was top 40, one of the first AOR station in the nation/underground rock, country, oldies and a variety of other formats throughout its earlier existence. (Bill Payne move on to Tulsa to KTFX 103.3 in 1978, and still owns stations in Eastern Oklahoma. In 1978 call leters changes to KCFX (representing the change to country and the station mascot "the Fox") 1979 Payne sold the station.* [http://www.payneradiogroup.com PAYNE website] It later became KTNT. Porter Davis (whose family owned Davis Foods distributors) brought Jazz into the market as a Smooth Jazz outlet in the early 1990s as KTNT "97.7 The Trend". In the late 1990s the station changed. In February 1999, the station changed its call letters to KCYI and became "The City 97.9" retaining the Smooth Jazz format, but in January 2000 it changed to Wild 97.9 with a Rhythmic Top 40 format. On October 23, 2006, WWLS (then at 104.9) switched signals with sister station KKWD and moved to the 97.9 frequency. On July 9, 2008 WWLS upgraded its signal to 31,000 watts ERP and moved from 97.9 to 98.1 FM.

WWLS is to air broadcasts of the Oklahoma City Thunder once the NBA season tips off. [http://newsok.com/nba-team-reaches-deal-with-local-radio-station/article/3276819/?tm=1217456631]

External links

* [http://www.thesportsanimal.com Station website]
*FMQ|WWLS
*FML|WWLS
*FMARB|WWLS