WNSH

WNSH (94.7 FM, New York's Country 94.7) is a radio station that is licensed to Newark, New Jersey and serves the New York City area. The station is owned by Entercom. WNSH's studios are located in the combined Entercom facility in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan, and its transmitter is located in West Orange, New Jersey.

For the Cambridge, Minnesota radio station that briefly held the WNSH call letters in 2013, see WGVX. For the radio station in Beverly, Massachusetts, United States known as WNSH from 1984 to 2012, see WUBG (AM).
WNSH
CityNewark, New Jersey
Broadcast areaNorth Jersey
New York City
Frequency94.7 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingNew York's Country 94.7
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatCountry music
Ownership
OwnerEntercom
(Entercom License, LLC)
WCBS, WCBS-FM, WFAN, WFAN-FM, WINS, WNEW-FM, WNYL
History
First air date
1947 (1947)
Former call signs
WAAT-FM (1947–1958)
WNTA-FM (1958–1962)
WJRZ-FM (1962–1964)
WFME (1964–2013)
WRXP (2013)
Call sign meaning
Alludes to NaSHville, formerly branded as Nash FM under Cumulus Media ownership
Technical information
Facility ID20886
ClassB
ERP23,500 watts
40,000 watts (CP)
HAAT207 meters (679 ft)
166 meters (545 ft) (CP)
Transmitter coordinates
39°37′53.00″N 74°21′12.00″W
Links
WebcastListen live (via Radio.com)
Websitenewyorkscountry947.radio.com

The station airs a country music format, and was the flagship for Cumulus Media's "Nash" brand of country-related multimedia from 2013 until Entercom's acquisition of the station in 2019.

WNSH broadcasts in the HD Radio format.

History

Early years
WFME's logo in 2012, under Family Radio ownership.

The 94.7 FM frequency signed on in 1947 as WAAT-FM, and was owned by the Bremer Broadcasting Company along with sister station WAAT (970 AM). The following year Bremer launched New Jersey's first television station, WATV on channel 13 transmitting from the WAAT-FM tower. In 1957 the three stations were sold by Bremer to National Telefilm Associates, who changed the operation's call letters to WNTA-FM.[1][2] During this period the station had diversified programming such as jazz, classical music, and easy listening music.

National Telefilm split up its holdings in 1961, with WNTA-TV being sold to a New York City-based nonprofit educational group (it is now WNET), and the WNTA radio stations going to Communications Industries Broadcasting.[3] The new owners changed the calls to WJRZ-FM[4] and initially retained the station's previous format, however on April 14, 1963 Family Radio, a Christian broadcaster then based in Oakland, California, began leasing airtime on WJRZ-FM.[5] In 1964 the station was renamed WFME, and in March 1966 Family Radio purchased 94.7 FM outright and began airing its religious programming around-the-clock.[6]

WFME's local programming consisted of community announcements, weekend public affairs, and weather and traffic inserts during Family Radio's Rise and Rejoice morning show. WFME originated a portion of the network's overnight program Nightwatch, hosted by station manager/chief engineer Charlie Menut. The rest of the station's schedule originated from Family Radio headquarters in Oakland.[7]

WFME's programming was also heard on two translator stations: W213AC (90.5 FM) in Hyde Park, New York; and W247AE (97.3 FM) in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. As a result of WFME's license status change (see below), the translators could no longer legally rebroadcast WFME's broadcast signal; as a result, both translator stations are now carrying a different Family Radio station with a similar feed as of February 2012.

Sale to Cumulus Media

On January 6, 2012, Family Radio applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to change the license of WFME from noncommercial to commercial. This move followed the sales by Family Radio of stations in the Philadelphia (WKDN-FM) and Baltimore–Washington (WFSI) markets and quickly prompted conjecture from radio industry monitors that WFME would be sold next.[8][9][10] The application was approved on February 7, 2012.[11]

The sale rumors were confirmed on October 16, 2012, when Family Radio announced that it would sell WFME to Atlanta-based Cumulus Media; the originally undisclosed price was later confirmed to be $40 million. In addition, Family Radio acquired Cumulus' WDVY (106.3 FM) in Mount Kisco, New York.[12] The FCC approved the sale/station trade January 4, 2013, making 94.7 FM a sister station to Cumulus' two existing New York market stations, WABC and WPLJ. Four days later, on January 8, 2013, Cumulus completed the purchase of WFME.[13][14] Family Radio programming on 94.7 FM ended at 3:40 p.m. on January 11, 2013; prior to signing off of the frequency, station manager Charlie Menut stated that the network's programming would be transferred to 106.3 FM, which became the new WFME on January 15, and that efforts to acquire an AM frequency that would cover the New York City area were being made.[15][16] Two years later, in February 2015, Family Radio programming returned to the area via its acquisition of WQEW (1560 AM), a former Radio Disney outlet.

