WOKI

WOKI is a United States FM radio station serving the Knoxville, Tennessee, area with a news-talk format. It is owned by Cumulus Media.

WOKI
CityOliver Springs, Tennessee
Broadcast areaKnoxville Metropolitan Area
Frequency98.7 MHz
BrandingNews/Talk 98.7 FM
SloganThe News and Talk of Knoxville
Programming
FormatNews/Talk
Ownership
OwnerCumulus Media
(Radio License Holding CBC, LLC)
WIVK-FM, WNML, WNML-FM
History
First air date
1989 (as WXVO)
Former call signs
WYIL-FM (4/3/2002 to 5/24/2005)
WSMJ (4/13/1999 to 4/3/2002)
WXVO (9/1/1989 to 4/13/1999)[1]
Call sign meaning
OaK RIdge (the community of license for 100.3, which is licensed to Oak Ridge, and was the original WOKI-FM.)
Technical information
Facility ID10457
ClassC3
ERP8,000 watts
HAAT174 meters
Transmitter coordinates
36°06′48″N 84°03′44″W
Links
WebcastListen live
Website987newstalk.com

WOKI operates at 8,000 watts at 98.7 MHz with a tower twenty miles northwest of Knoxville. Its city of license is Oliver Springs, Tennessee.

On June 14, 2010, it was announced that on July 9, sister station WNOX would move its talk radio format to WOKI's frequency.[2]

Programming

Weekend programming includes a line-up on various topics such as gardening, home maintenance and mortgages and health, as well as syndicated programming like Kim Komando and ABC's Radio Perspective.

The station is an affiliate of the Tennessee Titans radio network.[3]

Station's heyday and history on previous frequencies

WOKI-FM, previously on the 100,000-watt 100.3 FM frequency (Oak Ridge, Tennessee license), began in the mid-1970s with a progressive rock format and automated programming pre-recorded by the DJs, but by the late 1970s had switched to a very successful Top-40 format mixed with some southern and hard rock, and live radio personalities. WOKI-FM was started and owned by local Knoxville radio broadcaster Johnny Pirkle. During the late 1970s WOKI-FM also carried University of Tennessee Volunteers football games and for two years sponsored the "Ramblin' Raft Race" on the Clinch River.

The station has several popular air personalities including Mike Beverly, "The Brothers", Shotgun Stevens, and Brother John St. John who held court each evening with the raunchy "Boogie Check" call-in program.

Meanwhile, WOKI broadcast on 1550 kHz on the AM dial with an adult contemporary format. WOKI became WORI and eventually ceased broadcasting altogether, while WOKI-FM after its switch to the Top-40 format was in heavy competition with WRJZ (620 AM), and later WIMZ (103.5 FM) for the Knoxville market's top rock station.

After the early 1980s WOKI dropped the hard and southern rock and sports, and became strictly a Top-40 pop station thru 1993, broadcasting as "FM 100", "Hits 100", and "I-100". The station became known as "The Hitkicker," in 1993 broadcasting a country format until 1997 when they briefly became “Outlaw Country 100.3” followed by a classic hits format, known as “Eagle 100”. In 1998 they changed to an Adult Album Alternative format as "100.3 The River", which was later "98.7 The River" when the WOKI call letters moved to 98.7. The 100.3 frequency is now occupied by WNOX, whose talk radio format moved to WOKI July 19, 2010; on July 7, 2010 Oak Ridge FM announced plans for WNOX to stay news/talk but with different hosts.[4]

WOKI's tower, while on 100.3, was located on Cross Mountain[5](elevation 3,534 ft.) north of Briceville, Tennessee, and accordingly, its signal could be received throughout east Tennessee as well as significant parts of southeastern Kentucky, and in small portions of Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Georgia.

History of the 98.7 frequency

WOKI was named from its license city Oak Ridge by taking every other letter OKI. WXVO played country music in 1989 and later switched to active rock as "98.7 The X". From 1999 to 2002 the station was WSMJ, with a smooth jazz format. As WYIL "Wild 98.7", the station was Rhythmic CHR[6][7] until WOKI moved from 100.3 to 98.7. Starting in 2007 the station was known as "98.7 Earl-FM" with an oldies format using The True Oldies Channel.

After filing for bankruptcy, Citadel Broadcasting ended its lease agreement with Oak Ridge FM, Inc. for the 100.3 WNOX frequency two years early.[8] On July 19, 2010 WNOX moved its former programming to 98.7 WOKI, with 100.3 FM airing nothing but reminders that former WNOX listeners should turn to 98.7.[9] The switch came 14 days earlier than they had originally announced.[8] The True Oldies Channel programming has since moved to a simulcast with WMTY AM 670 and WMTY-FM[10] Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[11]

References
  1. "Call Sign History (WOKI)". Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  2. "Knoxville Radio Station to move to new spot on the dial". WATE. June 14, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2010.
  3. "Titans Radio in Tennessee". Titans Radio.
  4. "Knoxville's 100.3 is going talk – not country". Radio-Info.com. July 7, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
  5. http://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7475
  6. "Radio Was/Knoxville". Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  7. http://web.knoxnews.com/entertainment/tvradio/radiostations.shtml, Retrieved on 2009-03-05.
  8. Matheny, Jim (June 14, 2010). "WNOX moving to 98.7 FM; 100.3 FM hires Ed Brantley". WBIR-TV. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  9. "Citadel Moves NewsTalk to 98.7". Metro Pulse. July 28, 2010. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved July 29, 2010.
  10. http://metrotalk67.com
  11. "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
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