WLTW
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|
FCC | |
Facility ID | 56571 |
---|---|
Class | B |
ERP |
|
HAAT | 415 meters (1,362 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°44′54.3″N 73°59′08.5″W / 40.748417°N 73.985694°W |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live (via iHeartRadio) |
Website | litefm |
WLTW (106.7
History
The station first went on the air on January 1, 1961, as non-commercial WRVR, originally owned by the Riverside Church.[2] WRVR played classical music and some jazz, along with religious programming and public affairs, broadcasting from an antenna atop the church's bell tower. As time went on, WRVR was a full-time jazz station with a strong audience following but low ratings.
In mid-1974 Riverside Church looked to cut its losses and sell WRVR, but with a preferred condition that the station's jazz format be preserved. At the same time,
As the WNCN/WQIV drama concluded, Sonderling Broadcasting stepped in and bought WRVR from Riverside Church for just over
1980s
In 1978
On January 23, 1984, Viacom dropped country music and turned 106.7 into an MOR station–with new call letters WLTW and on-air branding of "Lite FM". Initially they were an easy listening station without anything that would be classified as "elevator music". At this point, the station played music from such artists as Barbra Streisand, Frank Sinatra, the Carpenters, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Rogers, Tony Bennett, Andy Williams, Barry Manilow, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor, and the Stylistics. The station also played softer songs from such artists as Elton John, Elvis Presley, the Beatles, the Everly Brothers, the Righteous Brothers and Billy Joel. The station would not play any new music except for new songs by artists that were familiar to listeners of the station. With this format change, ratings did increase from its previously low levels.
By the late 1980s, WLTW started to play songs from such artists as Whitney Houston, Chicago, Foreigner, the Doobie Brothers and Bruce Springsteen. As other competing New York City stations changed their focus, the station stayed with their soft adult contemporary format, even though they were phasing out songs from artists such as Frank Sinatra, Barry Manilow, and the Carpenters. At this point, the station's ratings were at or near the top compared with other New York City radio stations.
1990s
By the mid-1990s, with
Merger with Clear Channel Communications
Chancellor Media acquired WLTW and the rest of Viacom's radio group in 1997.[12] In 1999 Chancellor merged with Capstar to form AMFM, which retained WLTW.[13] Finally, in 2000, AMFM merged with Clear Channel Communications,[14] which became iHeartMedia in 2014.[15]
WLTW was simulcast nationwide on
Since 2006
As part of Clear Channel's nationwide cost-cutting efforts, WLTW fired station veterans Bill Buchner (mornings) and J.J. Kennedy (evenings) on November 6, 2006. Buchner was replaced with Karen Carson, who co-hosted mornings with fellow WLTW staffer Christine Nagy. WLTW Program Director Jim Ryan has denied these firings were part of the company's cost cutting that were going on at all the other Clear Channel stations in preparation for their conversion the leveraged buyout that took the company from public to private ownership in 2006, but rather from their desire to improve ratings.[16]
The syndicated
On April 2, 2007, just after April Fool's Day, WLTW removed the "Lite" branding and was simply known as "New York's 106.7." This probably took place in reaction to the "Lite" brand being associated with an older demographic turning away the younger listeners, as well as increased competition from the new
, the latter two on 98.3 FM).Further cost-cutting efforts by Clear Channel caused the departure of longtime station favorites Al "Bernie" Berstein and Valerie Smaldone in early 2008. It was also announced that Program Director Jim Ryan would exit as of May 2008. Chris Conley took over the Program Director Position. Conley was a programming consultant with McVay Media and long-time programming veteran with years in the Adult Contemporary radio format. Conley had a very successful tenure at
Lite FM has evolved into a more upbeat "Variety" station from its earlier "Soft Rock" approach with deejays talking over intros, keeping a non-stop music flow, and has added a jingle package for the first time in the history of the station. The station uses Reelworld One AC with its own logo. The station is also well known for having somewhat of a lean toward Rhythmic AC compared to most other AC stations owned by Clear Channel, possibly due to the younger-leaning audience in the NY market.
In May 2011, WLTW returned to
In 2018, WLTW and eight other iHeart-owned AC stations began carrying the syndicated weekend program Ellen K Weekend Show hosted by KOST 103.5 Los Angeles radio personality and former On Air with Ryan Seacrest co-host Ellen K.[24]
A link to 106.7 FM's days as Riverside Church-owned WRVR remains on WLTW in the present day. A recorded sermon from Riverside Church airs on the station at 5:00 AM on Sunday mornings, as part of WLTW's non-music public affairs programming.
