WLNG

WLNG (92.1 FM) is an oldies/adult hits radio station licensed to Sag Harbor, New York, and serving eastern Long Island. WLNG is owned and operated by Bark Out Loud Dogs Media, LLC, a company led by meteorologist Bill Evans and his wife Sandra Foschi.

WLNG
CitySag Harbor, New York
Broadcast area
Frequency92.1 MHz
BrandingWLNG 92.1 FM
Slogan
  • Radio Eastern Long Island
  • The East End's Best Music
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatOldies/Adult Hits
Affiliations
Ownership
OwnerBark Out Loud Dogs Media, LLC
History
First air date
April 13, 1969 (1969-04-13) (as WLNG-FM)[1]
Former call signs
WLNG-FM (June 14, 1968–2000)[2]
Call sign meaning
LoNG Island
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID39640
ClassA
ERP5,300 watts
HAAT106 meters (348 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°58′19″N 72°20′54″W
Links
Public license information
Profile
LMS
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.wlng.com

Programming and history

WLNG has only had three ownership changes since its founding in 1963.

Fitzgerald C. Smith (1922–2005) started the station on August 13, 1963, Fitzgerald (known as Jerry) had been a reporter for The New York Times and NBC radio.[3] WLNG began broadcasting on AM at 1600 kHz. In 1996 the 1600 frequency was sold to WWRL so that they could increase the power of their station which was on the same frequency closer to New York City.[4] WLNG has been broadcasting on FM since 1969. Its FM transmitter is located on a hill in Noyack, New York which disc jockeys call "Mount Sidney" after longtime station president Paul Sidney (1940–2009[5]). The station's call letters come from Long Island. It transmitted in monaural until January 20, 2011, a rarity on the FM band which is mostly stereo.[6]

The station was sold to Robert King in 1969. King was owner of Montauk Caribbean Airlines (later Long Island Airways) which offered commuter air service between East Hampton and New York City. The station was operated by a trust after his death in 2014.[7]

WLNG has earned a reputation as a throwback to an earlier era with its frequent use of jingles, reverb, frequent remote broadcasts at local events, and personality disc jockeys.[8] In 1998, on the occasion of the station's 35th anniversary on the air, and president Paul Sidney's 34th year there, he stated "The key to staying around for 35 years is pretty simple: Be local, in news, sound and music."[9]

The studios of WLNG.

The station's target market is the Hamptons and eastern Long Island,[10] though the station has been noted as being heard "from Mastic to Montauk; the signal even reaches parts of Rhode Island and Connecticut."[8] According to Sidney and local business people, the station built good relationships with local establishments, and as of 2004 was producing 250 remote broadcasts per year from community locales, events and businesses.[8][11]

The station is noted for its use of numerous jingles (many from the original PAMS jingle library), which are often aired back-to-back. Paul Sidney, who was with the station beginning in 1964, started the jingle practice. As the use of jingles declined in the 1970s, Sidney "became obsessed with them" and collected over 2,000. As he put it in a New Yorker magazine "Talk of the Town" article in 2002, "We're the only station that when we say 'Here comes fourteen in a row' we're not talking about records."[12]

WLNG was one of the first radio stations in the country to focus on playing oldies, and identified itself as "The Oldies Station" beginning in the early 1960s despite a consultant's warning. While the station included current hits in rotation for decades and even as recently as 1999, today its playlist is almost all oldies.[12]

As of 1988, WLNG competed with 22 other stations in its market.[13] In 2005 Edison Research wrote about WLNG's standing in the area:

"...one of the oddest success stories of recent months: WLNG Eastern Long Island, N.Y., whose broad playlist, retro jingles, and endless remotes have made it a radio junkie’s favorite for years. Then the market got its first ratings, and suddenly WLNG was No. 3 12-plus – an individually owned station hanging in when the groups were pulling out, or at least getting nervous."[14]

In 1995, the station began leasing transmission tower space to Connecticut-based classical and NPR-affiliate WSHU-FM, during a period of increasing competition for listeners in specific demographics.[15] At the time, the station was described by a competitor (WEHM), as probably generating "the most sales in the region", and Sidney stated that "banks regarded WLNG as the most successful station on the East End."[15]

On May 29, 2015, longtime WLNG air personality Rusty Potz ended his run on the "Potz On The Program". Potz, who had been in radio for 52 years, retired to Sarasota, Florida, with his wife, Margaret, although he continues to work part-time selling advertising for the station.[16]

At the start of 2019, with Evans and Foschi taking over the station half a month prior, the station's format was refined with its focus continuing on local programming.

