WOYL
Encyclopedia
WOYL was an American radio station
, licensed to the community of Oil City, Pennsylvania
. WOYL operated at the assigned frequency of 1340 kHz and a fulltime output power of a thousand watts. WOYL signed off December 27, 2009 due to major technical difficulties; though the station acquired a special temporary extension that allowed the station to remain silent until June 2010, it was ultimately decided to return the WOYL license to the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC).
Though licensed to Oil City, some programming, sales and administrative functions did not originate out of Oil City, but rather Meadville, Pennsylvania
, the headquarters of Forever Broadcasting's other northwest Pennsylvania broadcast properties. WOYL was owned and operated by Forever Broadcasting, LLC, which also owns its primary programming vehicle, the Allegheny News Talk Sports Network, which remains in operation.
in Jamestown, NY and WSTV
in Steubenville, OH, which also operate on 1340 kHz. The station further benefited by being granted permission to raise its nighttime operating power from 250 to 1,000 watts around-the-clock, following the lead of many Class C channel stations (known then as Class IV). WSAJ ceased operations in 2006, when the college decided the investment required to keep an AM station on the air for only four hours per week was too costly and it would instead concentrate resources on WSAJ-FM
. This allowed WOYL to remain on the air during times previously controlled by WSAJ.
Like most small-market AM radio stations of its ilk, WKRZ programmed a format of full-service news, sports, and adult contemporary music, with world and national news provided by the NBC radio network (it originally affiliated itself with the Mutual Broadcasting System
on April 27, 1946, becoming its 300th station, with the network broadcasting a two-hour prime-time special, Mutual's 300 Party, honoring the event). From the time of its sign-on until the sale to its current owner, the station maintained its studios and offices at its transmitter site at 746 Orange Street on a hilltop overlooking downtown Oil City.
AM/FM in Franklin and WTIV Titusville), purchased the stations, WRJS' call letters changed to WOYL-FM and took on the moniker "98.5 The (oil) Well", but maintained its country music format. However, WOYL turned into a part-time simulcast of this newly-named station.
in the summer of 2000. Sauber's father, Robert Sauber, had founded WFRA
and WTIV
, both AM stations in Franklin and Titusville, respectively, and WFRA-FM
in Franklin. Tom Sauber also owned an FM station of his own in Cambridge Springs, which also was sold to Forever Broadcasting in a separate transaction.
The four radio stations do however, break down their morning programming into a two-station simulcast, with WFRA and WOYL airing program matter exclusive to Venango County, while WTIV and WMGW air programming more exclusive to Crawford County. WFRA and WOYL air their live morning show from studios at 1411 Liberty Street in Franklin, the longtime home of WFRA. A satellite sales office also operates from this location. Following the morning show, the quadcast among the four stations resumes.
WOYL's longtime general manager under Fidelity ownership, Sam Gordon (who had been with the station since the WKRZ days), left the station after its sale to join competing station WKQW-AM
/FM
, where he works as an advertising sales representative.
to remain silent through June 2010, but instead of requesting an extension of this authority following its expiration, Forever opted to return the license to the FCC, which canceled it on August 18. The other three stations in the Allegheny News Talk Network remain in operation.
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 the community of Oil City, Pennsylvania
Oil City, Pennsylvania
Oil City is a city in Venango County, Pennsylvania that is known in the initial exploration and development of the petroleum industry. After the first oil wells were drilled nearby in the 1850s, Oil City became central in the petroleum industry while hosting headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker...
. WOYL operated at the assigned frequency of 1340 kHz and a fulltime output power of a thousand watts. WOYL signed off December 27, 2009 due to major technical difficulties; though the station acquired a special temporary extension that allowed the station to remain silent until June 2010, it was ultimately decided to return the WOYL license to the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC).
Though licensed to Oil City, some programming, sales and administrative functions did not originate out of Oil City, but rather Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville, Pennsylvania
Meadville is a city in and the county seat of Crawford County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city is generally considered part of the Pittsburgh Tri-State and is within 40 miles of Erie, Pennsylvania. It was the first permanent settlement in northwest Pennsylvania...
