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WKXP
WKXP (94.3 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Kingston, New York, and serving the Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary radio format from its radio studios in Poughkeepsie, New York. Weekday evenings, WKXP carries the nationally syndicated show "Intelligence for Your Life" with John Tesh.
WKXP has an effective radiated power of 2,250 watts. Its transmitter tower is off Station Road in Port Ewen, New York.
The station signed on in 1965 as WGHQ-FM. It was a sister station to the Thayer family-owned WGHQ 920 AM. For its first decade, WGHQ-FM would simulcast the AM's programming by day and aired automated easy listening during hours when the AM was not on the air. In 1975, WGHQ-FM split off from the AM, flipping to an automated Top 40 format, and changing its call sign to WBPM (for World's Best Popular Music). Several years after this switch, family patriarch Harry Thayer transferred the station ownership to his stepson Walter Maxwell and wife Jean.
By 1985, the station moved to totally local programming under the name B-94 and became a Kingston-focused FM station in contrast to the market-dominant 104.7 WSPK, based in Beacon, New York. This arrangement worked for much of the next decade. But around 1995, the station began to target Poughkeepsie, and adjusted its format to a Rhythmic Top 40 approach.
Unlike most rhythmic stations, the rotation was peppered with obscure dance tracks and odd 80s gold hits (mixed with the same jingles the station had used for the decade prior). This led it to become a cult station among dance music fans. As the 1990s came to a close, the Maxwells were looking to get out of the radio business.
In early 1999, the Maxwells sold WBPM and WGHQ to Roberts Radio (owners of WRWD and WBWZ). That May, it was announced that WBPM would flip to the "Jammin' Oldies" format that was quite popular at the time. It became known as Rhythm 94-3, with the flip taking place on June 10 of that year. Unlike many other "Jammin' Oldies" stations, WBPM saw little increase in its ratings versus what B-94 had prior. (Meanwhile, WSPK became #1 by a considerable margin.)
In 2000, Roberts Radio sold its stations to Clear Channel Communications and the fallout from this deal had an interesting effect on WBPM. Clear Channel was also purchasing the Straus Media stations in the market and legally was one station over the limit in the market. However, ownership regulations at the time did allow them to control additional stations. As Clear Channel was known for doing at the time, WBPM (and WCKL in Catskill) were sold to Concord Media, a "shell" company that owned stations Clear Channel controlled via local marketing agreements (LMA).
"Rhythm"'s ratings struggled further and by late 2001 the format was declared unsalvageable. On Thanksgiving weekend of that year, WBPM flipped to a satellite-fed oldies format as Cool 94.3. Existing in a glutted market for the format, this had no effect on the ratings even after established oldies outlet WCZX evolved out of the format to a '70s/'80s approach (and later to full-out adult contemporary).
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WKXP
WKXP (94.3 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Kingston, New York, and serving the Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary radio format from its radio studios in Poughkeepsie, New York. Weekday evenings, WKXP carries the nationally syndicated show "Intelligence for Your Life" with John Tesh.
WKXP has an effective radiated power of 2,250 watts. Its transmitter tower is off Station Road in Port Ewen, New York.
The station signed on in 1965 as WGHQ-FM. It was a sister station to the Thayer family-owned WGHQ 920 AM. For its first decade, WGHQ-FM would simulcast the AM's programming by day and aired automated easy listening during hours when the AM was not on the air. In 1975, WGHQ-FM split off from the AM, flipping to an automated Top 40 format, and changing its call sign to WBPM (for World's Best Popular Music). Several years after this switch, family patriarch Harry Thayer transferred the station ownership to his stepson Walter Maxwell and wife Jean.
By 1985, the station moved to totally local programming under the name B-94 and became a Kingston-focused FM station in contrast to the market-dominant 104.7 WSPK, based in Beacon, New York. This arrangement worked for much of the next decade. But around 1995, the station began to target Poughkeepsie, and adjusted its format to a Rhythmic Top 40 approach.
Unlike most rhythmic stations, the rotation was peppered with obscure dance tracks and odd 80s gold hits (mixed with the same jingles the station had used for the decade prior). This led it to become a cult station among dance music fans. As the 1990s came to a close, the Maxwells were looking to get out of the radio business.
In early 1999, the Maxwells sold WBPM and WGHQ to Roberts Radio (owners of WRWD and WBWZ). That May, it was announced that WBPM would flip to the "Jammin' Oldies" format that was quite popular at the time. It became known as Rhythm 94-3, with the flip taking place on June 10 of that year. Unlike many other "Jammin' Oldies" stations, WBPM saw little increase in its ratings versus what B-94 had prior. (Meanwhile, WSPK became #1 by a considerable margin.)
In 2000, Roberts Radio sold its stations to Clear Channel Communications and the fallout from this deal had an interesting effect on WBPM. Clear Channel was also purchasing the Straus Media stations in the market and legally was one station over the limit in the market. However, ownership regulations at the time did allow them to control additional stations. As Clear Channel was known for doing at the time, WBPM (and WCKL in Catskill) were sold to Concord Media, a "shell" company that owned stations Clear Channel controlled via local marketing agreements (LMA).
"Rhythm"'s ratings struggled further and by late 2001 the format was declared unsalvageable. On Thanksgiving weekend of that year, WBPM flipped to a satellite-fed oldies format as Cool 94.3. Existing in a glutted market for the format, this had no effect on the ratings even after established oldies outlet WCZX evolved out of the format to a '70s/'80s approach (and later to full-out adult contemporary).