WILK-FM
Encyclopedia
WILK-FM is a radio station
licensed to Avoca, Pennsylvania
operating at a frequency of 103.1 MHz serving the Scranton
/Wilkes-Barre
/Hazleton
radio market. The station serves as the premiere station in the regionally simulcast WILK News Radio Network, a network of four radio stations owned by Entercom carrying local news
and talk
programming for the region served by the stations. In 2007, WILK-FM started hybrid-digital IBOC broadcasting using the HD Radio
system by Ibiquity
. The main HD-1 audio channel carries the simulcast of the FM
(analog) channel programming, and the HD-2 audio sub-channel carries Smooth Jazz
music programming.
and signed on with the call sign WQEQ, known as "QE 103", when it ran a syndicated Top 40/Soft Rock
radio format with some local news. From the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, the station switched to an Oldies music radio format and was known as "Oldies 103".
The station during this time period started to be simulcast on its sister station WXPX at 1300 kHz on AM
. The simulcast relationship between the two stations exists again today even though both WQEQ and WXPX went through a number of call sign changes, format changes, ownership changes, and the 103.1 MHz FM
signal was moved to Avoca
. The stations, now known as WILK-FM and WKZN
, both simulcast the WILK
News Radio network.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to Avoca, Pennsylvania
Avoca, Pennsylvania
Avoca is a borough within the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, ten miles northeast of Wilkes Barre and nine miles southwest of Scranton. The population was 2,851 at the 2000 census...
operating at a frequency of 103.1 MHz serving the Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
/Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
Wilkes-Barre is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, the county seat of Luzerne County. It is at the center of the Wyoming Valley area and is one of the principal cities in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area, which had a population of 563,631 as of the 2010 Census...
/Hazleton
Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Hazleton is a city in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census, an increase of 8.6% from the 2000 census count .-Greater Hazleton:...
radio market. The station serves as the premiere station in the regionally simulcast WILK News Radio Network, a network of four radio stations owned by Entercom carrying local news
News Radio
News Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format....
and talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
programming for the region served by the stations. In 2007, WILK-FM started hybrid-digital IBOC broadcasting using the HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
system by Ibiquity
IBiquity
iBiquity Digital Corporation is a company formed by the merger of USA Digital Radio and Lucent Digital Radio, with the goal of creating an in-band on-channel digital radio system for the United States and around the world...
. The main HD-1 audio channel carries the simulcast of the FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
(analog) channel programming, and the HD-2 audio sub-channel carries Smooth Jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
music programming.
History
The radio station was originally licensed to Freeland, PennsylvaniaFreeland, Pennsylvania
Freeland, originally called Birbeckville after founder Joseph Birkbeck, then South Heberton, is a borough in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, south of Wilkes-Barre, and 10 miles northeast of Hazleton in an agricultural region. Freeland was officially incorporated as a borough on September 11, 1876....
and signed on with the call sign WQEQ, known as "QE 103", when it ran a syndicated Top 40/Soft Rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
radio format with some local news. From the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, the station switched to an Oldies music radio format and was known as "Oldies 103".
The station during this time period started to be simulcast on its sister station WXPX at 1300 kHz on AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
. The simulcast relationship between the two stations exists again today even though both WQEQ and WXPX went through a number of call sign changes, format changes, ownership changes, and the 103.1 MHz FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
signal was moved to Avoca
Avoca, Pennsylvania
Avoca is a borough within the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, ten miles northeast of Wilkes Barre and nine miles southwest of Scranton. The population was 2,851 at the 2000 census...
. The stations, now known as WILK-FM and WKZN
WKZN
WKZN is an AM broadcasting radio station licensed to the city of West Hazleton, Pennsylvania with service area extending out to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton radio market. The station is a full time relay of the programming of the WILK News Radio network featuring a News and Talk radio format...
, both simulcast the WILK
WILK (AM)
WILK is also known as Northeast Pennsylvania's Newsradio and owned by Entercom Communications.-History:WILK originally signed on the air in 1947. The station's original broadcast frequency was 1450 kHz during its early years before moving to the present 980 kHz dial position...
News Radio network.