WHOK-FM is an FM radio station

Radio station

Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...

 licensed to Lancaster, Ohio

Lancaster, Ohio

Lancaster is a city in Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 38,780. It is located near the Hocking River, approximately southeast of Columbus, Ohio. It is the county seat of Fairfield County...

, located at 95.5 MHz. The station operates from a facility located in downtown Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

.

Station history

WHOK has been a country music station for many years in different forms since it first went on the air in 1948, making it Central Ohio's longest-running country station. Currently, the station is known as "95.5 The Hawk - Legendary Country." This format adjustment now compliments WHOK's new country sister station, WNKK, which plays newer mainstream country.

WHOK was initially known as a mainstream Top 40 country station, using the "K95.5" moniker. From September 7, 2003 to January 8, 2007, WHOK played mainly classic country as "Country Legends K95.5". The relaunch of the station in January 2007 (which saw its moniker changed to "95.5 The Hawk," and a new 50/50 classic and current country balance taking place) coincided with a change in ownership from CBS Radio

CBS Radio

CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...

 to Wilks Broadcasting. Accordingly, the station completely revamped its website and as of May 2007, the new WHOK.com has been rolled out, offering artist and concert links as well as a streaming audio feature by which users can "listen live" anytime.

Beginning in January 2009, WHOK has incorporated more of the classic country back into its playlist, going all the way back to the 1950s with songs by Hank Williams, Sr.

Hank Williams, Sr.

Hank Williams , born Hiram King Williams, was an American singer-songwriter and musician regarded as one of the most important country music artists of all time...

, some early Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash

John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...

 and George Jones

George Jones

George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....

 numbers, and rare gems by Tammy Wynette

Tammy Wynette

Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....

 and Billy "Crash" Craddock, to name a few. However, the station has not presented this to listeners as a change in format; the branding

Brand

The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...

 of the station is still "95.5 The Hawk" and the website still displays the same look and feel as before, albeit with more classic country artists. The playlist extends into the 1990s and early 2000s (e.g. Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks

Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...

, Alan Jackson

Alan Jackson

Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...

, Faith Hill

Faith Hill

Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...

) but no current or recent titles are played outside of certain syndicated shows.

Competition and Coverage

Due to the poor signal of WHOK in downtown Columbus, WHOK-FM operates a translator at 102.3 MHz as W272AT. The translator airs exactly the same audio as WHOK-FM.
In addition to WNKK, WHOK also has competition with WCOL-FM

WCOL-FM

WCOL-FM is a country music radio station in Columbus, Ohio owned by Clear Channel Communications. Its brand identifier is Continuous Country Favorites, 92.3 WCOL. The call sign represents the city of license...

 and WCLT-FM

WCLT-FM

WCLT-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Country music format. Its brand identifier is Today's Country and Your All-Time Favorites, T-100. Licensed to Newark, Ohio, USA, the station serves the Columbus area. The station is currently owned by Wclt Radio and features programing from Fox News...

for country music listenership in the Columbus radio market.