WOKI

WOKI
City Oliver Springs, Tennessee
Broadcast area Knoxville Metropolitan Area
Branding News/Talk 98.7 FM
Slogan The News and Talk of Knoxville
Frequency 98.7 MHz
Format News-talk
ERP 8,000 watts
HAAT 174 meters
Class C3
Facility ID 10457
Transmitter coordinates 36°06′48″N 84°03′44″W / 36.11333°N 84.06222°W / 36.11333; -84.06222
Callsign meaning OaK RIdge (the station's former location)
Former callsigns WYIL-FM (04/03/2002 to 05/24/2005)
WSMJ (04/13/1999 to 04/03/2002)
WXVO (09/01/1989 to 04/13/1999)[1]
Owner Cumulus Media
(Radio License Holding CBC, LLC)
Sister stations WIVK, WNML/WNRX
Website 987newstalk.com

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 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

Starting at 6:00 am, the "The Phil Show" hosted by Phil Williams is on the air until 10:00 am. At that time, Howell & Yarbrough is broadcast until noon. At noon, the station picks up the "Rush Limbaugh Show" and broadcasts it until 3:00 pm. At that time, Hallerin Hilton Hill is broadcast until 7:00 pm. The "Sean Hannity Show" follows from 7 to 10 pm. At 10:00 pm, Mark Levin airs until 1:00 am.

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. 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" 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 3534 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 is actually a Kikuyu name .This name in the Kikuyu language means honey. 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]

(Former WOKI logo prior to 2010)

Format history

Country 98.7 WXVO 1989-mid 1990s WXVO Active Rock 98.7 The X mid 1990s-1999 WXVO Smooth Jazz Smooth Jazz WSMJ 98.7 1999-2002 WSMJ Rhythmic CHR Wild 98.7 2002-2005 WYIL Talk 98.7 WOKI 2005-2007 WOKI Oldies The True Oldies Channel 98.7 Earl FM 2007-2010 WOKI News/Talk News/Talk 98.7 WOKI 2010–present WOKI

References

  1. ↑ "Call Sign History (WOKI)". Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  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. 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2010-07-27.
  5. ↑ http://peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=7475
  6. ↑ "Radio Was/Knoxville". Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  7. ↑ http://web.knoxnews.com/entertainment/tvradio/radiostations.shtml, Retrieved on 2009-03-05.
  8. 1 2 Matheny, Jim (2010-06-14). "WNOX moving to 98.7 FM; 100.3 FM hires Ed Brantley". WBIR-TV. Retrieved 2010-06-29.
  9. ↑ "Citadel Moves NewsTalk to 98.7". Metro Pulse. 2010-07-28. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved 2010-07-29.
  10. ↑ http://metrotalk67.com
  11. ↑ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
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