WJLT

Infobox Radio Station
name = WJLT


area = Evansville, Indiana
branding =
slogan =
airdate =
frequency = 105.3 (MHz)
format = Classic Hits
erp = 50,000 watts
haat = 150 meters
class = B
owner = Regent Communications
website = http://www.superhits1053.com/
callsign_meaning =

WJLT is a radio station licensed to broadcast at 105.3 on the FM frequency in Evansville, Indiana.

History

The station started as WVHI-FM, a religious station.

In 1982, the owners decided to compete with WBKR and changed to a country music format. The station became WYNG (Wing 105). WYNG was successful through the 1980s, but then things began to sour for WYNG. The first blow came when WBKR started to target Evansville, IN a little more (it was primarily targeting Owensboro, Kentucky, but had a 100 kW signal that was received in Evansville). The second blow came in 1992 when WKDQ dumped its Adult Contemporary/Oldies hybrid format in favor of country, immediately taking numbers from WYNG. A third blow came, when in a desperate move WYNG dumped its Wing 105 moniker and started calling itself Y105 and trying to target younger listeners.

WYNG was later acquired by Cumulus Media (along with WGBF-FM/AM, WDKS, and WTRI) and later spun to Clear Channel Communications. Clear Channel also acquired WBKR and WKDQ, and all of a sudden the final blow for WYNG was to happen. Clear Channel elected to move WYNG to the 94.9 frequency which was a 50 kW facility, but the transmitter was further north in Mount Carmel, Illinois. and ratings plummented.

Meanwhile, Clear Channel decided to compete with Evansville's adult contemporary powerhouse WIKY. With a callsign change to WJLT, Lite 105.3 took to the air, but the ratings plummeted for 105.3 in the new AC format. WIKY was just too strong and well-established for WJLT to compete. When Clear Channel spun off its Evansville cluster to Regent Communications, Regent flipped WJLT to oldies and has seen much success with that format. A large part of WJLT's success can be credited to the fact that Regent was able to lure Joe Blair, a popular local morning DJ who had previously built up a loyal audience at WIKY and later at WJPS-FM, to take on the station's morning show.

WJLT brands itself as "Superhits 105.3" and airs numerous television commercials. The station simulcasts audio of local television station WEHT when severe weather is in the area and when WEHT is covering the weather wall-to-wall.

WJLT call letters

In the mid-1980s, the WJLT calls were assigned to a station in Crozet-Charlottesville, VA on 102.3 FM. The station was known as Light 102.3 FM and featured an AC satellite format. The station was co-owned with WPED-AM (810 on the dial), which had a contemporary country format. Both were owned at the time by Elting Enterprises. The stations were later sold.