News and sports

WLNG's local news coverage, according to the station's vice president in 2007, is considered the best by many locals and is famous for being the definitive source "with close to a 90% share" for weather information during major storms.[11] On July 17, 1996, the station was broadcasting a live remote from Jamesport, New York when TWA Flight 800 crashed into the nearby Atlantic Ocean, and states that it was the first to break news of the event.[17][18]

In 2007, the station became affiliated with ESPN 1050, for local broadcasts of ESPN sports radio, however it was not without some coverage difficulties, according to Newsday.[19]

Before the 2011 Hurricane Irene, WLNG was listed as the "reliable resource for the latest on the hurricane's progress." by Rep. Tim Bishop, (D-New York),[20] and was the designated broadcast information source.[21]

During Hurricane Sandy in 2012 WLNG continued broadcasting and streaming online on generator power, using flashlights, as the storm surge rose to "ankle deep" in the studio. When a "burning" smell was detected, the station finally went off air from 8 p.m. Monday until 3 a.m Tuesday when the water subsided.[22] After the storm, WLNG helped coordinate relief supplies and vehicles with local police.[23]

Specials

The station has allowed guest hosts on air, if their airtime was sponsored. In 1987, a pair of (sponsored) 5th grade students broadcast for three hours, during which "all did not go well", catching the attention of New York Times "Long Island Journal Desk" columnist Diane Ketchum.[24]

Recognition

References
  1. 1970 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-141.
  2. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. FCC Media Bureau. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  3. "Obituary : Fitzgerald C. Smith". The Idaho Mountain Express. August 2005. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  4. "New England RadioWatch: July 30, 1996". Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  5. "Paul Sidney of WLNG Dies at 69". Hamptons Online. April 3, 2009.
  6. "WLNG FM Goes Stereo". WLNG Radio. Facebook.com. January 20, 2011.
    "WLNG Stereo 92.1 FM" Archived 2016-03-07 at the Wayback Machine. WLNG92. YouTube.com. January 23, 2011. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
    Erickson, Mike (September 16, 2011). "WLNG: That SOUND!" Archived 2013-12-13 at the Wayback Machine (Press release). Wheatstone Audio Processing. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
  7. Howard, Johnette. "WLNG Radio to Be Sold". The East Hampton Star. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  8. "RADIO; WLNG Found Its Style, And Is Sticking With It" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. October 3, 2004.
  9. Hinckley, David (August 22, 1998). "At Deejay-oriented WLNG, Mike Still Makes Right" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. New York Daily News. p. 63. Retrieved 2013-04-26.
  10. "Who We Are" Archived 2012-08-30 at the Wayback Machine. WLNG.com. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  11. "NYS Broadcasters Association to Welcome WLNG's Sidney into 2007 Hall of Fame". readmedia.com. May 30, 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-07-20. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  12. Green, Adam (July 22, 2002). "East End Oldie" Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine The New Yorker.
  13. Ketcham, Diane (December 25, 1988). "Radio Redux: Frequencies Are in Demand" Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  14. Ross, Sean; Silvia, Laura. ed. (January 24, 2005). "Don’t Drop Oldies Before You’ve Read This" Archived 2013-01-22 at the Wayback Machine. Edison Research. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  15. Spiegel, Meryl (May 26, 1996). "Out East, Fierce Rivalry On Radio Dial" Archived 2016-03-06 at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  16. Stephen J. Kotz (May 29, 2015). "Rusty Potz, WLNG DJ for 40 Years, Signs Off" Archived 2018-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. "Sag Harbor Express".
  17. Fisher, Marc (2007). Something in the Air: Radio, Rock, and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation. Random House. p. 321. Archived from the original on 2020-06-14. Retrieved 2020-01-26. TWA Flight 800 WLNG.
  18. "NYS Broadcasters Association to Welcome WLNG's Sidney into 2007 Hall of Fame". readMedia, Inc. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2012.
  19. Best, Neil (November 3, 2007). "Sportswatch: Radio daze: 'Jagr shoots . . . and scoresssssss'" Archived 2015-12-22 at the Wayback Machine. Newsday. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  20. Bishop, Timothy H. (August 26, 2011). "Hurricane Irene Resources" (Press release). US Fed News Service, Including US State News. Archived from the original on June 10, 2014. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  21. Sherman, Joanne (August 24, 2011). "Midweek forecast puts East End in storm path, Irene takes aim at the Northeast" Archived 2013-12-11 at the Wayback Machine. Shelter Island Reporter. Times Review Newsgroup. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  22. Watson, Dawn (November 6, 2012). "No Power, No Problem For Local Radio" Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine. East Hampton Press & Southampton Press. Retrieved 2012-12-06
  23. Salvi, Carrie Ann (November 8, 2012). "Many Relief Efforts For Sandy Victims" Archived 2018-06-15 at the Wayback Machine. East Hampton Star. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  24. Ketcham, Diane (March 22, 1987). "Long Island Journal Desk" Archived 2017-11-09 at the Wayback Machine. New York Times. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  25. "Past Award Winners – 1993" Archived 2012-11-04 at the Wayback Machine. National Association of Broadcasters. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  26. "Hall of Fame 2007 Inductees – Paul Sidney" Archived 2014-10-25 at the Wayback Machine. New York State Broadcasters Association. Retrieved 2012-12-06.
  27. "Billy Joel and Jimmy Fallon discuss a plot to crash WLNG In Sag Harbor" Archived 2015-02-16 at the Wayback Machine The East Hampton Press & The Southampton Press – Retrieved 2015-02-15.
  28. "Billy Joel, on ‘The Tonight Show,’ says he’ll DJ on his Sirius XM channel, and duets with Jimmy Fallon" Archived 2016-02-16 at the Wayback Machine "Newsday.com" – Retrieved 2016-02-09.

Further reading
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