Martinsburg – Berkeley Springs Area Radio Stations

WRNR WENT ON THE AIR IN 1976 SPORTING A TOP 40 FORMAT. IN FACT THEIR CALLS STOOD FOR “WE ROCK N’ ROLL” . FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS WRNR RANKED UP THERE WITH WINCHESTER’S WHPL AND EVEN WINC IN ATTRACTING THE AM TOP 40 CROWD.

  THE 500 WATT STATION FOR MANY YEARS WAS A DAYTIME ONLY OPERATION BUT THAT WOULD CHANGE IN 1985 WHEN THEY WERE GRANTED PERMISSION TO BROADCAST AT NIGHT WITH LOWER POWER. DESPITE THEIR 500 WATTS AT AM 740, THEY COVER THE AREA QUITE GOOD. ITS NOT UNCOMMON TO PICK UP WRNR AS FAR SOUTH AS WAYNESBORO, VIRGINIA. THE ONLY LOCAL STATION TO MAKE IT THAT FAR SOUTH (AM OR FM).

WRNR’S BROADCAST CENTER

WRNR IN THE MID 80s WENT TO A MORE “OLDIES” FORMAT. UNLIKE MANY OTHER AM STATIONS, WRNR CONTINUED TO PLAY MUSIC RIGHT UP UNTIL 1992 WHEN THEY WENT “TALK RADIO”. BILL HUTTON SIGNED OFF THE MUSIC WRNR WITH THE ANDREW GOLD TUNE “THANK YOU FOR BEING A FRIEND”.

WRNR HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MAJOR LOCAL NEWS/ SPORTS STATION. AND WITH THE NEW TALK RADIO FORMAT, NOT ONLY DID THE NEWS/SPORTS CONTINUED , IT WAS EXPANDED.  WRNR AIRS MANY LOCAL/STATE/ SYNDICATED SHOWS. ITS THE PLACE TO GO IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR ADVICE SINCE THEY AIR “THE DOLANS”, DR. JOY BROWNE AND THE FAMOUS (OR INFAMOUS) DR. LAURA.

WRNR IS OWNED (EVER SINCE THEY SIGNED ON) BY  RICK & GREGG WACHTEL.

AM 1010 WCST (dark) Berkely Springs, WV
NOW OWNED BY CAPPER BROADCASTING, FOR YEARS THIS STATION WAS OWNED BY CONRAD TRUMP.  THEY SIGNED ON THE AIR ON SEPTEMBER 7, 1958.

FOR MANY YEARS WCST PLAYED COUNTRY MUSIC, 23 HOURS A DAY, WHY THEY WENT OFF THE AIR FOR JUST ONE HOUR REMAINS A MYSTERY. THOUGH AM 1010 IS CURRENTLY DARK (IF THEY ARE ON THE AIR , THEY MUST BE ON VERY LOW POWER) THEIR FM, WDHC LIVES ON.

WCST DOES HOLD A TRAGIC FOOTNOTE IN THE HISTORY OF RADIO. IN 1974 A MEMBER OF THEIR STAFF (A NEWLY HIRED DJ FROM WSHP/SHIPPENSBURG, PA) DIED IN THE BERKELEY SPRINGS/WASHINGTON HOTEL FIRE. ALONG WITH 11 OTHER VICTIMS. THE FIRE TO THIS DAY IS THE MOST DEADLIEST FIRE TO HAPPEN IN THIS REGION.

AM 1340 WEPM, Martinsburg, WV

THE SECOND OLDEST STATION IN THE AREA, HERE IS ANOTHER STATION WITH AN ACTIVE HISTORY. WEPM SIGNED ON THE AIR AT EXACTLY 12:30PM ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1946.

ORIGINAL OWNERS WERE YOUNG C. LESLIE GOLLIDAY (FROM NEARBY STEPHENS CITY) AND HIS FATHER IN LAW C.M. ZINN OF NOT SO NEARBY YORK, PA. THE CALL LETTERS WEPM STAND FOR ” EASTERN PANHANDLE-MARTINSBURG”.

