WMTK
Encyclopedia
WMTK is a classic hits
formatted
station located in northern New Hampshire
. It is co-owned with WSTJ
, WKXH
, WGMT
and WJPK
.
WMTK has the honor of being the first local commercial FM station to sign on in the North Country
of New Hampshire and Northeast Kingdom
of Vermont. The station signed on with a country music
format, a local morning show, with local news and weather inserted throughout the day. The satellite country music service came from Transtar, which eventually became Unistar and is now part of Dial Global. The station was never owned with Littleton's
first radio station, WLTN-AM, so Littleton had two stand-alone radio stations at the time. WMTK was known initially as "K 106.3", though over time became known as 106.3 WMTK. The studios were located at historic Thayer's Inn on Main Street.
As a Class A signal with a very high antenna location on the Manns Hill WLED-TV tower, WMTK has a decent coverage area that extends well beyond the Littleton area. While geography and terrain play a large role in defining the WMTK signal, it is heard quite well in St. Johnsbury
, Lyndonville
, Lancaster
, Groveton
, Jefferson
, Wells River
, and down the Connecticut River Valley into Bradford
and Fairlee
. WMTK has two powerful 50,000 watt neighbors just down the FM dial, 106.1 CIMO-FM in Magog, Quebec
and 106.1 WHDQ in Claremont, New Hampshire
.
For years, WMTK used to compete with St. Johnsbury's WNKV 105.5 FM for both advertisers and listeners. WNKV had an automated country format of its own initially, and still programs a combination Live and automated country format today. When WMTK and WNKV (now WKXH Kix 105.5) came under common ownership (VBA), WMTK was flipped to a broad-based classic rock / classic hits variant that is still being programmed today. WMTK's commitment to Littleton and it's listening area is strong with appearances at, and sponsorhips of, major events in the Littleton area. While still transmitting from Mann's Hill in Littleton, the studios were consolodated in the VBA broadcast building co-located with the WKXH and WSTJ studios on Concord Avenue in St. Johnsbury when Thayer's Inn needed the studio space for hotel purposes. The WMTK website is www.notchfm.com and they can be found on Facebook via 106.3 The Notch.
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
formatted
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
station located in northern New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. It is co-owned with WSTJ
WSTJ
WSTJ is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Standards/MOR format. Licensed to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, USA, the station serves the Northeast Kingdom and Northern New Hampshire area. The station is currently owned by Vermont Broadcast Associates, Inc. and features America's Best Music from Dial...
, WKXH
WKXH
WKXH is a radio station broadcasting a New Country format. Licensed to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, USA, the station serves the Northeast Kingdom and Northern New Hampshire area. The station is currently owned by Vermont Broadcast Associates, Inc. and features programing from Westwood One and AP...
, WGMT
WGMT
WGMT is a radio station broadcasting an Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Lyndon, Vermont, USA, the station serves the Northeast Kingdom and Northern New Hampshire area. The station is currently owned by Vermont Broadcast Associates, Inc....
and WJPK
WJPK
WJPK is a radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary music format simulcasting co-owned WGMT and is licensed to Barton, Vermont, USA. The station is currently owned by Vermont Broadcast Associates.-History:...
.
WMTK has the honor of being the first local commercial FM station to sign on in the North Country
Great North Woods Region (New Hampshire)
The Great North Woods Region is located at the northern tip of New Hampshire, U.S.A., north of the White Mountains Region. The Great North Woods is a tourism region of New Hampshire and is located in Coos County...
of New Hampshire and Northeast Kingdom
Northeast Kingdom
The Northeast Kingdom is a term used to describe the northeast corner of the U.S. state of Vermont, comprising Essex, Orleans and Caledonia Counties and having a population of 62,438. In Vermont, the written term "NEK" is often used. The term is attributed to the late George D. Aiken, former...
of Vermont. The station signed on with a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
format, a local morning show, with local news and weather inserted throughout the day. The satellite country music service came from Transtar, which eventually became Unistar and is now part of Dial Global. The station was never owned with Littleton's
Littleton, New Hampshire
Littleton is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 5,928 at the 2010 census. Situated at the edge of the White Mountains, Littleton is bounded on the northwest by the Connecticut River....
first radio station, WLTN-AM, so Littleton had two stand-alone radio stations at the time. WMTK was known initially as "K 106.3", though over time became known as 106.3 WMTK. The studios were located at historic Thayer's Inn on Main Street.
As a Class A signal with a very high antenna location on the Manns Hill WLED-TV tower, WMTK has a decent coverage area that extends well beyond the Littleton area. While geography and terrain play a large role in defining the WMTK signal, it is heard quite well in St. Johnsbury
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury is the shire town of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. The population was 7,571 at the 2000 census. St. Johnsbury is located approximately northwest of the Connecticut River and south of the Canadian border.St...
, Lyndonville
Lyndonville, Vermont
Lyndonville is a village in the town of Lyndon, in Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. Lyndonville's population was 1,227 at the 2000 census.-History:...
, Lancaster
Lancaster, New Hampshire
Lancaster is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, USA, on the Connecticut River named after Lancaster, England. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 3,507, the second largest in the county after Berlin. It is the county seat of Coos County and gateway to the Great North Woods Region...
, Groveton
Groveton, New Hampshire
Groveton is a census-designated place in the town of Northumberland in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,118 at the 2010 census. It is located at the intersection of U.S...
, Jefferson
Jefferson, New Hampshire
Jefferson is a town in Coos County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,107 at the 2010 census. It is home to parts of the White Mountain National Forest in the south and northeast and to two theme parks: Santa's Village and...
, Wells River
Wells River, Vermont
Wells River is a village in the town of Newbury in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 325 at the 2000 census. The village center is located at the junction of U.S...
, and down the Connecticut River Valley into Bradford
Bradford, Vermont
Bradford is a town in Orange County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,619 at the 2000 census.-History:The first settler was John Hosmer in 1765...
and Fairlee
Fairlee, Vermont
-Notable people:* Milton Friedman, economist, former resident of Ely* Richard W. Mallary, congressman* Samuel Morey, inventor* George W. Morrison, congressman* Nathaniel Niles, politician* Stephen Thomas, politician and brigadier generalHelen Gahagan Douglas...
. WMTK has two powerful 50,000 watt neighbors just down the FM dial, 106.1 CIMO-FM in Magog, Quebec
Magog, Quebec
Magog is a city in southeastern Quebec, Canada, about east of Montreal at the confluence of Lake Memphremagog--after which the city was named—with the Rivière aux Cerises and the Magog River...
and 106.1 WHDQ in Claremont, New Hampshire
Claremont, New Hampshire
There were 5,685 households out of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 32.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.7% had...
.
For years, WMTK used to compete with St. Johnsbury's WNKV 105.5 FM for both advertisers and listeners. WNKV had an automated country format of its own initially, and still programs a combination Live and automated country format today. When WMTK and WNKV (now WKXH Kix 105.5) came under common ownership (VBA), WMTK was flipped to a broad-based classic rock / classic hits variant that is still being programmed today. WMTK's commitment to Littleton and it's listening area is strong with appearances at, and sponsorhips of, major events in the Littleton area. While still transmitting from Mann's Hill in Littleton, the studios were consolodated in the VBA broadcast building co-located with the WKXH and WSTJ studios on Concord Avenue in St. Johnsbury when Thayer's Inn needed the studio space for hotel purposes. The WMTK website is www.notchfm.com and they can be found on Facebook via 106.3 The Notch.