"Nash FM" launch
"NASH FM 94.7" logo; this logo styling was also used for stations utilizing the NASH FM and NASH Icon brands operated by previous WNSH owner Cumulus Media.

About twenty minutes after WFME signed off, 94.7 FM under Cumulus ownership began a simulcast of WPLJ, which broadcast a hot adult contemporary format. The frequency's call sign was changed three days later to WRXP, a call sign previously used on the 101.9 FM facility in New York City under two different owners and two different stints as an alternative rock station. The WPLJ simulcast ended on January 18 in favor of stunting with "The 94.7 Wheel of Formats." During this stunt, a wide variety of sound clips and songs were played, from formats such as top 40/CHR and smooth jazz, as well as polka and all-one artist formats like all-Bruce Springsteen and "Weird Al" Yankovic.

The stunting continued until 9:47 a.m. on January 21, when WRXP adopted a new country music format branded as Nash FM 94.7.[17] The first song on "Nash FM" was "How Country Feels" by Randy Houser. The move gave the New York City area its first full-time country station since 2002, when the "Y-107" simulcast of four suburban stations at 107.1 FM—located in Briarcliff Manor and Hampton Bays, New York, and Belvidere and Long Branch, New Jersey—cancelled the format. The last station to carry country full-time within the market was WYNY (103.5 FM), which became rhythmic adult contemporary WKTU in 1996.[18] To coincide with the "Nash" launch, Cumulus Media swapped the WNSH call sign from its sister station in Cambridge, Minnesota (the present-day WLUP) on January 29, 2013.[19]

The station served as the flagship of Nash—an initiative to create a singular multi-platform brand for country music content originated by Cumulus Media, including WNSH and other radio stations (which would either adopt the Nash FM branding themselves, or co-brand with it),[20][21] Nash Bash concerts,[22][23] its syndicated country programming (including American Country Countdown, and plans for other content to be distributed by Westwood One), and Nash Magazine.[24][25]

On November 3, 2014, 104.7 WELJ in Montauk dropped its Hot AC format for a simulcast of WNSH, to cover listeners on Eastern Long Island where WNSH's 94.7 signal is difficult to hear. The simulcast ended on August 31, 2015, when WELJ re-launched as Nash Icon (a country hits format focusing on songs and artists from the 1990s and early 2000s),[26]

In February 2019, WNSH dropped Nash FM's syndicated morning show Ty, Kelly & Chuck in favor of a local show, with former Nash network personality Kelly Ford.[27]

Sale to Entercom

On February 13, 2019, Cumulus announced that WNSH would be traded to Entercom, as part of an exchange of WNSH and several stations in Springfield, Massachusetts for Entercom stations in Indianapolis; in the same announcement, Cumulus revealed the separate sale of sister station WPLJ and other outlets to Educational Media Foundation.[28][29] Entercom assumed control of the station beginning March 1, 2019 under a local marketing agreement and WNSH maintained its country format, although Entercom's head of country stations Tim Roberts stated that the company would be evaluating whether they would continue to license the Nash brand from Cumulus.[30] The swap was finalized on May 13.[31]

On March 25, 2019, WNSH rebranded as New York's Country 94.7, with no change in lineup or programming.[32]

Signal

Unlike most of the area's FM stations like WHTZ (and its new sister stations WCBS-FM, WFAN-FM and WNEW-FM), which transmit their signals from atop the Empire State Building, WNSH transmits its signal from First Mountain in West Orange, New Jersey, about 15 miles west of Midtown Manhattan. Therefore, WNSH's signal is much stronger west of New York City than the stations from the Empire, but is considerably weaker east of Manhattan and in parts of the city itself and Long Island. It is short spaced to multiple stations, including AC-formatted sister station WMAS-FM in Enfield, Connecticut, which also broadcasts on 94.7 MHz. However, Entercom plans to move its transmitter closer to New York City, by moving its transmitter site to Lyndhurst, New Jersey, the same transmitter site location as iHeartMedia-owned station WOR, without causing any interference with WMAS-FM and other stations.

