WRRK

WRRK's HD Radio Channels on a SPARC Radio with PSD and EAS.

WRRK was previously the call sign of a top 40/rock station in Manistee, MI.

This station was first issued a construction permit to Matta Broadcasting Company, which owned an AM station known then as WLOA (now WZUM), also licensed to Braddock. Matta Broadcasting first applied for the frequency in November 1957, and was granted the permit in February 1958. Studios were co-located with the AM station at 1233 Braddock Avenue in Braddock, with the station signing on as WLOA-FM on June 1, 1959. Transmitter facilities were located on a hill just northeast of Braddock.

As WLOA was a daytime-only station at the time, its new FM sister provided nighttime radio service after the AM was required to sign off at local sunset, with simulcast portions of the broadcast day, with formats varying between easy listening and adult contemporary.

Station co-founder William G. Matta died in 1972, with the station being transferred from his estate to William J. Matta and Mrs. E.R. Matta in 1973. William J. Matta took sole ownership of the station in 1975. After this transfer was completed, the station underwent a format change in 1977 to a hybrid of Top 40 and adult contemporary music, and a call letter change to WFFM, adopting the moniker "FM 97". In 1979, the station modified its call letters to WFFM-FM (as its AM sister adopted those same calls), and then reverted to WFFM again in May 1981, receiving permission from the FCC five months later to dually identify its community of license as "Braddock-Pittsburgh".

In May 1982, Matta Broadcasting Company sold sister AM station WCKG and WFFM to Benns Communications.

In 1985, the station, by this time known as WHYW (since 1982), began featuring Classic Rock from 7 pm to midnight while retaining the Soft Rock format from 5 am to 7 pm and playing jazz overnight. They maintained their "Y-97 FM" identity during this time. In March 1986 the station went to classic rock full-time; the calls were changed to WMYG and they began referring to themselves as "Magic Y-97 FM," shortening it to simply "Magic 97 FM" later that same year. In 1991, the station switched to a current-based rock format, and the calls were changed to WRRK. When the station was bought by Legend Communications in 1993, the classic rock format was resurrected, but the station retained the WRRK call letters. The format lasted for 13 years, as "Channel 97" and "97 RRK".

On November 1, 2005, at Midnight, WRRK switched to adult hits, under the moniker "96.9 Bob FM", bringing "Bob FM" to the Pittsburgh market, not unlike the Jack FM format that has been proved popular in several US and Canadian cities. The first song Bob played in the Steel City was Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon.[1] Station IDs were accompanied by claims that listening to them is like "having your radio dial stuck in scan mode". Songs such as The Eagles' "Hotel California" are played back to back with Stacie Orrico's "More to Life" or Nick Lachey's "Whats Left of Me" .

In early 2006, it was rumored that the station had changed its call sign to WBZB. However, this was not true,[2] and WBON, a station on Long Island, New York, used the WBZB calls for nine months in 2007.

Some time before December 2007, Bob FM 96.9 started broadcasting in HD. WRRK-HD2 (Bob's B-Sides) plays a set "mix" of songs with a repeat period of less than 24 hours. WRRK-HD3 (Bob's Malt Shop) plays music from the '50s and '60s .[3]

Former DJs include Sean McDowell, Mark Andrew, John Pfab, Jim Quinn, Lee Sackett, and Ed Weigle.[4] During their WFFM days DJs included Doug Southerland and George Hart, Kevin Fennessy, former KQV afternoon personality Chuck Brinkman, and Tom Daniels [Later of WBZZ (B94FM), WWSW (3WS-FM/AM) and WDSY (Y108)].

.[5]

Actor George Peppard worked at the station when it was known as WLOA-FM.

[6]

• FCC History Cards - WFFM
• WRRK official website
• WRRK in the FCC's FM station database
• WRRK on Radio-Locator
• WRRK in Nielsen Audio's FM station database