WBTF
Encyclopedia
WBTF, also known as 107.9 The Beat, is an Urban Contemporary
outlet serving the Lexington
radio market. It is owned by L.M. Communications.
WBTF signed on its current format in 2000, playing Hip Hop
and R&B music, making it the first time in six years an Urban-formatted station returned to Lexington since WCKU flipped the format in 1994 to rock (Today, that station is now its Rhythmic competitor, WLTO
). Until recently, WBTF was the only such station in the market, therefore playing Old School
music, Soul
, Slow Jams and Gospel occasionally to cater to both the Mainstream
and Adult
audiences in the African American
community. It was the home of the Doug Banks Morning Show
until the end of 2007 when he was replaced by Steve Harvey
.
On July 21, 2011, WBTF got a second competitor, WiLD 103.9
(WLKT
-HD2), owned by Clear Channel
. The station launched on a former K-Love translator, and is currently the HD-2 channel for crosstown station, 104.5 The Cat, a Mainstream Top 40 station. Both The Cat and WiLD use Clear Channel's Premium Choice programming. Clear Channel hopes to siphon off WBTF's younger demos by playing more current-based Hip-Hop and R&B hits as a way to counter WBTF's traditional presentation.
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
outlet serving the Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
radio market. It is owned by L.M. Communications.
WBTF signed on its current format in 2000, playing Hip Hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and R&B music, making it the first time in six years an Urban-formatted station returned to Lexington since WCKU flipped the format in 1994 to rock (Today, that station is now its Rhythmic competitor, WLTO
WLTO
WLTO, also known as HOT102, is a Rhythmic Top 40 outlet serving the Lexington radio market. It is owned by Cumulus Media.-History:WLTO originally signed on the air in 1988 as a Urban Contemporary outlet with the call letters WCKU , but by the early 1994 they would flip to Classic Rock as WLRO, only...
). Until recently, WBTF was the only such station in the market, therefore playing Old School
Old school hip hop
Old school hip hop describes the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music , and the music in the period preceding it from which it was directly descended . Old school hip hop is said to end around 1983 or 1984 with the emergence of Run–D.M.C., the first new school hip hop group...
music, Soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, Slow Jams and Gospel occasionally to cater to both the Mainstream
Mainstream Urban
Mainstream Urban is a term used to describe a radio format similar to an Urban Contemporary format. The format differentiates itself due to two factors: playlist composition and target demographic...
and Adult
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
audiences in the African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
community. It was the home of the Doug Banks Morning Show
Doug Banks
Doug Banks is an American radio personality and host of The Doug Banks Radio Show.-Career highlights:The Philadelphia-born, Detroit raised Banks began his radio career broadcasting on the high school radio station. Local station WDRQ took notice of his talent and offered him a spot as a temporary...
until the end of 2007 when he was replaced by Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey
Broderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, television and radio personality and best-selling author. He is best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...
.
On July 21, 2011, WBTF got a second competitor, WiLD 103.9
W280DO
W280DO is an FM translator station licensed to Lexington, Kentucky. It rebroadcasts an Urban Contemporary format from the HD2 subchannel of WLKT. The station, which was launched on July 21, 2011, replaced the translator of EMF's Air 1 affiliate in the Lexington area, 107.1 WLAI. The translator is...
(WLKT
WLKT
WLKT, also known as 104.5 The Cat, is a Mainstream Top 40 station broadcasting in Lexington, Kentucky. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications. It specializes in Pop music, some Rock and some Hip Hop product...
-HD2), owned by Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
. The station launched on a former K-Love translator, and is currently the HD-2 channel for crosstown station, 104.5 The Cat, a Mainstream Top 40 station. Both The Cat and WiLD use Clear Channel's Premium Choice programming. Clear Channel hopes to siphon off WBTF's younger demos by playing more current-based Hip-Hop and R&B hits as a way to counter WBTF's traditional presentation.