WICU (AM)

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Wikipedia

WICU
Simulcast of WICU-FM, Lawrence Park–Erie
Broadcast areaJamestown, New York
Frequency1310 kHz
BrandingHappi Radio
Programming
FormatContemporary hit radio
Ownership
Owner
WRRN, WNAE
History
First air date
December 31, 1946; 78 years ago (1946-12-31)
Former call signs
WNAE (1946–2020)
Call sign meaning
derived from sister station WICU-TV
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID34928
ClassD
Power
  • 5,000 watts (day)
  • 94 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
41°48′50.00″N 79°10′4.00″W / 41.8138889°N 79.1677778°W / 41.8138889; -79.1677778
Translator96.7 W244DY (Warren)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.happi927.com

WICU (1310 AM; "Happi Radio") is a radio station broadcasting a contemporary hit radio format. Licensed to Warren, Pennsylvania, United States, the station is a simulcast of Erie-based WICU-FM (92.7); its programming is also heard on translator station W244DY (96.7 FM). WICU is owned by Lilly Broadcasting.[2]

History

The station signed on December 31, 1946,[3] as WNAE. Northern Allegheny Broadcasting sold the station to Kinzua Broadcasting Company in 1974.[4]

Owner, president and general manager, W. LeRoy Schneck, remained part of the company since its beginnings, and was awarded "Man of the Century" by the local Chamber of Commerce in 2000. He continued to host a big-band program well into the 2000s, and passed away in early 2008.

The station was a long time local fixture, airing a contemporary music format, with a strong focus on local news and community information, as well as broadcasting local and national sports. Sales manager Dave Whipple was well-known as the morning host for many years, and Bob Seiden was the longtime news director.

It switched to a mostly syndicated talk format in the late 2000s, and eventually began simulcasting on 96.7 (W244DY), and changed its branding to "News/Talk 96.7".

Kinzua Broadcasting sold WNAE, along with sister stations WRRN and WKNB, to Frank Iorio, who already owned the construction permit for a station on 102.7 FM in Clarendon, in 2005 for $1.25 million.[5] In 2019, after a failed attempt to sell the stations to Laurel Media two years prior, Iorio (who owned the stations under the name Radio Partners LLC) sold WNAE, WKNB, and WRRN, to Lilly Broadcasting, which operates WICU-TV and WSEE-TV in Erie, Pennsylvania, for $900,000.[6] The call sign was changed to WICU on March 4, 2020,[7] matching WICU-TV and WICU-FM in Erie; the change was a prelude to the replacement of WNAE's former talk radio format with a simulcast of WICU-FM's contemporary hit radio programming on April 1. The WNAE call sign was concurrently transferred one of its sister stations, the former WKNB.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WICU". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "WICU Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ↑ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2009 (PDF). 2009. p. D-473. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  4. ↑ "WICU history cards" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  5. ↑ Fybush, Scott (July 18, 2005). ""Connection" Cut in WBUR Shuffle". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  6. ↑ Venta, Lance (April 15, 2019). "Lilly Broadcasting Acquires Northwest Pennsylvania Trio". RadioInsight. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Call Sigh History (WICU)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ Venta, Lance (April 1, 2020). "Happi 92.7 Expands To Warren PA". RadioInsight. Retrieved April 2, 2020.