WTSS
Encyclopedia
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WTSS is an FM radio station located in Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. The station, refers to itself as the oldest station operating on the VHF band, first signing on in 1934 as an irultra-shortwave
Apex (radio band)
Apex was an experimental radio broadcasting system introduced in the United States in 1934 that used high frequencies between roughly 25 and 42 MHz and wideband AM modulation to achieve high fidelity sound with less static and distortion than medium wave AM stations in the so-called standard...
AM station before converting to experimental and later commercial FM operation before World War II.
History
The station now known as WTSS actually began as early as 1934 as W8XH, an ultra-shortwave radio station operating as a sister outlet to The Buffalo Evening NewsThe Buffalo News
The Buffalo News is the primary newspaper of the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area, and the area's only daily newspaper. It is the only newspaper owned by Berkshire Hathaway.-History:...
and AM station WBEN
WBEN (AM)
WBEN is an AM and FM radio station serving the Niagara, Buffalo and Western New York area, broadcasting on 930 AM and, as of April 5, 2011, simulcasting on sister station WLKK at 107.7 FM. It previously simulcasted between 1946 and 1960 on 102.5 FM as WBEN-FM. Both stations retained the WBEN...
and broadcasting at a wavelength of 5 meters (approximately 60 MHz), predating the country's first FM station by three years. The station broadcast on an interrupted schedule during World War II. In 1946, W8HX moved to 106.5 and became WBEN-FM (see WYRK
WYRK
WYRK is a country music formatted radio station located in Buffalo, New York. It broadcasts from the top of the Rand Building in Buffalo, where its studios are located on the 12th floor....
).
The 102.5 frequency was first used by WBEN-FM in the 1950s when the station moved to that frequency from 106.5. It ceased simulcasting WBEN (AM) in the 1960s, first with an automated beautiful music format and in the 1970s became "Rock 102" under the leadership of Roger Christian (still an air personality on the station today). The station has also operated as WMJQ, branded as "Majic 102" and "Q102", the latter of which lasted until the late 1990s. As "Majic 102", the station competed heavily with WKSE
WKSE
WKSE is a Contemporary Hit Radio/Top 40 Mainstream station serving the Buffalo and Niagara Falls region of Western New York. The station's transmitter is located on Grand Island, New York...
for Buffalo's Top 40 audience in the late 1980s and early 1990s before shifting to its current Hot AC direction. The "Star" moniker was adopted when Sinclair Broadcast Group bought the station at that time; the Sinclair group of stations was in turn bought by the present owner, Entercom, in 1999.
The station has, ever since the early 1980s, been a pop music (Hot Adult Contemporary or Adult Top 40) format geared heavily toward a female audience. The music is mostly upbeat hits from the 1980s to present, with a heavy emphasis on 1990s, 2000s, and current hits.
In 2006, WTSS began streaming its programming on the Internet.
Programming and playlists
Star's playlist consists of two categories, each of which takes about half of the playlist. One half consists of hits from the 1980s through the 1990s. The other half, which is shared with sister station WKSEWKSE
WKSE is a Contemporary Hit Radio/Top 40 Mainstream station serving the Buffalo and Niagara Falls region of Western New York. The station's transmitter is located on Grand Island, New York...
, is current and recurrent hits. http://yes.com/station/WTSS
The station employs a number of promotional and programming features to build and maintain audience during the daily schedule, including 30-minute commercial-free music sweeps every hour, and an All Request Hour that airs weekdays at 6:00 p.m. (formerly the "80s After Work," expanded to include 70s and 90s music in February 2009 as "The Retro Show"), and the three hour "Saturday Night 80s Party" at 7:00 p.m. The station shuffled its lineup in March 2008, eliminating an exercise-oriented "Cardio Radio" hour to make room for Entercom's syndicated women's lifestyle offering, Your Time with Kim Iverson
Kim Iverson
Kim Iverson is an American radio personality best known as the host of the nationally syndicated radio program, "Your Time with Kim Iversen", heard on many radio stations across the country. She is one of few notable women to have achieved national syndication in the radio broadcast industry...
.
Star switches to the moniker "Buffalo's Christmas Station" and offers 100% Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
about two weeks before Thanksgiving through Christmas Day. After Christmas Day, Star begins to ease back into its regular hot adult contemporary format, but a significant amount of Christmas music is still played through New Year's Day.
