WLKK

Infobox Radio Station


name = WLKK
airdate = June 6, 1948
frequency = 107.7 MHz HD Radio
city = Wethersfield, New York
area = Western New York
format = Adult album alternative
owner = Entercom Communications
erp =
haat =
branding = "107.7 The Lake"
slogan = "Free Your Radio"
class =
former_callsigns = WNSA, WNUC, WBMW, WEZQ, WBYR, WUWU, WFNF
facility_id =
webcast = Yes
website = [http://www.1077thelake.com/]
affiliations =
sister_stations = WGR, WBEN, WWWS, WWKB, WTSS, WKSE, WBEE, WFKL, WBZA, WROC
callsign_meaning = W Lake K

WLKK is an FM radio station located in the town of Wethersfield, New York. Broadcasting on the frequency of 107.7 MHz, the station is currently owned by the Entercom Communications Buffalo cluster, operates an adult album alternative format, and is branded as "107.7 The Lake."

History

Earliest days: Rural Radio Network

The FM station on 107.7 at Wethersfield originally started broadcasting June 6, 1948 as WFNF, a member of the Rural Radio Network based in Ithaca. The network changed ownership three times in the 1960s, and was most notable between 1969 and 1981 for being upstate New York's arm of Pat Robertson's original Christian Broadcasting Network.

After Robertson sold off the network, the station had become a part of the Buffalo, New York market (despite its position about halfway between Buffalo and Rochester). As a result of its distance from Buffalo, it struggled to gain ratings with multiple formats.

WUWU

"The Sound of the Future." New wave and jazz music. 1982-86.

WBYR

"The Bear -- High Quality Rock and Roll." Classic rock. 1986-88.

WBMW and WEZQ

Beautiful music. 1988 to August 1992.

WNUC

"New Country." Country music, intended to compete with WYRK (and indirectly WBEE, WPIG and many others). One of its longest-running formats, country on WNUC ran from August 1992 to October 2000, when the station was sold to Adelphia Communications for $5,600,000.

WNSA

"The Sports Authority/Sports Paradise." Sports radio. October 2000 to May 2004. This station was a relatively rare monaural FM station, unlike its stereophonic counterparts; this was in part to increase the station's coverage area.

Arguably the station's greatest success was under this format. Between October 2000 and April 2004, Empire Sports Network, under VP/GM Bob Koshinski, operated the radio station, aimed at fans from Western New York into the Finger Lakes. The purpose of WNSA's existence was to challenge WGR, Buffalo's often antagonistic sports talk station. Howard Simon was recruited to host morning drive, longtime Buffalo sports talker Art Wander hosted during lunch, and radio newcomer Mike Schopp launched "Sports Talk for Smart People" during the afternoon drive. Later additions would include Jim Brinson, Doug Young (who defected from WGR and is widely credited as the person who landed the interviews and guests that made WNSA so popular), and Zig Fracassi, who had been a nationally syndicated host until the dissolution of the Sports Fan Radio Network. The station affiliated with Sporting News Radio and was among the first to carry the Sports USA Radio Network's NFL coverage. WNSA carried much of the same sporting events as Empire, including Sabres and Destroyers games, and WNSA consistently outperformed WGR in the ratings for most of its run.

WNSA also held several unique promotions such as the Western New York Sports Symposium which was a yearly, two day event held at an event center which included participation by the Buffalo Bills, Buffalo Sabres, Buffalo Bisons and most of the Buffalo area colleges. The Symposium featured two days of sports talk from the event location and numerous round table discussions with dozens of notable Buffalo sports team players, coaches, alumni, announcers, and newspaper columnists.

WNSA also created a fictious radio fantasy hockey game called Sabres Showdown that pitted the Buffalo Sabres 1975 Stanley Cup finalists against the 1999 Sabres finalist squad. The game featured actual Sabres play-by-play man Rick Jeanneret and analyst Mike Robitaille calling the action as well as staged and archival interviews with Sabres players and management from both eras. The taped broadcast was a hit and sounded incredibly real.

Eventually, the station's fortunes would collapse; Wander would retire, Schopp would defect to WGR and take part-time work at ESPN Radio, and Adelphia Communications, thrown into bankruptcy, began to slash WNSA's (and Empire's) budget. Simon's show was moved to drive time, began simulcasting on Empire, and was dubbed "The SimonCast", and the other personalities, none of whom seemed to be interested in the morning drive slot, rotated the AM shift (WNSA insisted on a local morning show because the Sporting News offering, Murray in the Morning, was deemed too inappropriate for its as-stated "PG-rated" listening auidence). Ratings fell below those of WGR toward the end. The end of WNSA came when the station was sold to WGR's owner, Entercom Communications in May 2004 for $10.3 million. Entercom turned it into classic rock "107.7 The Lake." Simon's show, however, would continue on WLVL 1340 in Lockport until November 2004, when he was recruited to host WGR's morning show.

Many WNSA staffers found jobs at WGR, while others (particularly those who had worked at both WNSA and WNUC) would end up at WYRK. Several hundred hours of WNSA's programming, including several unique specials, were archived by producer Steve Cichon and are available for purchase. [http://www.staffannouncer.com/airchecks.htm]

WLKK

"The Lake." Its current format, launched in 2004. WLKK maintained (and for a brief time early in its run exceeded) the number of listeners that the station had during the peak of WNSA's run. The station indirectly took aim at the classic rock market and sought to create a more laid-back, relaxed atmosphere. The playlist of WLKK contains a large portion of hit songs from the 1970s and 1980s (broad enough that the station boasts it never repeats a song throughout an entire 24-hour day), less focused on hard rock and metal than most classic rock stations, but also contains the occasional deep track. The station uses a series of bumpers with flowing water, chirping birds, and a deep voice reading the station slogan.

Disc jockeys, which include Hank Dole and Lorne Hunter, will occasionally tell the story behind the song (sometimes from CD liner notes). WLKK informs the people of the local community about various charitable causes. They also play WNY musicians on a regular basis and offer a local music show on Monday nights, hosted by Robbie Takac, a local music promoter and member of The Goo Goo Dolls.

The station briefly laid off its entire air staff in November 2007 after financial problems, but many of the jocks have returned. The station runs on automation during the weekend.

ources

* [http://www.fybush.com/site-020116.html Tracking the old Rural Radio Network] by Scott Fybush.

External links

* [http://www.1077thelake.com/ WLKK Official Web site]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20040605150044/billdulmage.com/skeds/buffalo/wnsa.html WLKK format and jock history to 2000, via BillDulmage.com]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/19980208053253/http://www.wnuc.com/ WNUC Web site, from 1997]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20020401234146/http://www.wnsafm.com/index.shtml WNSA Web site, from 2002]
*FMQ|WLKK
*FML|WLKK