, the headquarters of Forever Broadcasting's other northwest Pennsylvania broadcast properties. WOYL was owned and operated by Forever Broadcasting, LLC, which also owns its primary programming vehicle, the Allegheny News Talk Sports Network, which remains in operation.
History
WOYL was the very first radio station in all of Venango County, first going on the air on February 14, 1946, while the area was still in its oil-drilling and oil-producing heyday. It operated for many years under the call letters WKRZ. Somewhat unusual for this radio station was its two-tower daytime directional antenna pattern on a Class C "local" frequency at 1340 kHz, as well as its VERY unusual share-time arrangement (the station would sign off from 7:00-8:30 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 7:00-8:00 PM on Sundays). This was mandated by the FCC in order to protect another station operating on this same frequency at nearby Grove City College. That station, WSAJ, first went on the air in 1920. However, the FCC determined in later years that WOYL did not cause an interference problem with WSAJ and lifted the "shared time" restrictions, though WOYL continued to operate using the same directional pattern to protect WKSNWKSN
WKSN is an radio station based in Jamestown, New York. The oldies outlet is owned by Media One Group and operates at 1340 kHz....
in Jamestown, NY and WSTV
WSTV (AM)
WSTV is a radio station broadcasting a sports radio format in Steubenville, Ohio. WSTV, although providing a rimshot signal to the Pittsburgh area and within that radio market, provides ESPN Radio programming and local news and weather updates to Steubenville, Wheeling, West Virginia and...
in Steubenville, OH, which also operate on 1340 kHz. The station further benefited by being granted permission to raise its nighttime operating power from 250 to 1,000 watts around-the-clock, following the lead of many Class C channel stations (known then as Class IV). WSAJ ceased operations in 2006, when the college decided the investment required to keep an AM station on the air for only four hours per week was too costly and it would instead concentrate resources on WSAJ-FM
WSAJ-FM
WSAJ-FM is a non-commercial college radio station located in Grove City, Pennsylvania. The station is owned and operated by Grove City College and carries syndicated classical and jazz music, as well as student programming and local sports coverage...
. This allowed WOYL to remain on the air during times previously controlled by WSAJ.
Like most small-market AM radio stations of its ilk, WKRZ programmed a format of full-service news, sports, and adult contemporary music, with world and national news provided by the NBC radio network (it originally affiliated itself with the Mutual Broadcasting System
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
on April 27, 1946, becoming its 300th station, with the network broadcasting a two-hour prime-time special, Mutual's 300 Party, honoring the event). From the time of its sign-on until the sale to its current owner, the station maintained its studios and offices at its transmitter site at 746 Orange Street on a hilltop overlooking downtown Oil City.
FM signs on
WOYL also became the very first FM licensee in Venango County when it signed on its sister FM station on May 1, 1957. In later years, WOYL-FM would develop into a 20,000 watt powerhouse and remains the only such powerful station in all of Venango County, though now under different call letters and ownership.Sale to Robert J. Shupala
In early 1977 ownership of the stations changed principally to orthodontist Robert J. Shupala, who changed the AM call letters to WOYL and the FM call letters to WRJS, named for Shupala's initials. The stations had been simulcasting, but under the new ownership and management they began separate programming. WOYL's music became Top-40 based (although retaining the news and information), while WRJS briefly became Easy Listening, then settled into Beautiful Music (station was semi-automated with only occasional interruptions by an announcer). Upon Shupala's death in 1980, his wife Jean assumed control of the stations.Sale to Fidelity Communications
Both stations were sold in 1982 to Fidelity Communications, which continued to operate both stations until a brief period of duopoly ownership by its competitor in 1998 before the sale to Forever Broadcasting in 2000. Under Fidelity's ownership, WOYL remained the same, but the FM station would adopt a country music format with a live and local airstaff, unlike other stations in a market this size that would choose to automate their programming. When Oil Valley Broadcasting, headed by Thomas Sauber (whose father owned competitors WFRAWFRA
WFRA is an American radio station, licensed to Franklin, Pennsylvania; the seat of government for Venango County, Pennsylvania.WFRA broadcasts at the assigned frequency of 1450 at a fulltime power of a thousand watts...