News and traffic are provided from sister station WBEN
WBEN (AM)
WBEN is an AM and FM radio station serving the Niagara, Buffalo and Western New York area, broadcasting on 930 AM and, as of April 5, 2011, simulcasting on sister station WLKK at 107.7 FM. It previously simulcasted between 1946 and 1960 on 102.5 FM as WBEN-FM. Both stations retained the WBEN...
and weather comes from television station WGRZ; both of these are usually played at or near the bottom of the hour.
WTSS airs a hot adult contemporary format, playing music from the 1980s through today, with the heavy emphasis on current and 2000s music.
DJs and programs
Local personalities include longtime morning jock Rob Lucas, Roger Christian (who has been with the station since the WBEN-FM era in the 1970s), Sue O'Neil, John Anthony. Mike McQueen, Brandy Scrufari, and Cheryl Stone round out the weekend shifts.The following syndicated programs air on WTSS: Your Time with Kim Iverson
Kim Iverson
Kim Iverson is an American radio personality best known as the host of the nationally syndicated radio program, "Your Time with Kim Iversen", heard on many radio stations across the country. She is one of few notable women to have achieved national syndication in the radio broadcast industry...
, Backtrax USA
Backtrax USA
Backtrax USA is a two hour radio program hosted by former WHTZ DJ Kid Kelly that premiered in 1993.The show originally highlighted hit music from the 1980s. Since 2003, however, Backtrax USA has offered a 1990s version of the show featuring hit music from this decade alongside that of the '80s...
(both 80's and 90's versions) with Kid Kelly, Sonrise (a contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
program), Hollywood Confidential with Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Kim Gibbons is an American talk show host. Gibbons is the host of her own radio show, Hollywood Confidential, part of the United Stations radio syndication company.-Early life:...
, and Fox All Access with Chris Leary.
According to R&R
R&R
R&R may refer to:* R&R , a music trade magazine* R&R , acronym for Rest and Recuperation* "R&R" , an episode of the science fiction TV show*R&R , a fictional nightclub in EastEnders...
- Radio and Records Magazine, WTSS is one of the leading Hot Adult Contemporary stations in the country, nominated for Hot AC Station of the Year in 2006 and 2007.
Broadcast signal
WTSS, along with WDCX-FM, has the strongest FM signal in the western New York area. The station can be heard into the Rochester area, where it begins to interfere with WVORWVOR
WVOR is a radio station broadcasting a Soft Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Canandaigua, New York, USA, the station serves the Rochester area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications.-History:...
and WLGZ-FM
WLGZ-FM
WLGZ-FM is a radio station broadcasting an Oldies format. The station is licensed to Webster, New York, serving the Rochester, New York area, and is currently owned by DJRA Broadcasting -History:...
, on the adjacent 102.3 and 102.7 frequencies, respectively. East of WVOR and WLGZ, the station can sometimes still be heard along Lake Ontario until interference from WUMX
WUMX
WUMX is a radio station broadcasting a Hot Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Rome, New York, USA, the station serves the Utica, Rome New York area. The station is currently owned by Galaxy Utica Licensee LLC, the Utica division of Galaxy Communications...
in Utica factors in; it has been reported being heard as far east as SUNY Oswego. The signal can be heard going southwest well into Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and during good DXing
DXing
DXing is the hobby of tuning in and identifying distant radio or television signals, or making two way radio contact with distant stations in amateur radio, citizens' band radio or other two way radio communications. Many DXers also attempt to receive written verifications of reception from the...
conditions, can be heard into Erie
Erie, Pennsylvania
Erie is a city located in northwestern Pennsylvania in the United States. Named for the lake and the Native American tribe that resided along its southern shore, Erie is the state's fourth-largest city , with a population of 102,000...
. The station can also be heard into the Greater Toronto Area
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area is the largest metropolitan area in Canada, with a 2006 census population of 5.5 million. The Greater Toronto Area is usually defined as the central city of Toronto, along with four regional municipalities surrounding it: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York...
, where it has a relatively strong signal that can be received on most car radios. Some of the station's audiences come from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and London, Ontario
London, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
, making it the most listened to international radio station in the United States.
WTSS is the strongest FM signal in the Northeastern United States at 110,000 watts ERP, and in 2006 began broadcasting its signal in HD, offering an HD-2 side-channel called "The Delta", which features 100% Delta blues
Delta blues
The Delta blues is one of the earliest styles of blues music. It originated in the Mississippi Delta, a region of the United States that stretches from Memphis, Tennessee in the north to Vicksburg, Mississippi in the south, Helena, Arkansas in the west to the Yazoo River on the east. The...
music.