WXRK (FM)
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| City | New York, New York |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | New York City area |
| Branding | Alt 92.3 |
| Slogan | New York's New Alternative |
| Frequency | 92.3 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | December 25, 1948 (as WMCA-FM) |
| Format | FM/HD1: Alternative rock HD2: WNEW-FM simulcast HD3: Radio Disney |
| ERP | 6,000 watts |
| HAAT | 415 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 58579 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 40°44′53″N 73°59′10″W / 40.748°N 73.986°WCoordinates: 40°44′53″N 73°59′10″W / 40.748°N 73.986°W |
| Callsign meaning | AMP Radio (B follows A in the alphabet) from previous format |
| Former callsigns | WMCA-FM (1948–1951) WHOM-FM (1951–1975) WKTU (1975–1985) WXRK (1985−2005 and 2007−2012) WFNY-FM (2006–2007) WNOW-FM (2012–2014) |
| Owner |
Entercom (CBS Radio East, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WCBS, WCBS-FM, WFAN, WFAN-FM, WINS, WNEW-FM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | alt923radio |
WBMP is an FM radio station licensed to New York City. Owned by Entercom, WBMP broadcasts an alternative rock format branded as Alt 92.3.
The station was the flagship of The Howard Stern Show from November 1985 to December 2005, and The Opie and Anthony Show from April 2006 until March 2009. WBMP has studios located in the Hudson Square district of Manhattan, and has a transmitter atop the Empire State Building.
WBMP broadcasts in HD. A simulcast of sister station WNEW-FM airs on the HD 2 channel and Radio Disney, a children's music format, airs on the HD3 channel.
The station, first using the call letters WMCA-FM, went on the air on December 25, 1948. It was co-owned with WMCA radio (570 AM) by former New York state senator Nathan Straus. FM radio was not a successful venture for Straus, and he decided to either sell the FM station or close it down altogether.
In late 1950, Straus sold the station to the owners of WHOM radio (1480 AM, now WZRC), and WHOM-FM appeared on February 26, 1951, featuring a variety of formats, including ethnic, background music, classical, Spanish, and easy listening. By the early 1970s, WHOM-FM had a Spanish-language easy listening format.
WHOM and WHOM-FM, in the early 1970s, were sold to SJR Communications. On June 5, 1975, WHOM-FM became WKTU, taking on an Adult Contemporary format and was positioned as "soft rock". They were known as "Mellow 92". They played current AC songs that crossed over to Top 40 as well as a mix of music from 1964 forward. Core artists included Eagles, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, James Taylor, Paul Simon, Stylistics, Linda Ronstadt, Four Tops, Carly Simon, Barry Manilow, and some more contemporary cuts by Barbra Streisand. For 1960s music the station played softer Beatles songs, Mamas and Papas, Spanky and Our Gang, Association, Fifth Dimension, among others. The station steered clear of AC only songs and standards vocalists as well as hard rock or uptempo R & B. Eventually the station evolved, re-positioned as mellow rock, dropped artists like the Carpenters, most R & B product, and added some softer songs from AOR artists. Unlike today's Adult contemporary music formats, WKTU, by early 1978, was only playing artists heard on Album-oriented rock stations, using the softer songs from their popular albums. Artists found primarily on Top 40 stations were no longer included.) WKTU was still called "Mellow 92" at that point. Ratings were relatively low. The Mellow 92 continued until June 1978. Meanwhile, station executive, David Rapaport (father of actor Michael Rapaport), visited New York's Studio 54 discothèque on half a dozen occasions, and was very impressed with the crowds there. He got the idea that a disco-based station was needed, as several FM-based Top 40 stations were leaning disco in other markets, although no one was airing all disco music around the clock. As a result, Rapaport purchased 200 disco records and brought them into the station. WKTU abruptly flipped to a disco-based rhythmic top 40 format with the tagline "Disco 92" at 6 p.m. on July 24, 1978. The same disc jockeys from the mellow format were at first kept on, with Paco from Spanish language sister station 1480 WJIT added for afternoons. That fall, the station rose from "Worst to First", unseating long-time leader 770 WABC in the 18−30 age demographic. Air personalities of this era included Kenn Hayes, Randy Place, Paul Robinson, Trip Reeb, Mary Thomas, Dave Mallow and Joe Guarisco. During the height of the disco craze, WKTU was the station to follow in New York.
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