Christmas Music
Like-other Lite FM-branded and iHeartMedia-owned mainstream AC stations, during the holiday season (Thanksgiving through Christmas), WLTW has played Christmas music interspersed with its regular playlist. Only on Christmas Day and a few days leading up to it would the station devote all its airtime to holiday music. After the September 11 attacks, Christmas music was seen as a comforting "feel-good" format for radio listeners. Already established as a popular station for Christmas music, WLTW began to switch to an all-Christmas format earlier in 2002. After retaining its leadership in market share, and as part of a national trend, the station continued to make the switch earlier in the following years.[25] By 2004, the all-Christmas format ran from Thanksgiving through Christmas, and in 2005, it began on November 18, the week before Thanksgiving (November 24). By all accounts, the gamble paid off; WLTW captured 7.4% of the New York radio audience during the fall of 2005—the biggest market share in WLTW's history and the highest share for all New York stations since the winter of 1995. On November 18, 2006, for the 2nd year in a row, the station switched to all Christmas music on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, becoming the first station in the New York media market to do so. They did so the same day as WALK-FM, a Long Island-based station which shares a good portion of their listening audience. At some points during the 2008 holiday season, WLTW would draw as much as a third of all radio listeners in the New York area.
From 2007 to 2018, WLTW began airing Christmas music on the Friday before Thanksgiving, from 2019 to 2020, the station began airing Christmas music on the second Friday before Thanksgiving, and since 2021, the station returned to playing Christmas music on the Friday before Thanksgiving.
Ratings
As a mainstream adult contemporary station, WLTW has historically been one of the top radio stations in New York City. In March 2012, the station finished first with a 7.5 share in the
WLTW's audience also grows when it switches to Christmas music for the holiday season; in 2017, the station's ratings share increased to 8.8 at the beginning of the season, an increase of .5 year-over-year.[28]
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WLTW". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Riverside Church fm station on-the-air" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 23, 1961. p. 53. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ "In brief: Another Hitch" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 4, 1974. p. 6. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ "No go on WRVR buy" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 3, 1975. p. 7. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ "Classical-music fans win out in New York." Broadcasting, August 25, 1975, pp. 62, 64. Accessed March 3, 2019.
- ^ "In brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 7, 1975. p. 27. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
- ^ "FCC gives green-light to sale of NY stations." Broadcasting, November 1, 1976, pp. 55-56. Accessed March 3, 2019.
- ^ "Viacom, Sonderling propose marriage." Broadcasting, March 20, 1978, pp. 33-34. Accessed April 2, 2019.
- ^ Elliott, Stuart (January 20, 1994). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; WLTW-FM finds success with an ever-evolving definition of 'soft' adult contemporary music". The New York Times. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
- ^ "Office Radio: No Longer Monolithic". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. November 23, 1996.
- ^ "AC Dominates Arbitrons". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. January 18, 1986.
- ^ Rathbun, Elizabeth A.; Petrozzello, Donna (February 24, 1997). "Hicks's sticks hit 267 Chancellor/Evergreen/Viacom deal creates radio group with $870 million in revenue" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. pp. 6–8. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ Littleton, Cynthia (August 28, 1998). "Chancellor, Capstar ink merger". Variety. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ "Clear Channel Communications Closes Its AMFM Merger for $16.67 Billion". The Wall Street Journal. August 31, 2000. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ Sisario, Ben (September 27, 2014). "Clear Channel Renames Itself iHeartMedia in Nod to Digital". The New York Times. Section B. p. 3. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
- ^ Hinckley, David (November 9, 2006). "Exec: Lite's critics aren't on the money". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 3, 2006.
- The Star Ledger. November 25, 2006. Retrieved December 3, 2006.
- ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". November 20, 2006. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
- ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush". April 9, 2007. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
- Crain's New York Business. Retrieved February 8, 2010.
- ^ "WLTL's Jim Ryan recalls his years in the spot 'Lite'". New York Daily News. May 21, 2008. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ Ross, Sean (January 3, 2007). "First Listen: New York's Fresh 102.7". Edison Research. Retrieved February 9, 2010.
- ^ "Clear Channel Sells SiriusXM Stake; Stations To Leave Service". RadioInsight. August 2, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
- ^ Trakin, Roy (July 25, 2018). "L.A. Radio Personality Ellen K Goes National With New Syndicated Show". Variety.com. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
- ^ Barron, James (December 8, 2004). "Jingle All the Time". New York Times.
- ^ "New York's 'Lite' Shines in Ratings". Insideradio.com. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
- ^ "The Radio Ratings Leaderboard Looks All Too Familiar as WLTW Wins Again". Adweek. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
- ^ "Holiday Music Delivers Record-Setting December Ratings For AC". Insideradio.com. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
External links
- Official website
- WLTW in the FCC FM station database
- WLTW in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- The WRVR-FM (Riverside Radio) Collection at the American Archive of Public Broadcasting