WEPM STAFF FROM THE 1950’s

IN THE EARLY DAYS , WEPM’S STUDIOS/ TRANSMITTER WERE AT FIRST LOCATED AT “RED HILL” (WHERE THEY AND WKMZ/WLTF ARE NOW). LATER THEY WOULD MOVE THEIR STUDIOS TO DOWNTOWN MARTINSBURG, FIRST TO THE OLD PEOPLES TRUST BUILDING, THEN ONCE THAT BUILDING WAS TORN DOWN TO MAKE WAY FOR A BANK, WEPM MOVED AGAIN TO ANOTHER DOWNTOWN LOCATION A FEW BLOCKS NORTH ON QUEEN STREET. IN 1984, BOTH WEPM AND THEIR SISTER STATION (WKMZ) MOVED BACK TO “RED HILL”, WHERE THEY REMAIN TO THIS DAY.

PULLING OUT THE RECORDS AT WEPM IN THE 50’s

OVER THE YEARS QUITE A NUMBER OF “FIRSTS” HAPPENED AT WEPM. IT WAS THE FIRST STATION TO HAVE ITS TOWER BLOWN DOWN (IN 1947), AND WAS ONE OF THE FIRST RADIO STATIONS IN THIS AREA (MAYBE THE FIRST) TO FEATURE A “TEAM”, IN THIS CASE THE MORNING TEAM OF HOMER & HAPPY. WEPM WAS ALSO THE STATION THAT LAUNCHED THE CARRERS OF WARNER WOLF, WHO WOULD LATER MAKE A NAME FOR HIMSELF AT WASHINGTON’S CHANNEL 9 AND WCBS/NEW YORK. AND JAMIE COSTELLO WHO WOULD LATER BECOME ONE OF BALTIMORE’S TOP TV NEWS ANCHORS. WEPM-FM WAS THE FIRST STATION IN THE AREA TO GO STEREO. THE FIRST STATION TO FEATURE A LOCAL BUY & SELL SHOW, THAT BEING “TRADING POST”, WHICH LASTED RIGHT UP UNTIL 2002. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, ACCORDING TO NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO, WEPM WAS THE FIRST STATION IN AMERICA TO PLAY A BEATLES TUNE IN EARLY 1963 ON ITS “TOPS FOR TEAMS” MUSIC SHOW. HOWEVER SINCE THERE IS NO “HARD EVIDENCE”  IN THIS  AREA,  THAT CLAIM COULD BE UP FOR DEBATE.

WEPM BACK IN THE 1950’s FEATURING BILL PEER, WHO OFTEN FEATURED A CERTAIN YOUNG FEMALE COUNTRY SINGER ON HIS PROGRAM. HER NAME…PATSY CLINE.

LIKE WRNR, WEPM HAS ALWAYS FEATURED LOCAL NEWS. AND OF COURSE THAT CONTINUES TODAY. FORMAT WISE, WEPM WAS AT FIRST FULL SERVICE (ROCK TUNES FOR THE KIDS, MORE FOR THE ADULTS, ETC…) THEN IN THE 70’s, A FULL TIME COUNTRY OUTLET. THE COUNTRY MUSIC WOULD LAST TIL THE LATE 90’s, AT THAT POINT WEPM BECAME THE VALLEY’S (ANOTHER FIRST) ALL SPORTS STATION. LOCAL TALK IN RECENT YEARS WAS EXPANDED WITH SUCH PROGRAMS AS “PANHANDLE LIVE” FEATURING SENATOR JOHN UNGER.

WEPM’S NEWSROOM TODAY

THE STATION WAS SOLD TO THE BERT THORNTON FAMILY IN 1978 AND TO BILL PRETTYMAN (WHO WAS THE GM FOR DC’S WPGC BACK IN IT’S GLORY DAYS OF TOP 40) IN THE MID 80’s. STILL OWNED BY PRETTYMAN TODAY.

AM 1550 WMRE, Charles Town, WV

  SIGNED ON THE AIR AS WXVA ON MAY 28, 1962.  THE ORIGINAL OWNER, KINDA FITTING, IT WAS THE WXVA BROADCASTING CORPORATION. FOR MANY YEARS THIS 5000 WATT DAYTIMER (THOUGH THEY HAVE IN RECENT YEARS WENT 24HOURS BUT GOOD LUCK TRYING TO GET 1550 AT NIGHT.) WAS THE HOME OF WXVA-AM, OR AS IT WAS KNOWN, “16 XVA”.

