WXTU

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WXTU
City of license	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area	Delaware Valley
Branding	92-5 XTU
Slogan	"Philadelphia's Country Station"
Frequency	92.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) 92.5 HD-2 for Future Country
First air date	1940s (as KYW-FM)
Format	Country
ERP	11,000 watts
HAAT	279 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	74213
Former callsigns	KYW-FM (1940s-?) WIFI (?-1984)
Affiliations	American Federation of Television and Radio Artists
Owner	Beasley Broadcast Group
Sister stations	WRDW, WWDB, WTMR
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	http://www.wxtu.com

WXTU (92.5 FM, "92-5 XTU") is a Country music formatted radio station which is broadcast in the Philadelphia area. It is the largest country radio station in the United States based on listener cume (WUSN in Chicago is the second largest).^{[citation needed]} The station plays a variety of country music, including current hits, as well as older hits. WXTU is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group, and is Philadelphia's only country radio station. Its transmitter is located in the Roxborough section of the city. WXTU also broadcasts commercial free country music on one of its HD Radio channels, which is separate from the main programming. The WXTU studios and offices are located in the "555 Building" in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

Since the advent of the Portable People Meter by Arbitron in Philadelphia, WXTU has become the most listened to country station in the United States (based on listener cume). This distinction was formerly held by WUSN in Chicago, owned by CBS Radio. Although, since PPM service is not yet available in Chicago, this is in dispute.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] History

[edit] WIFI/Hit Parade 70

The first Philadelphia station on 92.5 was Westinghouse's KYW-FM. Westinghouse ultimately decided not to continue operating this station and relinquished its license. The original call sign of the current 92.5 was WIFI. Although it was always licensed as a Philadelphia station, WIFI in its early years was essentially a local station serving Norristown and neighboring communities in Montgomery County, broadcasting MOR music and talk along with some local sports events. WIFI at the end of the 1960s brought some of the first "progressive" or "underground" rock programming to the airwaves with Johnny Devereaux and other hosts. By 1970, WIFI had dropped locally originated programming in favor of the syndicated automated format "Hit Parade '70".

[edit] I-92/Studio 92

After two or three years of this and other automated programming, WIFI instituted a high-energy AM-style rock format. For a couple of years, WIFI was the only true Top 40 station in Philadelphia following WFIL's move to an Adult Contemporary format in the late 1970s, but after WCAU-FM debuted its Hot Hits format in October 1981, WIFI's ratings fell as CAU-FM quickly grabbed most of the teen audience. A move to a new-wave rock format, branded as "I-92" and "Rock of the Eighties" (1982), attracted more press attention than listenership. A move to an Urban Contemporary format as "Studio 92", with a call sign change to WXTU, followed but failed to find an audience.

[edit] 92.5 WXTU

On March 1, 1984 at 1pm ET the station switched to the current country format. The very first country song on WXTU was "Are You Ready For The Country" by Waylon Jennings.

In 2007, the station was nominated for the top 25 markets Country music Radio & Records magazine station of the year award . Other nominees included WUSN Chicago, KYGO-FM Denver, WYCD Detroit, KEEY-FM Minneapolis, and KSON-FM San Diego.^[1]

[edit] Current Airstaff

The current lineup (as of August 2009) Starting out the day on the morning drive from 5am-9am its Kris & Andie with Kris Stevens and Andie Summers. Next from 9am-2pm its Leigh Richards. Holding down the afternoon drive from 2pm-7pm its Razz On The Radio with Mark Razz. Wrapping up the day on nights from 7pm-12am is Jeff Ryan, and from 12am-5am is the syndicated show After Mid-Nite with Blair Garner.

Weekend's/Fill-ins include Rick Edwards, Frank Michaels and Christy Springfield.

[edit] References

[edit] Awards and Nominations

CMA Awards

• 2002 Radio Station (Major Market) (Nominated)
• 2005 Radio Station (Major Market) (Nominated)
• 2006 Radio Station (Major Market) (Nominated)
• 2007 Radio Station (Major Market) (Nominated)
• 2008 Radio Station (Major Market) (Nominated)

ACM Awards

• 2007 Radio Station (Major Market) (Nominated)
• 2008 Radio Station (Major Market) (Nominated)

Industry Achievement Awards

• 2007 Radio Station (Major Market) (Nominated)
• 2007 Personality (Bob Marly) (Nominated)

[edit] External links

• Philly FM Radio History
• WXTU Website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WXTU
• Radio Locator information on WXTU
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WXTU