WIOP
Encyclopedia
WIOP is a radio station
licensed
to Isle of Palms, South Carolina
, USA, serving the South Carolina Lowcountry
. The station is owned by Apex Broadcasting, Inc. WIOP airs a soft adult contemporary format.
for 25 years. Miller Communications, a company based in Sumter, South Carolina
, acquired it in 2003. It then became a classic rock
station as "Bad Dog 95.7". In September 2005, WWBD uprgaded from 6000 to 25,000 watts with a new 500-foot tower in Canaan. In 2006, WWBD changed to country music
as "Outlaw 95.7" but listeners overwhelmingly demanded that Bad Dog return, so it did after four months. In June 2007, Miller applied for a change in the city of license to Isle of Palms
near Charleston but said Bad Dog would stay in Orangeburg.
Apex Broadcasting, owner of WXTC
, WIHB, and WXST
, purchased WWBD from Miller in a deal announced in July 2008. The power had been increased to 50,000 watts.
WSPO was part of a large frequency swap in Charleston and Myrtle Beach. The 96.1 frequency in Charleston moved to the Myrtle Beach market and became the new home of WKZQ-FM
. WKZQ's former 101.7 frequency moved to Hanahan and is owned by Apex Broadcasting. This allowed the Charleston metro area to get a new station, as WWBD moved to Isle of Palms with Apex as its new owner. The Bad Dog format began simulcasting with Miller's 105.1 WGFG
on January 14, 2009. The simulcast stopped and 95.7 FM is now silent, with WQKI-FM
expected to take over the frequency.
The station was assigned the WSPO call letters by the Federal Communications Commission
on February 25, 2009
. They were switched back to WIOP in June 2009 when the WSPO
calls went to 1390AM with a new sports talk format.
On June 11, 2009, FM 95.9 launched in the Charleston area with a classic hits
format with the WSPO-FM call letters, which moved to sister station 1390, now WSPO
with a sports talk format. The classic hits
format had last been heard on WXLY
before it dropped the format in favor of adult contemporary in late 2007. The station re-imaged as "95-9 IOP" in August 2010, and switched to country music on September 15, 2010.
On May 31, 2011, WIHB (now WCKN) began simulcasting WIOP. On June 13, 2011 WIOP stopped simulcasting and began stunting
. On June 15, 2011 WIOP ended stunting and changed their format to soft adult contemporary, branded as "Lite 95.9". The station features a blend of light AC hits, softer rock oldies, and some adult standards
from the 1960s through the early 2000s but is entirely gold-based, playing no current product. Artists heard on the new Lite 95.9 include Lionel Richie
, Elton John
, Billy Joel
, Carly Simon
, Mariah Carey
, Olivia Newton-John
, Josh Groban
, Eric Clapton
, Celine Dion
, Kenny Rogers
, and Barbra Streisand
.
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
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to Isle of Palms, South Carolina
Isle of Palms, South Carolina
Isle of Palms is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population on the island was 4,133. Isle of Palms is a barrier island on the South Carolina coast. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S...
, USA, serving the South Carolina Lowcountry
South Carolina Lowcountry
The Lowcountry is a geographic and cultural region located along South Carolina's coast. The region includes the South Carolina Sea Islands...
. The station is owned by Apex Broadcasting, Inc. WIOP airs a soft adult contemporary format.
History
Vic Whetstone owned WWBD in Bamberg, South CarolinaBamberg, South Carolina
Bamberg is a city in and the county seat of Bamberg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,733 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Bamberg is located at ....
for 25 years. Miller Communications, a company based in Sumter, South Carolina
Sumter, South Carolina
-Demographics:, there were 59,180 people, 34,717 households, and 4,049 families living in the city. The population density was 4,469.5 people per square mile . There were 416,032 housing units at an average density of 603.0 per square mile...
