WRKT

WRKT ("Rocket 105", 104.9 FM) is a rock music formatted radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. WRKT's studios are located in the Boston Store building in downtown Erie while its transmitter is located near NE Sherman Rd and Miller Rd in Chautauqua County New York just outside of Erie Pennsylvania. It plays classic rock and new rock songs plus an array of sports. Notable on air personalities past and present include Kris Earl Phillips (the original Program Director and architect of the format), Steve Bohen, Paul Spinley, Kevin August, Dave Sharp, Amy St. John, Ronnie "Ron Klinester" Kline, Mark O'Brien, Nat Massing, Mojo McKay and Allan "AC" Carpenter, Woody, Chris Rodler, and "Stat Boy".

For the radio station in Cocoa Beach, Florida known as WRKT from 1959-1988, see WKQK.
WRKT
CityErie, Pennsylvania
Broadcast areaErie, Pennsylvania
Frequency104.9 MHz
BrandingRocket 105
SloganThe Rock Station
Programming
FormatActive rock
Ownership
OwneriHeartMedia, Inc.
(iHM Licenses, LLC)
WFNN, WJET, WRTS, WEBG, WTWF, WXBB
History
First air date
June 22, 1989 (1989-06-22) (at 100.9)
Former frequencies
100.9 MHz (1989–2017)
Call sign meaning
We're RocKeT 105 FM!
Technical information
Facility ID55063
ClassB1
ERP4,500 watts
HAAT160.5 meters (527 ft)
Links
WebcastListen live
Website[https://rocketerie.iheart.com/

Launched on June 22, 1989 at noon, WRKT operated as "Rocket 101" at 100.9 MHz for 28 years before moving up the dial to 104.9 MHz (and rebranding as "Rocket 105") on October 20, 2017 at noon EDT. The last song on "Rocket 101" was "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, while the first song on "Rocket 105" was "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" by AC/DC.[1] The 100.9 frequency was to be reallocated to Westfield, New York and sold at auction. Rick Rambaldo, owner of WEHP, won the bid but was late in getting his down payment sent to the FCC, leading to his bid being rejected. The bid will again go up for auction in April 2020. If Rambaldo again wins the auction, he has an agreement to restore the oldies format that had previously been on AM 1530 until 2017. Rambaldo sold WEHP in 2019.

On March 27, 2019, Connoisseur Media announced that it would transfer WRKT along with its sister stations to iHeartMedia in exchange for WFRE and WFMD in the Frederick, Maryland market from the Aloha Station Trust.[2] The sale closed on May 21, 2019.

References
  1. "Rocket 101 Becomes Rocket 105 - Format Change Archive". Format Change Archive. 2017-10-20. Retrieved 2017-10-29.
  2. "iHeartMedia & Connoisseur Media Swap Frederick & Erie". RadioInsight. 27 March 2019.

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