References
  1. "WAAT, WATV (TV) sold to NTA for $3.5 million."Broadcasting & Telecasting, October 7, 1957, pg. 9.
  2. "NTA Newark purchase gets FCC's approval."Broadcasting & Telecasting, April 7, 1958, pg. 64.
  3. "Changing Hands." Broadcasting, November 6, 1961, pg. 78.
  4. "For the record." Broadcasting, April 2, 1962, pg. 129.
  5. "Family Stations sign to program on WJRZ-FM." Broadcasting, April 8, 1963, pg. 53.
  6. "For the record." Broadcasting, January 31, 1966, pg. 37.
  7. "WFME Program Guide". Archived from the original on 2006-02-07. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
  8. Taylor, Tom (9 January 2012). "New York scramble?: Is New York-market WFME (94.7) for sale? Family Radio applies to change its crown jewel to commercial operation". TRI: Taylor on Radio-Info. Archived from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  9. Taylor, Tom (10 January 2012). "Gotham guessing game: Yes, Family Radio's New York-market WFME (94.7) will be for sale. But not just yet". TRI: Taylor on Radio-Info. Archived from the original on January 13, 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  10. Venta, Lance (2012-01-07). "WFME Applies to Go Commercial, Prepares for Sale". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved 2012-01-10.
  11. FCC Internet Services Staff. "Application Search Details". licensing.fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission.
  12. "BALH - 20121019ACU". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved 2012-12-07.
  13. "Done deal: Cumulus closes on WFME". All Access. All Access Music Group. 2013-01-10. Retrieved 2013-01-10.
  14. "Cumulus closes on WFME in New York City". Radioink.com. January 10, 2013. Archived from the original on May 28, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
  15. Menut, Charles. Aircheck of Family Radio sign-off on WFME (94.7 FM), January 11, 2013. Formatchange.com. Retrieved January 12, 2013.
  16. Camping, Harold E. "What is happening with Family Radio?" Familyradio.com. Retrieved January 11, 2013. Archived January 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
  17. Venta, Lance (2013-01-21). "94.7 NashFM New York Debuts". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  18. McKinley Jr., James C. (2013-01-21). "New York Radio Gets a New Country Station". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  19. "Cumulus Announces National "Nash" Brand For Country Entertainment". FMQB. 2013-01-22. Archived from the original on 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2013-01-22.
  20. "Cumulus Launches Six More Nash-FM's". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. 2013-09-06. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  21. Gensler, Andy (2013-02-28). "Cumulus' Lew Dickey Explains Why NYC's New NASH-FM 'Is Good for Nashville' at CRS". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  22. "Easton Corbin playing NASH 94.1 show at Taft". Cincinnati.com. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  23. "Country Greets New York City with Nash Bash". MusicRow. 2013-02-21. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  24. Venta, Lance (2013-10-22). "Cumulus Launches Nash Magazine". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  25. Venta, Lance (2013-01-22). "Cumulus Planning A National Country Brand". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  26. Venta, Lance (2015-08-31). "Nash Icon Comes to New London". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  27. "'Kelly Ford In The Morning' To Debut On NYC's 'Nash FM 94.7.'". Inside Radio. insideradio.com. 2019-01-23. Retrieved 2019-03-30.
  28. Jacobson, Adam (2019-02-14). "What's Next For Entercom, Cumulus Staff In N.Y., Indy and Massachusetts?". Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  29. Venta, Lance (2019-02-13). "Cumulus Sells Six To EMF & Swaps With Entercom In New York & Indianapolis". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  30. Venta, Lance (2019-02-26). "Entercom States WNSH To Remain Country Upon March 1 Takeover". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  31. "Cumulus, Entercom Close Six-Station Swap". insideradio.com. May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  32. Venta, Lance (2019-03-25). "WNSH Relaunches as "New York's Country 94.7". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
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