WBKV

WTSS

File:Star 102.5 Buffalo.gif
Buffalo
Broadcast area	Buffalo, NY
Frequency	102.5 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	Star 102.5
Programming
Format	Hot Adult Contemporary (Jan-Nov) Christmas music (Nov-Dec)
Ownership
Owner	Entercom Communications
History
First air date	1934 (as W8XH)
Former call signs	W8XH (1934-1946) WBEN-FM (1946-1987) WMJQ (1987-2000)
Call sign meaning	W The Star Station
Technical information
Class	B
ERP	110,000 watts
Links
Webcast	Listen Live!
Website	Official Website

For the video game, see Where Time Stood Still

WTSS is an FM radio station located in Buffalo, New York. The station, branded as "Star 102.5", is located at 102.5 MHz and is owned by the Entercom Communications. The station's transmitter is located west of Colden, New York, in south Buffalo.

The station itself is the oldest radio station in America currently on FM, signing on in 1934 as an ultra-shortwave station.

History

The station now known as WTSS actually began as early as 1934 as W8XH, an ultra-shortwave radio station operating as a sister outlet to The Buffalo Evening News and AM station WBEN and broadcasting at a wavelength of 5 meters, predating the country's first FM station by three years. The station broadcast on an interrupted schedule during World War II. In 1946, W8HX moved to 106.5 and became WBEN-FM (see WYRK).

The 102.5 frequency was first used by WBEN-FM when the station moved to that frequency from 106.5 and became "Rock 102" under the leadership of Roger Christian. The station has also operated as WMJQ, branded as "Majic 102" and "Q102", the latter of which lasted until the late 1990s. The "Star" moniker was adopted when Sinclair Broadcast Group bought the station at that time; the Sinclair group of stations was in turn bought by the present owner, Entercom, in 1999.

The station has, ever since the early 1980s, been a hot adult contemporary format geared heavily toward a female audience.

In 2006, WTSS began streaming its programming on the Internet.

Programming and playlists

Star's playlist consists of two categories, each of which takes about half of the playlist. One half consists of hits from the 1970s through the 1990s. The other half, which is shared with sister station WKSE, is current and recurrent hits. [1]

The station employs a number of gimmicks during the daily schedule, most notably a "9 to 5 No Repeat Workday" where no song is repeated between 9am and 5pm (if a song is repeated between these hours, the first caller through will win $1,000), 30-minute commercial-free music sweeps between 15 minutes before the top of an hour and 15 minutes after throughout the day, and several 80s blocks, including a one-hour "Retro Show" block that airs weekdays at 6:00 p.m. (formerly the "80s at 8" and the "80s After Work," expanded to include 70s and 90s music in February 2009), and the three hour "Saturday Night 80s Party" at 7:00 p.m. The station shuffled its lineup in March 2008, eliminating an exercise-oriented "Cardio Radio" hour to make room for Entercom's syndicated women's lifestyle offering, Your Time with Kim Iverson.

Star also switches to the moniker "Buffalo's Christmas Station" before Thanksgiving (usually the week before Thanksgiving, although in 2008, this took place nearly two weeks before that holiday) through Christmas Day, offering 100% Christmas music. After December 25, WTSS begins to ease back into its normal format; however Christmas music is still mixed within through January 1.

News and traffic are provided from sister station WBEN and weather comes from television station WGRZ; both of these are usually played at the bottom of the hour.

WTSS focuses on hot adult contemporary, some country music, disco and power ballads for its core music. In its regular format, artists frequently heard on WTSS include (in no particular order) John Mayer, Pink, Sheryl Crow, KC and the Sunshine Band, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, Jordin Sparks, Phil Collins, Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac, Maroon 5, the Goo Goo Dolls, Billy Joel, Avril Lavigne, Elton John, Rob Thomas/matchbox twenty, Jason Mraz, The Fray, Don Henley/The Eagles, Steve Miller Band, Queen, Journey, Huey Lewis, Bon Jovi, Hall & Oates, Bruce Springsteen, Styx, Pat Benatar, Colbie Caillat, Taylor Swift, Hootie and the Blowfish, Daughtry, and Nickelback.

During its Christmas format, frequently featured artists include Elvis Presley, Andy Williams, The Carpenters, Mannheim Steamroller, the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Burl Ives, Bon Jovi, Hall and Oates, Bruce Springsteen, Gene Autry, Johnny Mathis, The Ronettes, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, the Vince Guaraldi Trio (cuts from the Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack), Harry Connick, Jr., The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Michael Buble, Amy Grant, Bing Crosby, Jim Brickman, Stevie Wonder, and The Beach Boys.

DJs and programs

Local personalities include longtime morning jock Rob Lucas, Roger Christian (who has been with the station since the WBEN-FM era in the 1970s), Sue O'Neil, Brian Demay, and John Anthony. Mike McQueen, Brandy Scrufari, Buddy Shula, and Cheryl Stone round out the weekend shifts.

The following syndicated programs air on WTSS: Your Time with Kim Iverson, Backtrax USA (both 80's and 90's versions) with Kid Kelly, Sonrise (a contemporary Christian music program), Hollywood Confidential with Leeza Gibbons, and Fox All Access with Chris Leary.

According to R&R - Radio and Records Magazine, WTSS is one of the leading Hot Adult Contemporary stations in the country, nominated for Hot AC Station of the Year in 2006 and 2007.

Broadcast signal

WTSS, along with WDCX-FM, has the strongest FM signal in the western New York area. The station can be heard into the Rochester area, where it begins to interfere with WVOR and WLGZ-FM, on the adjacent 102.3 and 102.7 frequencies, respectively. East of WVOR and WLGZ, the station can sometimes still be heard along Lake Ontario until interference from WUMX in Utica factors in; it has been reported being heard as far east as SUNY Oswego. The signal can be heard going southwest well into Pennsylvania, and during good DXing conditions, can be heard into Erie. The station can also be heard into the Greater Toronto Area, where it has a relatively strong signal that can be received on most car radios. Some of the station's audiences comes from Toronto, making it the most listened to international radio station in the United States.

WTSS is the strongest FM signal in the Northeastern United States at 110,000 watts ERP, and in 2006 began broadcasting its signal in HD, offering an HD-2 side-channel called "The Delta", which features 100% Delta blues music.

External links

• Star 102.5 Official site
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