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WYNZ

WYNZ (100.9 FM, "Whoopie 100.9"), is a commercial radio station licensed to South Portland, Maine, and serving the Portland metropolitan area. It is owned by Saga Communications and airs an adult hits radio format. The studios and offices are on Western Avenue in South Portland.

WYNZ has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 25,000 watts, but from a tower at only 93 meters (305 ft) in height above average terrain (HAAT), limiting its coverage area. That contrasts with other Portland stations such as WBLM and WFNK that have taller towers and are powered at 100,000 watts. WYNZ's transmitter is behind the studios in South Portland, near the Maine Turnpike.

On January 13, 1976, the station signed on as WRQN. It was a hot adult contemporary station. WRQN originally was licensed to Westbrook and owned by Japat, Inc.

WRQN was powered at less than 1,000 watts, only heard in Portland and its adjacent suburbs. In 1977, it was sold to the owners of WLOB (1310 AM), whose management changed the FM station to album-oriented rock (AOR) as WLOB-FM.

In the late 1970s, WLOB-FM was known as "FM 101 - Portland's Best Rock", giving progressive rock station 107.5 WBLM some serious competition and sometimes beating WBLM in the ratings as well. In late 1980, the station was sold to Eastman Broadcasting, which was also in the process of purchasing WCSH (970 AM).

Eastman changed WLOB-FM's call sign to WYNZ-FM in December 1980, while AM 970 became WYNZ, simulcasting the FM station. The AOR format remained. For the next year, the station was known as "Z101 - Portland's Best Rock". Some of the DJs on WYNZ-FM included Danny Shewster, G.V. Rapp, John Clark, Karen (Tucker) Payson, Bennie Green, Scott Schuster, Will Jackson and Jeff Spicer.

Eastman changed WYNZ-FM to an adult contemporary music format in November 1981, calling the station Y101. At that point, Z101 veteran John Clark defected to WBLM and the new on-air line-up included morning man Bob Rose as well as Dean Rogers, Andy Kosinski and later Ted Talbot. WYNZ-AM-FM were sold to Buckley Broadcasting in the mid-1980s with the Y101 adult contemporary format remained in place.

In 1989, WYNZ changed formats to oldies. It was known as "Portland's Solid Gold, Y101-FM" playing hits from the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Bob Rose remained on mornings as well as Ted Talbot handling afternoons. Andy Kosinski was the evening voice. Chuck Igo joined the station to handle middays. Bob Rose exited the station in the early 1990s and Dean Rogers returned to the FM side of the WYNZ operation to handle mornings.

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