TOWER FOR WMRE & WXVA

WXVA IN THE 60’S AND 70’S SPORTED AN ADULT CONTEMPORARY FORMAT/ FULL SERVICE, SOME MAY EVEN SAY “MIDDLE OF THE ROAD”. THE 1970 TUNE “JOANNE” BY MICHAEL NESMITH (THE FORMER MONKEES) WAS ONE SONG I REMEMBER WXVA PLAYING A LOT OF BACK THEN. REMEMBER AMOS PIGG? JOHNNY G?  WOODY O’hARA, BETTER KNOWN TODAY AS THE VOICE OF WVU, WAS AT ONE TIME A GENERAL MANAGER AT WXVA.

THE “16XVA” DAYS CONTINUED TIL AUGUST 1982, AT THAT POINT WXVA WENT AM/FM. JUST LIKE MANY OTHER STATIONS DID IN THIS AREA AROUND THIS TIME. AND WITH THAT CHANGE CAME WITH IT A NEW FORMAT. IN THIS CASE “THE NATURAL SOUND”. “THE PEOPLE TREE” BY SAMMY DAVIS JR. WAS THE FIRST TUNE I REMEMBER HEARING WHEN I CAME ACROSS WXVA.

“THE NATURAL SOUND” WAS A MIX OF VERY LIGHT ROCK, STANDARDS, AND EVEN SOME BIG BAND MUSIC THROWN IN.  WXVA WAS ONE OF THE FIRST STATIONS TO BRING “ACCU-WEATHER” TO THE VALLEY (WFTR-AM DID IT FIRST) AND OF COURSE THE NEWS CONTINUED.

WXVA-AM 1550 BROKE AWAY FROM ITS FM IN THE MID 80’S AND OVER THE COURSE OF TIME THEY HAD A VARIETY OF FORMATS. BEGINNING WITH OLDIES (WESTWOOD ONE’S OLDIES CHANNEL), TALK, AND COUNTRY.

IN THE LATE 90’S, WXVA-AM WENT BACK TO ITS “BIG BAND-STANDARDS” DAYS BY TRYING THAT FORMAT AGAIN, THIS TIME ON AM ONLY. IT WORKED !!! SOON THE  CALLS WERE CHANGED TO WMRE (MEMORIES). THAT FORMAT CONTINUES TODAY THOUGH THE WMRE/WXVA-FM STUDIOS HAVE SINCE MOVED TO THE CLEAR CHANNEL COMPLEX IN WINCHESTER (WMRE SHARES A PRODUCTION ROOM WITH WTFX-AM 610).   THE TOWER AND TRANSMITTER ARE STILL LOCATED IN CHARLES TOWN OFF ROUTE 340.

WMRE AM 1550 IS NOW CHARLES TOWN’S ONLY RADIO STATION ( THOUGH THE STUDIO, AS WAS MENTIONED EARLY IS LOCATED AT THE CLEAR CHANNEL COMPLEX IN WINCHESTER ) SINCE 98.3 KISS-FM ( WMRE’S SISTER ) HAD LEFT JEFFERSON COUNTY IN FAVOR OF A NEW TOWER AND TRANSMITTER IN NEARBY FREDERICK COUNTY.

FM Radio:

FM 93.5 WDHC, Berkerly Springs, WV
THIS WAS THE “FM” TO WCST. WENT ON THE AIR IN DECEMBER 1965.ALWAYS BEEN A COUNTRY STATION. WDHC (DOWN HOME COUNTRY) WAS OWNED BY CONRAD TRUMP, TODAY THE CURRENT OWNER IS CAPPER BROADCASTING. THIS IS ONE STATION THAT WILL BE “MOVING” IN THE FUTURE, DOWN THE DIAL THAT IS, TO 92.9 . THE MOVE SHOULD GIVE THEM MORE COVERAGE AREA. RIGHT NOW AT 93.5 WDHC CAN BE A DIFFICULT CATCH IN WINCHESTER, AND FOR THE MOST PART IN MARTINSBURG AS WELL.   The CP for WDHC was approved by the FCC in November, 2004.

FM 97.5 WLTF, Martinsburg, WV

THIS IS THE SECOND OLDEST FM STATION IN THE AREA HAVING SIGNED ON THE AIR IN 1949. AT 50,000 WATTS, IT’S ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL. AT FIRST THE CALLS WERE WEPM-FM, MUCH LESS KNOWN WAS THE FACT THEY WERE IN THE BEGINNING AT 94.3 FM WITH STUDIOS IN THE PEOPLE’S TRUST COMPANY BUILDING IN DOWNTOWN MARTINSBURG.

