- WRFF
Radio station
name = WRFF
airdate =1965
frequency = 104.5MHz HD Radio HD-2: [http://www.erockster.com eRockster]
city =Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
area = Greater Philadelphia (Delaware Valley)
format =Modern Rock
erp = 11,500watt s
haat = 308meter s
class = B
facility_id = 53969
slogan = Radio 104.5
owner =Clear Channel Communications
webcast = [http://www.radio1045.com/pages/listen_online.html Listen Live]
website = [http://www.radio1045.com/ www.radio1045.com]
callsign_meaning = Radio 10Four - Five
sister_stations =WDAS-FM ,WIOQ ,WISX ,WUBA ,WUSL Myspace Group = [http://groups.myspace.com/wrffphiladelphia Radio 104.5]WRFF is a
modern rock FMradio station located inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania , better known as "Radio 104.5".Until
May 16 ,2007 , the station offered a Spanish Language format emphasizingTropical Music , known as "Rumba 104.5". Upon the format change, the Spanish format moved to an AM frequency.The station has had Adult Contemporary formats over the previous years as well as several sets of call letters.
History
Early Stations
104.5 FM first signed on in February 1965 as WRCP-FM simulcasting WRCP-AM. Both stations offered MOR formats. The stations were owned by Associated Communications.After just under 2 years, the stations switched to Country Music formats. The format flipped in 1977.
WSNI, first time
104.5 FM broke away from WRCP in 1977 and became WSNI. WSNI initially had a soft country/easy listening hybrid format before evolving to instrumental based easy listening.
On
January 1 ,1980 WSNI became known as Sunny 104.5, a name which was reused later on in the station's history. Sunny 104.5 dumped easy listening in favor of an Adult Contemporary format playing the Top 40 hits of the 1960s, Top 40/Adult contemporary crossovers of the 1970s, and the Adult Contemporary hits of the 1980s up to and including current product.6 years later, the stations were sold to Pyramid Broadcasting. The AM sister station, which still had the WRCP call letters, was eventually sold also and got new call letters.
WYXR
On
December 10 ,1990 , 104.5's call was changed from WSNI to WYXR and the format switched to Hot AC. The new station was known as "Star 104.5".In a group deal WYXR became owned by Evergreen by 1993.The station experimented and leaned CHR in 1996, but it still remained known as Star 104.5. The station quietly evolved back to Hot AC in 1997 playing more rhythmic cuts than most Hot AC stations. In 1997 WYXR became owned by Chancellor as a result of a merger.
In April 1999 Chancellor (known by then as AM/FM) decided to switch the station to a Jammin' Oldies format. This was not successful, though, because a station owned by
Greater Media beat them to it. As a result the Hot AC format was kept a while longer. The hot AC format lasted untilNovember 18 ,1999 . WYXR went off the air at 12 noon with Madonna's "Who's That Girl". 3 hours of a heartbeat sound effect followed.WLCE
At 3PM on
November 18 ,1999 , The Cars "Let's Go" began to play. The station was now known as "Alice 104.5," and the calls became WLCE. The new format was a Gold based Adult Rock AC, playing "rockin" hits of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Initially only a couple of current songs were played but by 2001 the station was playing a large number. By 2001, the station evolved to more of a rock based Hot AC format. In 2001, as a result of a merger, WLCE came under the ownership of Clear Channel Communications. TheWLCE call sign has now moved to theSpringfield, Illinois market.WSNI, second time/Oldies Version
On
July 31 ,2002 , 104.5 flipped to soft ac, reverting back to the "Sunny 104.5" name. This incarnation of WSNI is locally famous for having begun its existence by playing TheBeatles ' "Here Comes the Sun" for 24 hours straight in a continuous loop. It was also unique to be an AC/Oldies Hybrid, also known to be a "Gold-Based AC".It came into the market as a competitor to first place soft ac station B-101. Sunny 104.5 did moderately well, and it was known for leaving its Soft AC format behind around the holidays to play Christmas music. It was a low budget station, with nearly all airstaff voicetracked. Sunny 104.5 continued for just over 4 years.
At 12 noon EDT on Thursday,
August 10 ,2006 , WSNI 104.5 dumped the so called "Sunny oldies" format and started simulcasting sister station FM 106.1WJJZ . At the same time, WJJZ switched from theSmooth Jazz format to the Rhythmic AC format, and began identifying itself as "Philly's 106.1." The last song heard on WSNI just before noon was "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me " byElton John . This was followed by a short pause and slow fade in of "Let's Get It Started " byThe Black Eyed Peas (which was being simulcasted from Philly's 106-1 (WJJZ)). There was a short announcement from a female ("This feels like my own radio station") and asegue intoGet Ready For This by 2 Unlimited. This was followed byWanna Be Startin' Somethin' byMichael Jackson . The format of Philly's 106-1 is similar to Star 104.5, which previously held the 104.5 frequency. The flip was similar to an Oldies station in NY (WCBS-FM ); The station gave little warning, and before the new format premiered, there was dead airAs a result of the flip, B101 is once again Philadelphia's exclusive All-Christmas station for the holiday season.
In early January 2007, the former WOQL-FM in Keene, NH was given the WSNI call letters.
WUBA
On
August 23 ,2006 , after 13 days of retransmitting the Philly 106.1 signal, 104.5 FM became a Spanish language radio station known as "Rumba 104.5". This format was launched at 12 p.m. EDT onAugust 23 ,2006 . This was the first Spanish language station on FM in Philadelphia. They had a format focusing on Tropical and Dance Music, very similar to that of La Mega 97.9 WSKQ inNew York City .Radio 104.5
On
May 16 ,2007 Clear Channel flipped 104.5 to "Radio 104.5" blasting onto the airwaves with "Do You Remember Rock-N-Roll Radio?" by THE RAMONES.On May 23rd, at midnight, 104.5 started iding itself as "WRFF" (Radio One O Four - Five).
The Radio 104.5 presentation heavily centers on modern rock music from the 1990s, as well as featuring selected songs from the mid 1970's through the end of the 1980s, as well as current product. Overall, the station comes across as "lighter" than typical Modern Rock radio stations. This type of presentation is highly similar to those at several other Clear Channel operations in
Grand Rapids, MI ,Columbus, OH ,Baltimore, MD andHartford, CT , but it was implemented at this radio station first.Competition
WMMR is anActive Rock station at 93.3 FM serving The Philadelphia and the surrounding areas for over 40 Years. The station has an extremely loyal fanbase and an incredibly large coverage area.WMMR is also home to the city's most popular Morning Show,Preston and Steve .WBBO , anAlternative rock /Modern Rock station at 106.5 FM. althoughWBBO is not a Philadelphia station, its strong signal in the eastern edge of the market makes it a factor. The station is known for being a lot like WRFF, and having an even deeper library of tunes.External links
* [http://www.radio1045.com/ WRFF Website]
*FMQ|WRFF
*FML|WRFF
*FMARB|WRFF
*http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/piratejim/phillyfmhistory2.html
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