AM/FM in Franklin and WTIV Titusville), purchased the stations, WRJS' call letters changed to WOYL-FM and took on the moniker "98.5 The (oil) Well", but maintained its country music format. However, WOYL turned into a part-time simulcast of this newly-named station.
Sale to Forever Broadcasting
Thomas Sauber, who had managed WOYL's competitors in Franklin, the county seat, agreed to sell both stations to Forever Broadcasting, of Altoona, PennsylvaniaAltoona, Pennsylvania
-History:A major railroad town, Altoona was founded by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1849 as the site for a shop complex. Altoona was incorporated as a borough on February 6, 1854, and as a city under legislation approved on April 3, 1867, and February 8, 1868...
in the summer of 2000. Sauber's father, Robert Sauber, had founded WFRA
WFRA
WFRA is an American radio station, licensed to Franklin, Pennsylvania; the seat of government for Venango County, Pennsylvania.WFRA broadcasts at the assigned frequency of 1450 at a fulltime power of a thousand watts...
and WTIV
WTIV
WTIV is an American radio station, licensed to the community of Titusville, Pennsylvania. WTIV operates at the federally-assigned frequency of 1230 at a fulltime power of 1,000 Watts...
, both AM stations in Franklin and Titusville, respectively, and WFRA-FM
WHMJ
WHMJ and WXMJ are a Variety Hits music formatted radio station combo broadcasting in northwest Pennsylvania, United States...
in Franklin. Tom Sauber also owned an FM station of his own in Cambridge Springs, which also was sold to Forever Broadcasting in a separate transaction.
WOYL under Forever
Following its acquisition by Forever Broadcasting, WOYL was established as an affiliate of Forever's newly-formed Allegheny News Talk Sports Network, which programs a mixture of local and syndicated talk, along with the Pittsburgh pro sports franchises of the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins. The network was set up as a "quadcast", that is, a simultaneous rebroadcast of the same programming over four radio stations, that included WOYL. The others are:- WFRAWFRAWFRA is an American radio station, licensed to Franklin, Pennsylvania; the seat of government for Venango County, Pennsylvania.WFRA broadcasts at the assigned frequency of 1450 at a fulltime power of a thousand watts...
Franklin - WMGWWMGWWMGW is an American radio station, licensed to Meadville, Pennsylvania, the seat of government for Crawford County. WMGW operates at the assigned frequency of 1490 kHz with a fulltime power of 1,000 watts...
Meadville (flagship station) - WTIVWTIVWTIV is an American radio station, licensed to the community of Titusville, Pennsylvania. WTIV operates at the federally-assigned frequency of 1230 at a fulltime power of 1,000 Watts...
Titusville
The four radio stations do however, break down their morning programming into a two-station simulcast, with WFRA and WOYL airing program matter exclusive to Venango County, while WTIV and WMGW air programming more exclusive to Crawford County. WFRA and WOYL air their live morning show from studios at 1411 Liberty Street in Franklin, the longtime home of WFRA. A satellite sales office also operates from this location. Following the morning show, the quadcast among the four stations resumes.
WOYL's longtime general manager under Fidelity ownership, Sam Gordon (who had been with the station since the WKRZ days), left the station after its sale to join competing station WKQW-AM
WKQW (AM)
WKQW is a radio station broadcasting an Oldies format. It previously had a Classic Country format until August 15th of 2008. Licensed to Oil City, Pennsylvania, USA, the station is currently owned by Clarion County Broadcasting Corporation...
/FM
WKQW-FM
WKQW-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Oil City, Pennsylvania, USA, the station is currently owned by Clarion County Broadcasting Corporation.-History:...
, where he works as an advertising sales representative.
Demise
WOYL has been silent since December 27, 2009; according to the FCC's website. WOYL has been removed from the Allegheny News Talk Sports Network's Facebook page, though its logo remains on the network's master website. It requested special temporary authoritySpecial temporary authority
In U.S. broadcast law, a special temporary authorization or special temporary authority is a type of broadcast license which temporarily allows a broadcast station to operate outside of its normal technical or legal parameters...
to remain silent through June 2010, but instead of requesting an extension of this authority following its expiration, Forever opted to return the license to the FCC, which canceled it on August 18. The other three stations in the Allegheny News Talk Network remain in operation.