WHOK-FM
| City of license | Lancaster, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Columbus, Ohio |
| Branding | K95.5 |
| Slogan | New Country and the Legends |
| Frequency | 95.5 MHz |
| Translator(s) | 94.1 W272AT (Columbus) |
| First air date | 1948 |
| Format | Country |
| ERP | 21,000 watts |
| HAAT | 232 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 72311 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 39°40′32.0″N 82°40′34.0″W / 39.67556°N 82.67611°W |
| Callsign meaning | HOcKing River near Lancaster |
| Owner | Wilks Broadcasting |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | whok.com |
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WHOK-FM is an FM radio station licensed to Lancaster, Ohio, located at 95.5 MHz. The station operates from a facility located in downtown Columbus, Ohio.
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[edit] Station history
WHOK has been a country music station for many years in different forms since it first went on the air in 1948, making it Central Ohio's longest-running country station[1]. It was initially known as a mainstream Top 40 country station, using the "K95.5" moniker. From September 7, 2003 to January 8, 2007, WHOK played mainly classic country as "Country Legends K95.5". The relaunch of the station in January 2007 (which saw its moniker changed to "95.5 The Hawk," and a new 50/50 classic and current country balance taking place) coincided with a change in ownership from CBS Radio to Wilks Broadcasting. Accordingly, the station completely revamped its website and as of May 2007, the new WHOK.com was rolled out, offering artist and concert links as well as a streaming audio feature by which users can "listen live" anytime.
Beginning in January 2009, WHOK incorporated more of the classic country back into its playlist, going all the way back to the 1950s with songs by Hank Williams, Sr., some early Johnny Cash and George Jones numbers, and rare gems by Tammy Wynette and Billy "Crash" Craddock, to name a few. However, the station did not present this to listeners as a change in format; the branding of the station was still "95.5 The Hawk" and the website still displayed the same look and feel as before, albeit with more classic country artists. The playlist extended into the 1990s and early 2000s (e.g. Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson, Faith Hill) but no current or recent titles were played outside of certain syndicated shows.
On January 16, 2012, the station reverted to the K95.5 branding, and readopted a mix of newer and classic country with the positioner "New Country and the Legends". The classic component continues to differentiate WHOK from its sister WNKK (Wink 107.1), which exclusively plays new country.
[edit] Competition and Coverage
Due to the poor signal of WHOK in downtown Columbus, WHOK-FM operates a translator at 94.1 MHz as W272AT. The translator airs exactly the same audio as WHOK-FM.
In addition to WNKK, WHOK also has competition with WCOL-FM and WCLT-FM for country music listenership in the Columbus radio market.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WHOK
- Radio-Locator information on WHOK
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for WHOK
- Query the FCC's FM station database for W272AT
- Radio-Locator information on W272AT
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