WOKI
Encyclopedia
WOKI is a United States FM radio station serving the Knoxville, Tennessee
area with an News
/Talk
format. It is an ABC Radio O&O
station through Cumulus Media
.
WOKI operates at 8,000 watts at 98.7 MHz with a tower twenty miles northwest of Knoxville, TN. Its city of license is Oliver Springs, Tennessee
.
On June 14, 2010, it was announced that on July 9, sister station WNOX
would move its talk radio format to WOKI's frequency.
begins at that time, and continues until 9:00PM. At 9:00PM Mark Levin
airs.
Weekend programming includes a line-up on various topics such as gardening, home maintenance and mortgages and health, as well as syndicated programming like The Mutual Fund Show with Adam Bold
, Kim Komando
and ABC's Radio Perspective.
The station is an affiliate of the Tennessee Titans
radio network.
license), began in the mid 1970s with a progressive rock
format and automated programming pre-recorded by the DJs, but by the late 1970s had switched to a very successful Top-40 format mixed with some southern and hard rock, and live radio personalities. During the late 1970s WOKI-FM also carried University of Tennessee
Volunteers football
games and for two years sponsored the "Ramblin' Raft Race" on the Clinch River
.
Meanwhile, WOKI broadcasted on 1550 kHz on the AM dial with an adult contemporary format. WOKI became WORI and eventually ceased broadcasting altogether, while WOKI-FM after its switch to the Top-40 format was in heavy competition with WRJZ
(620 AM), and later WIMZ (103.5 FM) for the Knoxville market's top rock station.
After the early 1980s WOKI dropped the hard and southern rock and sports, and became strictly a Top-40 pop station thru 1993, broadcasting as "FM 100", "Hits 100", and "I-100". The station became known as "The Hitkicker," in 1993 broadcasting a country
format until 1997 when they briefly became “Outlaw Country 100.3” followed by a classic hits format, known as “Eagle 100”. In 1998 they changed to an Adult Album Alternative
format as "100.3 The River", which was later "98.7 The River" when the WOKI call letters moved to 98.7. The 100.3 frequency is now occupied by WNOX
, whose talk radio
format moved to WOKI July 19, 2010; on July 7, 2010 Oak Ridge FM announced plans for WNOX to stay news/talk but with different hosts.
WOKI's tower, while on 100.3, was located on Cross Mountain(elevation 3534 ft.) north of Briceville, Tennessee
, and accordingly, its signal could be received throughout east Tennessee as well as significant parts of southeastern Kentucky
, and in small portions of Virginia
, North Carolina
, West Virginia
and Georgia.
in 1989 and later switched to active rock
as "98-7 The X". From 1999 to 2002 the station was WSMJ, with a smooth jazz
format. As WYIL "Wild 98.7", the station was Rhythmic CHR until WOKI moved from 100.3 to 98.7. Starting in 2007 the station was known as "98.7 Earl-FM" with an oldies
format using The True Oldies Channel
.
After filing for bankruptcy
, Citadel Broadcasting
ended its lease agreement with Oak Ridge FM, Inc. for the 100.3 WNOX frequency two years early. On July 19, 2010 WNOX
moved its former programming to 98.7 WOKI, with 100.3 FM airing nothing but reminders that former WNOX listeners should turn to 98.7. The switch came 14 days earlier than they had originally announced. The True Oldies Channel programming has since moved to a simulcast with WMTY AM 670 and WMTY-FM Citadel merged with Cumulus Media
on September 16, 2011.
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
area with an News
All-news radio
All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks...
/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...
format. It is an ABC Radio O&O
Owned-and-operated station
In the broadcasting industry , an owned-and-operated station usually refers to a television station or radio station that is owned by the network with which it is associated...
station through Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
.
WOKI operates at 8,000 watts at 98.7 MHz with a tower twenty miles northwest of Knoxville, TN. Its city of license is Oliver Springs, Tennessee
Oliver Springs, Tennessee
Oliver Springs is a town in Anderson, Morgan, and Roane counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its population was 3,303 at the 2000 census. It is included in the "Harriman, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area", which consists of Roane County....
.
On June 14, 2010, it was announced that on July 9, sister station WNOX
WNOX
WNOX is a radio station in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. It broadcasts a news-talk format.WNOX operates a 100,000-watt transmitter, located on Cross Mountain north of Briceville, Tennessee...
would move its talk radio format to WOKI's frequency.
Programming
Starting at 5:30AM, the "Hallerin dert Hilton Hill Show" is on the air until 10:00AM. From 10:00AM until 12:00PM Glenn Beck's The Glenn Beck Program is broadcast. At noon the station picks up the "Rush Limbaugh Show" and broadcasts it until 3:00PM. At that time, the "Phil Show" hosted by Phil Williams is broadcast until 6:00PM. Sean HannitySean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
begins at that time, and continues until 9:00PM. At 9:00PM Mark Levin
Mark Levin
Mark Reed Levin is a lawyer, author and the host of American syndicated radio show The Mark Levin Show. Levin served in the cabinet of President Ronald Reagan and was a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese...
airs.
