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WLYK (102.7 FM; "102.7 Wow FM") is a radio station licensed to Cape Vincent, New York. Owned by Border International Broadcasting and operated by 1234567 Corporation, a company owned by the co-founders of Canadian broadcaster My Broadcasting Corporation, it primarily broadcasts a classic hits format that targets the larger neighboring Canadian market of Kingston, Ontario. It is a member of Nielsen BDS' Canadian Border Stations Airplay panel.

WLYK has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 3,000 watts. The transmitter is on Route 6 at Stone Quarry Road in Cape Vincent, near the St. Lawrence River and Lake Ontario.

History

AC and country

On January 23, 1989, the station signed on as WKGG. It simulcast the adult contemporary format heard on 103.1 WTOJ in Watertown, but with commercials aimed at listeners in Kingston. In late 1993, the station went silent.

In 1997, Garry MC Colman returned the station to the air. Its call sign was WBDR and it aired a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format as The Border. In late 1997, 102.7 started simulcasting on 106.7 to better serve Watertown. After the split of the "Border" simulcast in August 2006, it flipped to country after Kingston station CFMK-FM changed formats to adult hits, with 106.7 continuing the "Border" format. It began calling itself KIX-FM, using the call letters WKXX.

The Lake and Kiss

In December 2007, the station began stunting with all-Christmas music. This lasted until January 2, 2008, when the station switched to adult standards. The "KIX-FM" country format moved to CKXC-FM at the same time.

On February 26, 2008, WBDR changed its call sign to WLYK. In September 2012, WLYK flipped back to adult contemporary, maintaining its prior branding as The Lake.

On September 12, 2013, WLYK flipped back to CHR branded as Kiss 102.7, adopting the "Kiss" branding used by Rogers Media's CHR outlets.

Lake FM, Wow FM

On February 28, 2023, ahead of a proposed ownership change, WLYK dropped the CHR format and began stunting as "102.7 The Pole", featuring rock, hip hop, and pop music played in strip clubs. The stunt attracted the attention of a strip club in Kingston, which was bombarded with calls from listeners suggesting that they partner with the station. On March 17, 2023, the station relaunched as 102.7 Lake FM; it is positioned as a gold-based adult contemporary format featuring hit music from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.

On July 24, 2024, WLYK flipped to classic hits as 102.7 Wow FM, adding market veterans Big G & Matty (who were formerly heard on CKXC-FM from 2004 to 2020) as its morning show and the syndicated Throwback Nation in evenings. The flip removes a degree of redundancy with future hot AC sister station CFLY-FM, which My Broadcasting Corporation (a sister to the station's current operator) is acquiring from Bell Media. In August 2024, it was announced that the station would become the new radio home of the Kingston Frontenacs of the Ontario Hockey League beginning in the 2024–25 season.

Ownership and management

As of October 28, 2011, ownership of Border International Broadcasting was divided between four shareholders: U.S. citizens John Clancy and David Mance (34% each), Rogers Broadcasting (20%), and Craig Harris (12%). Harris also resides in the U.S. but currently lists his citizenship as Canadian. As an U.S.-licensed station, WLYK operates under the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and not the CRTC, meaning that it is not officially subject to regulations such as Canadian content rules.

In 2004, 20% of Border International Broadcasting was acquired by a Kingston-based numbered company. The same company also secured a local marketing agreement to operate the station, which led to WLYK sharing operations with Kingston stations CIKR-FM and (later) CKXC-FM. In late November 2008, Rogers Broadcasting announced it would acquire the remainder of K-Rock 105.7 Inc., owners of CIKR and CKXC, of which it already owned 25%, pending CRTC approval; the transaction was completed the following May. Following the transaction, WLYK's website was not updated to follow the standard Rogers radio station template and referred to its operator as simply "The Radio Group"; however it did continue to feature the logos of CIKR and CKXC, and continued to list the same studio address as the Rogers stations.

Rogers ultimately also acquired the Kingston company's interest in the station in February 2011. WLYK's website was subsequently updated to indicate Rogers Radio's management of the station.

In December 2022, Jon Pole and Andrew Dickson—the co-founders of My Broadcasting Corporation—reached an agreement to acquire Border International Broadcasting for $325,000. While awaiting FCC approval for the purchase, Pole and Dickson's 1234567 Corporation replaced Rogers as WLYK's operator on February 28, 2023.

Footnotes

1. This may have been a typo as Harris had indicated U.S. citizenship on past ownership reports.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WLYK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. Radio-Locator.com/WLYK
3. Fybush, Scott (March 3, 2008). "This Week's Bloodbath: Citadel". NorthEast Radio Watch.
4. "WLYK Relaunches As Adult Contemporary". RadioInsight. September 10, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
5. "WLYK Shifts To CHR". RadioInsight. September 13, 2013. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
6. ^ Venta, Lance (February 28, 2023). "WLYK Hits A Pole". RadioInsight. Retrieved February 28, 2023.
7. Stunt format 102.7 The Pole ushers in new ownership of Border Broadcasting, Broadcast Dialogue, February 28, 2023
8. "There's a New Stripper Radio Station in Kingston, ON". Exclaim!. March 2, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
9. Venta, Lance (March 17, 2023). "WLYK Targets Kingston As 102.7 Lake-FM". RadioInsight. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
10. "WLYK Wows Kingston". RadioInsight. July 24, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
11. Thiessen, Connie (July 24, 2024). "MBC's WLYK rebrands as 102.7 WOW FM". Broadcast Dialogue. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
12. Robb, Colton (August 7, 2024). "Kingston Frontenacs To Be Heard On 102.7 WOW-FM". Kingston Frontenacs. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
13. ^ "FCC Form 323 (Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations) for Border International Broadcasting Inc". Federal Communications Commission. October 28, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
14. ^ "FCC Form 323 (Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations) for Border International Broadcasting Inc". Federal Communications Commission. December 10, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
15. Rogers press release, November 28, 2008
16. "Canadian Operators Acquire Upstate New York Signal". RadioInsight. December 18, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2022.

External links

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 8567 (WLYK) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WLYK in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
• WLYK - fccdata.org

• Radio stations in New York (state)
• Radio stations established in 1989
• 1989 establishments in New York (state)
• Classic hits radio stations in the United States