WBGI-FM (105.5 MHz) is a radio station broadcasting a classic country radio format. It is licensed to Bethlehem, West Virginia, and it serves the Wheeling metropolitan area. WBGI-FM is owned by Cody Barack through licensee Ohio Midland Newsgroup LLC.
| Broadcast area | Wheeling metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 105.5 MHz |
| Branding | Big Willie 105.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic country |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WOMP, WLYV, WRQY | |
| History | |
First air date | 1985 |
Former call signs | WHLX (1982-1996) WRIR (1996-1997) WZNW (1997-2001) WZNW-FM (2001) WVKF (2001-2004) WUKL (2004-2021) |
Call sign meaning | "Biggie" |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 4996 |
| Class | B1 |
| ERP | 13,500 watts |
| HAAT | 95 meters (312 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°03′17″N 80°42′26″W / 40.05472°N 80.70722°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
The station has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 13,500 watts. The transmitter is on Highland Lane in Bethlehem, near Interstate 470.[1]
History edit
The station first signed on the air in 1985. Its original call sign was WHLX.
Beginning in 2001, 105.5 was the home of WVKF, a CHR/Top 40 station under the Kiss-FM brand. But the CHR/Top 40 format moved to 95.7 in 2004. After Kiss-FM moved, 105.5 flipped to Classic Hits as "Kool 105.5" under the WUKL call sign.
On August 12, 2021, the station cluster was sold by Forever Media to Cody Barack's Ohio Midland Newsgroup, LLC. The properties included WBGI-FM, WLIE (now WLYV), and WRQY. The price tag was $1,250,000 along with the sale of FM translator W235BX.[2]
On December 28, 2021, Ohio Midland Newsgroup announced that WUKL and WBGI-FM would swap formats on January 3, 2022, at 5:30 a.m. The switch put the classic hits format on 100.5 as a revived "WOMP-FM”, and the country format on 105.5 as "105.5 Biggie Country", with both stations exchanging call signs before the announcement on December 24, 2021.[3]
On September 22, 2022, after stunting with a one day loop of "Achy Breaky Heart" by Billy Ray Cyrus, WBGI-FM changed its format to classic country as "Big Willie 105.5", positioned as "The Greatest Country Hits of the 80s, 90s & More".[4]
References edit
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WBGI-FM
- ^ Venta, Lance (August 12, 2021). "Forever Media Sells Wheeling Cluster". RadioInsight.
- ^ "More on WOMP-FM Return To Wheeling". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
- ^ "After Achy Breaky Stunt, Big Willie Rises In Wheeling". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2022-09-23.
External links edit
- WBGI in the FCC FM station database
- WBGI in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
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