, acquired it in 2003. It then became a classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
station as "Bad Dog 95.7". In September 2005, WWBD uprgaded from 6000 to 25,000 watts with a new 500-foot tower in Canaan. In 2006, WWBD changed to country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
as "Outlaw 95.7" but listeners overwhelmingly demanded that Bad Dog return, so it did after four months. In June 2007, Miller applied for a change in the city of license to Isle of Palms
Isle of Palms, South Carolina
Isle of Palms is a city in Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population on the island was 4,133. Isle of Palms is a barrier island on the South Carolina coast. As defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and used by the U.S...
near Charleston but said Bad Dog would stay in Orangeburg.
Apex Broadcasting, owner of WXTC
WSPO
-External links:**...
, WIHB, and WXST
WXST
WXST is a Gold-based Urban Adult Contemporary radio station located in Charleston, South Carolina, but licensed by the FCC to the town of Hollywood, South Carolina. The station broadcasts with an ERP of 70 kW.-History:...
, purchased WWBD from Miller in a deal announced in July 2008. The power had been increased to 50,000 watts.
WSPO was part of a large frequency swap in Charleston and Myrtle Beach. The 96.1 frequency in Charleston moved to the Myrtle Beach market and became the new home of WKZQ-FM
WKZQ-FM
WAVF is a commercial radio station located in Hanahan, South Carolina, broadcasting to the Charleston area on 101.7 FM. WAVF airs an adult hits music format branded as "Chuck FM." The WAVF call sign had been on the 96.1 FM frequency in Charleston since 1985.-WAVF history:WAVF signed on March 11,...
. WKZQ's former 101.7 frequency moved to Hanahan and is owned by Apex Broadcasting. This allowed the Charleston metro area to get a new station, as WWBD moved to Isle of Palms with Apex as its new owner. The Bad Dog format began simulcasting with Miller's 105.1 WGFG
WGFG
WGFG , known on-air as "Cat Country 105.3", is a country music radio station licensed to Branchville, South Carolina, USA. The station is currently owned by Miller Communications, Inc....
on January 14, 2009. The simulcast stopped and 95.7 FM is now silent, with WQKI-FM
WQKI-FM
WQKI-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Urban Oldies format. Licensed to Orangeburg, South Carolina, USA. The station is currently owned by Miller Communications, Inc..-History:...
expected to take over the frequency.
The station was assigned the WSPO call letters by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
on February 25, 2009
2009 in radio
The following events occurred in radio in 2009.- Events :* January 1: Kurdish TV starts broadcasting in Turkey.* January: Michael Smerconish, morning host at talk radio WPHT Philadelphia, begins syndication of his morning show to WHFS in Washington and WOR in New York City.* January 17: Two well...
. They were switched back to WIOP in June 2009 when the WSPO
WSPO
-External links:**...
calls went to 1390AM with a new sports talk format.
On June 11, 2009, FM 95.9 launched in the Charleston area with a classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
format with the WSPO-FM call letters, which moved to sister station 1390, now WSPO
WSPO
-External links:**...
with a sports talk format. The classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
format had last been heard on WXLY
WXLY
WXLY is a radio station in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasting at 102.5 FM, the station airs an adult contemporary format using the brand name Y102.5 and the slogan "Songs you can sing along with."- History :102.5 signed on the air July 17, 1962...
before it dropped the format in favor of adult contemporary in late 2007. The station re-imaged as "95-9 IOP" in August 2010, and switched to country music on September 15, 2010.
On May 31, 2011, WIHB (now WCKN) began simulcasting WIOP. On June 13, 2011 WIOP stopped simulcasting and began stunting
Stunting (broadcasting)
In radio broadcasting, stunting occurs when a station abruptly airs programming that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play...
. On June 15, 2011 WIOP ended stunting and changed their format to soft adult contemporary, branded as "Lite 95.9". The station features a blend of light AC hits, softer rock oldies, and some adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
from the 1960s through the early 2000s but is entirely gold-based, playing no current product. Artists heard on the new Lite 95.9 include Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Billy Joel
Billy Joel
William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...
, Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
, Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
, Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton, CBE, is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter. Clapton is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of The Yardbirds and Cream. Clapton has been referred to as one of the most important and...
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
, and Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
.