SHOW TUNES AND CLASSICAL AND OTHER FORMS OF MUSIC NOW KNOWN AS EASY LISTENING. AROUND 1960 OR SO, WEPM-FM MOVED UP THE DIAL TO 97.5 FM AND BY MID 1963, THEY WERE THE FIRST STATION TO GO “STEREO”, THOUGH AT FIRST ONLY FOR A FEW HOURS A DAY. WEPM-FM LASTED TIL AROUND 1977/1978, THAT’S WHEN MARTINSBURG’S 97.5 RECEIVED THE NEW CALL LETTERS OF WESM. BY THEN THE FORMAT WAS VERY LITE ROCK.

IN SEPTEMBER OF 1981, ANOTHER NEW SET OF CALLS CAME TO 97.5, THIS TIME, WKMZ. “K-97.5…IS THE ROCK”, FEATURED CLASSIC/NEW ROCK. QUITE POPULAR AMONG THE PARTY CROWD IN THE VALLEY. THE NEXT FORMAT CHANGE FOR 97.5 CAME IN 1986, THIS TIME TO CHR. THE CALLS WKMZ REMAINED BUT ON AIR THEY WERE KNOWN AS “POWER 97.5 KMZ-FM”. LIVE DJS CAME WITH THE CHANGE, BEFORE TOP 40, 97.5 WAS PRETTY MUCH AUTOMATED.

  “POWER 97.5” WAS VERY POPULAR AMONG THE KIDS/YOUNG ADULTS IN THE VALLEY WITH SUCH DJ’S AS STEVE WILLIAMS, GARY MICHAELS, KEVIN MOORE, ROB MARIO “THE MORE & MARIO “, WENDY WILD, JACK THOMAS, AND OF COURSE…FLASH PHELPS. COMPLETE WITH PAMS JINGLES AND A MORNING TEAM KNOWN AS THE KMZ BREAKFAST FLAKES AND A DANCE MUSIC SHOW ON THE WEEKENDS CALLED “CLUB KMZ”, AND ON TOP OF THAT WKMZ HAD ITS OWN MUSIC VIDEO SHOW ON FOX 60 WYVN.  DURING THE 80s/ EARLY 90s WKMZ FOUGHT WITH WFQX (WHO WAS THEN TOP 40) FOR CONTROL OF WINCHESTER AREA TEENAGE MARKET.

THE WKMZ STUDIO

THE FORMAT OF TOP 40, THOUGH SOMEWHAT SUCCESSFUL, LIKE WFQX AROUND THE SAME TIME, WKMZ MOVED MORE TO A CLASSIC ROCK FORMAT WHEN BY THE EARLY 90’s. MAINLY THANKS TO THE KIDS WHO WERE GROWING UP AS WELL AS THE EARLY 90’s DOWNTURN WITH TOP 40 MUSIC. “ROCK & ROLL YOU KNOW, WITHOUT THE HARD EDGE” WAS THE WKMZ SLOGAN AT THIS TIME. THE CLASSIC ROCK CONTINUED AND STILL CONTINUES ON WKMZ TO THIS DAY, THOUGH OF 95.9 FM.

THE CURRENT STUDIO FOR 97.5 WLTF

IN SEPTEMBER OF 2001, THANKS TO THE SUCCESS OF THE LITE ROCK FORMAT OF LITE 95.9 WLTF, DECISION WAS MADE BY PRETTYMAN BROADCASTING TO MOVE THE LITE ROCK SOUNDS TO 97.5 WHILE THE CLASSIC ROCK SOUNDS OF WKMZ WOULD MOVE TO 95.9. THE LAST SONG ON THE OLD 97.5 WKMZ WAS ” HELLO..GOODBYE” BY THE BEATLES. TODAY’S 97.5 WLTF (KNOWS AS LITE 97 FIVE) IS, LIKE IT WAS ON 95.9, IS A STATION THAT IS HARD TO AVOID SINCE IT GETS PLAYED QUITE A BIT IN STORES, OFFICES, EVEN IF YOU ARE “PUT ON HOLD”, NOT UNCOMMON TO HEAR WLTF ON THE PHONE. THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO LOVE SOMEONE TONIGHT, SINCE THEY ARE THE HOME OF DELILAH

