WYXL

WYXL
	Adult contemporary
Subchannels	HD2: AAA "96.7 The Vine"; HD3: Sports "96.3 The Buzzer"
Affiliations	Compass Media Networks
Ownership
Owner	Saga Communications; (Saga Communications of New England, LLC);
Sister stations	WFIZ, WHCU, WIII, WNYY, WQNY
History
First air date	1948; 76 years ago (as WYFC at 95.1)
Former call signs	WYFC (1948-1951); WHCU-FM (1951-1987)
Former frequencies	95.1 MHz (1948-1950)
Technical information
Facility ID	18051
Class	B
ERP	26,000 watts
HAAT	268 meters (879 ft)
Translator(s)	HD2: 96.7 W244CZ (Ithaca); HD3: 96.3 W242AB (Cayuga Heights)
Links
Webcast	Listen Live; Listen Live (HD2)
Website	literock973.com; 967thevine.com (HD2); 963thebuzzer.com (HD3)

WYXL (97.3

nationally syndicated show John Tesh, Intelligence for Your Life

.

WYXL has an

FM translator at 96.7 MHz. The HD3 subchannel carries a sports radio

format, feeding an FM translator at 96.3 MHz.

History

Rural Radio Network and Cornell University

The station

signed on as WYFC in 1948; 76 years ago. It originally broadcast at 95.1 MHz. It was a charter member of the Rural Radio Network.^[1] In 1951, it was obtained by Cornell University

.

Cornell changed the

CBS Radio News while the FM station specialized in classical music

. Both stations were commercial operations but were subsidized by Cornell.

Eagle and Saga Communications

Cornell University sold WHCU-AM-FM to Eagle Communications in 1985. Eagle switched WHCU-FM to

Dryden

.

In 2005, WYXL was acquired by the Cayuga Radio Group, a subsidiary of Saga Communications.

HD Radio

WYXL is one of the first stations in the nation to rebroadcast its HD subchannels on its analog translators. Its HD-2 channel was originally a syndicated CHR/Top 40 service known as Hits 103.3, using the W277BS translator. Hits 103.3 signed on in September 2008, shortly after the debut of WFIZ "Z-95.5" FM. The 103.3 translator prior to HD service at WYXL had been an FM simulcast of WNYY.

Its HD-3 channel launched in September 2009 as "98.7 The Vine", a blend of AAA with lesser known independent artists and some local bands. It formerly broadcast on the W254BF translator, which was acquired from Clear Channel in 2009. The translator, formerly on 98.3 FM at much lower power, was used to rebroadcast

CBS Sports Radio.^[3]

On March 24, 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Saga announced that WYXL-HD3 and the translator, which had since moved to 96.3 W242AB, would temporarily suspend regular sports programming between 8AM and 5PM Mondays through Fridays to carry information for patients being tested for the virus at the mobile testing facility at The Shops at Ithaca Mall. Sports programming, which had since shifted to Fox Sports Radio, continued during downtime hours and weekends.^[4]

WYXL previously had a translator on 95.5 FM that had simulcast WHCU, but the translator was shut off prior to the sign on of WFIZ.

References

^ "A selection from a decade of visits to tower and studio sites in the Northeast and beyond".
^ "Broadcasting Magazine Special Issue, Nov. 2, 1970". members.aol.com. Archived from the original on 2000-08-21.
^ Saga Sets Ithaca Shuffle
^ 96.3 The Buzzer Ithaca Switches To Coronavirus Testing Info

External links

WYXL in the FCC FM station database
WYXL in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
W244CZ in the FCC FM station database
W244CZ at FCCdata.org

42°27′54″N 76°22′23″W / 42.465°N 76.373°W / 42.465; -76.373

[1] "A selection from a decade of visits to tower and studio sites in the Northeast and beyond".

[2] "Broadcasting Magazine Special Issue, Nov. 2, 1970". members.aol.com. Archived from the original on 2000-08-21.

[3] Saga Sets Ithaca Shuffle

[4] 96.3 The Buzzer Ithaca Switches To Coronavirus Testing Info

[1]

[3]

[4]