WWKX is a Rhythmic Contemporary

Rhythmic Contemporary

Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...

 station serving the Providence

Providence, Rhode Island

Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...

 area. The Cumulus Media

Cumulus Media

Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...

 outlet operates with an ERP of 1.15 kW and is licensed to Woonsocket, Rhode Island

Woonsocket, Rhode Island

Woonsocket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 41,186 at the 2010 census, making it the sixth largest city in the state. Woonsocket lies directly south of the Massachusetts border....

.

History

The current WWKX signed on June 26, 1949 as WWON-FM on 105.5 Megacycles (as MegaHertz was then called)/Channel 288 as the sister station to WWON

WWON

WWON is a commercial AM radio station licensed to the city of Waynesboro, Tennessee, the seat of Wayne County, Tennessee. The station operates at the assigned frequency of 930 kHz, at a power output of 470 watts day, and 91 watts at night....

 (now WOON

WOON

WOON is Woonsocket, Rhode Island's oldest radio station, having taken to the air on November 11, 1946 as WWON, a callsign it kept until the current WOON became available in 1992. The change in call became effective on February 3, 1992. On June 26, 1949 WWON added a sister station with WWON-FM on...

/1240-Woonsocket, R.I.). In 1950, WWON-FM operated with 390 watts. WWON-FM changed frequencies to the current 106.3 by summer 1958. In the 1970s the station played oldies and in 1986 became WNCK. In 1988 they flipped to Rhythmic Contemporary

Rhythmic Contemporary

Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...

 as WWKX "Kicks 106" (later Kix 106) the station was a mix of freestyle, hip hop, and pop under the moniker "The Rhythm of Southern New England" and scored high ratings in the 18-34 demographic from 1995-1997. At that time management changed the moniker and its direction towards a pure R&B/Hip-Hop flavor.

They were also the only Rhythmic Top 40 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 to air Howard Stern

Howard Stern

Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...

 from 1997 to January 5, 2005, when parent company Citadel Broadcasting

Citadel Broadcasting

Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...

 ceased airing the show in a dispute regarding Stern's mentioning of his upcoming move to Sirius

Sirius

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, it is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. The name "Sirius" is derived from the Ancient Greek: Seirios . The star has the Bayer designation Alpha Canis Majoris...

 radio. Citadel merged with Cumulus Media

Cumulus Media

Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...

 on September 16, 2011.

The call letters WWKX were assigned to 104.5 in Gallatin

Gallatin, Tennessee

Gallatin is a city in and the county seat of Sumner County, Tennessee, United States, along a navigable tributary of the Cumberland River. The population was 23,230 at the 2000 census. Named for U.S...

/Nashville

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

 from 1978 to 1987. This frequency is now occupied by WGFX

WGFX

WGFX is a radio station broadcasting on the FM band at 104.5 MHz licensed to the city of Gallatin, Tennessee, but serving the Nashville market as a whole. It is currently branded as 104.5 The Zone, broadcasting a sports talk format. It is owned by Cumulus Media and operates out of studios on Second...

, also a Cumulus station.

External links

• WWKX official website
• List of F.M. stations in the U.S. in 1950 as listed in the 1950 Broadcasting Yearbook
• List of F.M. stations in the U.S. in the summer of 1958 as listed in the North American Radio TV Station Listings, by Vane A. Jones.