Weekend programming includes a line-up on various topics such as gardening, home maintenance and mortgages and health, as well as syndicated programming like The Mutual Fund Show with Adam Bold
Adam Bold
Adam Bold is an American author and businessman. He is the founder and minority shareholder of The Mutual Fund Store, and host of The Mutual Fund Show, a national weekly talk radio show focused on actively managed mutual fund investments...
, Kim Komando
Kim Komando
Kim Komando is the host of an American talk radio program based on the popularity of personal computers, the use of the Internet, and the complexities of consumer electronics. The Kim Komando Show is broadcast and syndicated on over 450 radio stations in the U.S. and two stations in Ontario, Canada...
and ABC's Radio Perspective.
The station is an affiliate of the Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
radio network.
WOKI history on previous frequencies
WOKI-FM, previously on the 100,000-watt 100.3 FM frequency (Oak Ridge, TennesseeOak Ridge, Tennessee
Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson and Roane counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of Knoxville. Oak Ridge's population was 27,387 at the 2000 census...
license), began in the mid 1970s with a progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
format and automated programming pre-recorded by the DJs, but by the late 1970s had switched to a very successful Top-40 format mixed with some southern and hard rock, and live radio personalities. During the late 1970s WOKI-FM also carried University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
Volunteers football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
games and for two years sponsored the "Ramblin' Raft Race" on the Clinch River
Clinch River
The Clinch River rises in Southwest Virginia near Tazewell, Virginia and flows southwest through the Great Appalachian Valley, gathering various tributaries including the Powell River before joining the Tennessee River in East Tennessee.-Course:...
.
Meanwhile, WOKI broadcasted on 1550 kHz on the AM dial with an adult contemporary format. WOKI became WORI and eventually ceased broadcasting altogether, while WOKI-FM after its switch to the Top-40 format was in heavy competition with WRJZ
WRJZ
WRJZ is a Christian talk radio station in Knoxville, TN that broadcasts on 620 AM. It is owned by Tennessee Media Associates.-Programming:Bob Bell hosts the morning show...
(620 AM), and later WIMZ (103.5 FM) for the Knoxville market's top rock station.
After the early 1980s WOKI dropped the hard and southern rock and sports, and became strictly a Top-40 pop station thru 1993, broadcasting as "FM 100", "Hits 100", and "I-100". The station became known as "The Hitkicker," in 1993 broadcasting a country
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 until 1997 when they briefly became “Outlaw Country 100.3” followed by a classic hits format, known as “Eagle 100”. In 1998 they changed to an Adult Album Alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
format as "100.3 The River", which was later "98.7 The River" when the WOKI call letters moved to 98.7. The 100.3 frequency is now occupied by WNOX
WNOX
WNOX is a radio station in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. It broadcasts a news-talk format.WNOX operates a 100,000-watt transmitter, located on Cross Mountain north of Briceville, Tennessee...
, whose talk radio
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...
format moved to WOKI July 19, 2010; on July 7, 2010 Oak Ridge FM announced plans for WNOX to stay news/talk but with different hosts.
WOKI's tower, while on 100.3, was located on Cross Mountain(elevation 3534 ft.) north of Briceville, Tennessee
Briceville, Tennessee
Briceville is an unincorporated community in Anderson County, Tennessee. It is included in the Knoxville, Tennessee Metropolitan Statistical Area. The community is named for railroad tycoon and one-term Democratic U.S. Senator Calvin S...
, and accordingly, its signal could be received throughout east Tennessee as well as significant parts of southeastern Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, and in small portions of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and Georgia.
History of the 98.7 frequency
WXVO played country musicCountry 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...
in 1989 and later switched to active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
as "98-7 The X". From 1999 to 2002 the station was WSMJ, with a 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 ....
format. As WYIL "Wild 98.7", the station was Rhythmic CHR until WOKI moved from 100.3 to 98.7. Starting in 2007 the station was known as "98.7 Earl-FM" with an oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
format using The True Oldies Channel
The True Oldies Channel
The True Oldies Channel is a syndicated radio programming stream begun in the spring of 2004, hosted by American radio personality Scott Shannon...
.
Chapter 11, Title 11, United States Code
Chapter 11 is a chapter of the United States Bankruptcy Code, which permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Chapter 11 bankruptcy is available to every business, whether organized as a corporation or sole proprietorship, and to individuals, although it is most...
, Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...
ended its lease agreement with Oak Ridge FM, Inc. for the 100.3 WNOX frequency two years early. On July 19, 2010 WNOX
WNOX
WNOX is a radio station in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. It broadcasts a news-talk format.WNOX operates a 100,000-watt transmitter, located on Cross Mountain north of Briceville, Tennessee...
moved its former programming to 98.7 WOKI, with 100.3 FM airing nothing but reminders that former WNOX listeners should turn to 98.7. The switch came 14 days earlier than they had originally announced. The True Oldies Channel programming has since moved to a simulcast with WMTY AM 670 and WMTY-FM Citadel merged with Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
on September 16, 2011.