FM 98.3 WKSI, Stephen City, WV

WHAT IS TODAY KNOWN AS “98.3 KISS-FM” BEGAN AS WZFM ON AUGUST 28, 1966. AT FIRST THE STATION SIMPLY REBROADCAST WHAT WAS ON THEIR SISTER STATION WXVA-AM 1550. THAT WOULD CHANGE IN THE 70’S.  DURING THAT DECADE, “FM 98” PLAYED COUNTRY MUSIC THOUGH NOT IN STEREO. IN 1982, THE CALLS SWITCHED TO WXVA AND THEY WENT THE AM/FM ROUTE LIKE WINC HAD DONE EARLIER AND WFTR WOULD DO A FEW MONTHS LATER. “THE NATURAL SOUND” WAS THEIR SLOGAN TO THEIR NEW “MUSIC OF YOUR LIFE” FORMAT. IT WAS AUTOMATED. WXVA WOULD PICK UP WESTWOOD ONE’S “FORMAT 41” BY THE MID 80’S AS WXVA BECAME MORE MODERN, ADDING MORE LITE ROCK AND LESS DORIS DAY AND SAMMY DAVIS JR. IN THE EARLY 90S ( 1993 ) WXVA WENT OLDIES AS “XVA..CLASSIC HITS”. THE STATION EVEN MANAGED TO GET POPULAR MARTINSBURG DJ TOM TUCKER TO DO IT’S MORNING SHOW.

THE OLDIES CONTINUED FOR A WHILE TIL 1995 WHEN WXVA WENT BACK TO ITS EASY LISTENING MUSIC. DIDN’T LAST LONG AS IN THE OF FALL OF 1996, WXVA-FM WENT COUNTRY. FIRST AS “X-COUNTRY” THEN LATER AS “XTRA COUNTRY 98 “.

FOR YEARS THE STATION WAS OWNED BY DAVID SCHOUMACHER/HERITAGE BROADCASTING.

NEXT TO THE LEWIS FAMILY WHO OWNS WINC, WXVA MAY HAVE HAD THE NEXT MOST WELL KNOWN OWNER IN THE AREA SINCE SCHOUMACHER FOR YEARS NOT ONLY DID NEWS ON WMAL/WJLA BUT EVEN APPEARED IN THE 1980 PETER SELLERS MOVIE “BEING THERE”.

DO YOU REMEMBER  WXVA’S ROB THURSTON ?   READ HIS STORY HERE.

A CHANGE OF OWNERS WOULD COME IN 2000 WHEN WXVA/WMRE WERE SOLD TO CLEAR CHANNEL WHO IN TURN MOVE THE STATIONS OUT OF JEFFERSON COUNTY AND PUT THEM IN THE SAME BUILDING AS Q102.  THE CHARLES TOWN STUDIOS AND OFFICES HAVE SINCE BEEN CLOSED THOUGH THEIR TOWER AND TRANSMITTER ARE STILL THERE.

IN NOVEMBER OF 2003, WXVA ENDED ITS COUNTRY FORMAT BY GOING ALL CHRISTMAS (CHRISTMAS 98 THREE). A MONTH LATER, THE CALLS WXVA CAME TO AN END IN FAVOR OF WKSI-FM. THE FORMAT THEN CHANGED TO RHYTHMIC CHR WITH THE BIRTH OF 98.3 KISS FM.

IN THE SUMMER OF 2004, WKSI ITSELF TOTALLY LEFT CHARLES TOWN AS THE TOWER AND TRANSMITTER MOVED TO FREDERICK COUNTY ( CITY OF LICENSE WAS MOVED TO STEPHENS CITY ) TO SHARE THE SAME TRANSMITTER SITE WITH Q102.  THOUGH ONE CAN STILL HEAR SOME WEST VIRGINIA COMMERCIALS ON WKSI, THE  STATION NOW CONSIDERS ITSELF A “WINCHESTER” STATION.

WITH THE MOVE TO FREDERICK COUNTY, WKSI ALSO INCREASED ITS POWER AS WELL, BY MORE THAN DOUBLE.  98.3 CAN BE NOW BE HEARD AS FAR SOUTH AS NEW MARKET BUT CAN BE A DIFFICULT CATCH IN MANY PARTS OF BERKELEY COUNTY, EVEN THOUGH THAT WAS NOT THE CASE WHEN THE STATION WAS IN CHARLES TOWN.

FM 107.9 WDTF (LP), Berkeley Springs, WV
This low power FM broadcasts Catholic religous programming.  Although low power, their signal reaches parts of Maryland and even Pennsylvania.