WDSY-FM

WDSY-FM (107.9 MHz "Y108") is a commercial FM radio station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is owned by Entercom and airs a Country radio format. The studios and offices are in Foster Plaza on Holiday Drive in Green Tree, Pennsylvania, but using a Pittsburgh address.

WDSY-FM
CityPittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Broadcast areaPittsburgh metropolitan area
BrandingY108
SloganPittsburgh's Best Country Variety
Frequency107.9 MHz (HD Radio)
First air dateSeptember 1962 (as WEEP-FM)
FormatFM/HD1: Country
HD2: WBZZ (Hot Adult Contemporary)
HD3: Channel Q (LGBTQ Talk/Dance)
ERP17,500 watts
HAAT252 meters (827 ft)
ClassB
Facility ID18525
Transmitter coordinates40.4723°N 79.9945°W / 40.4723; -79.9945
Call sign meaningW DAISY (former on-air moniker)
Former call signsWYRE-FM (1962-1963)
WEEP-FM (1963–1977)
OwnerEntercom
(Entercom License, LLC)
Sister stationsKDKA, KDKA-FM, WBZZ
WebcastListen Live
Websitey108.com

WDSY-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 17,500 watts. The transmitter is located off Shreve Street in Pittsburgh's Spring Hill district.[1] WDSY-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format.

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

On August 6, 1962, WYRE-FM first signed on, co-owned with AM 1080 WYRE (now WWNL).[2] Originally as a fully simulcast outlet of its AM sister station, it was owned by Golden Triangle Broadcasting and carried a country music format. WYRE (AM) was a daytimer station, with WYRE-FM operated primarily as a vehicle to serve listeners after the AM station was mandated to shut down after sunset. The following year, both stations switched their call signs to WEEP and WEEP-FM.[3]

In the late 1960s, the Federal Communications Commission ordered FM stations to air separate programming from their AM counterparts most of the day. WEEP-FM broke away from its AM sister during the required hours, airing a softer vocal-based country music format, while its AM sister played more contemporary country hits. In 1977, WEEP-FM changed its call letters to WDSY-FM, and adopting the moniker "We're fresh as a Daisy!...The all new WDSY FM 108."

As more listeners began tuning to FM stations for music, WDSY-FM took on more of a flagship approach between the two stations, with WEEP simulcasting it, rather than the other way around. WDSY-FM evolved into a contemporary country station, and eventually was recognized as the exclusive country music outlet serving the Pittsburgh area. The station's ratings flourished in the late 1980s with the addition of two on-air personalities from top album rock station 102.5 WDVE joining the WDSY-FM lineup: morning DJ Jimmy Roach and midday personality Chris DeCarlo.

In 1991, then-owner Entercom decided to change the station's branding and the station became known as "Pittsburgh's Country, Y108," though the music and call letters remained the same. Channel mentions of 107.9 later were incorporated into the branding as more radios came equipped with digital tuners.

In 1993, WDSY-FM moved from its longtime home in the Fulton Theatre (now known as the Byham Theater) building in downtown Pittsburgh to Gateway Towers, occupying space formerly used by AM 730 WPIT, which had moved to Green Tree.

The station was acquired by CBS Radio in 1998.[4] WDSY-FM then moved to studios and offices in Foster Plaza in Green Tree, about three miles southwest of downtown Pittsburgh.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom, bringing WDSY-FM back to its former owners for the first time in nearly 20 years.[5] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[6][7]

In April 2020, longtime station employee and afternoon drive host Brian “Wookie” Kostek was laid off as part of massive cuts by parent company Entercom due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.[8] The decision was met with very negative reactions by listeners. In addition, the station’s four part-time jocks were furloughed, with no definite return date. Currently, the station’s weekday air staff consists of Stoney Richards (5-10AM), “Cowboy“ Curt Hughes (5-10AM), Kristen Buccigrossi (7AM-1PM), Maria D’Antonio (1-7PM), and Elista Hathaway (7PM-12AM).[9] Weekends temporarily feature on-air shifts from Hughes, Buccigrossi, D’Antonio, and Richards until the station’s part-time talent comes off hiatus.

WDSY-FM HD2

WDSY-FM HD2 initially aired a classic country format, branded as "The Wolf." This lasted until June 2017, when it switched to a rebroadcast of sister station 100.7 WBZZ, airing a Hot Adult Contemporary format.

WDSY-FM HD3

WDSY-FM HD3 initially aired a format of all-new country songs, branded as "The Bull." On July 19, 2017, WDSY-FM HD3 flipped to a 24/7 traffic and weather format powered by co-owned AM 1020 KDKA called "KDKA Traffic and Weather Together." Reports aired every 3 minutes and was live weekdays from 5 a.m.-7 p.m., with road closures, construction reports and freshly updated weather forecasts inserted regularly at all other times.[10]

In August 2019, WDSY-FM HD3 flipped to "Channel Q," Entercom's Talk/EDM service for the LGBTQ community.

References
  1. Radio-Locator.com/WDSY-FM
  2. [https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1963/B%20Radio%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201963.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-159
  3. Broadcasting Yearbook 1965 page B-132
  4. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 page D-383
  5. CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom
  6. "Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio". Entercom. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  7. Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  8. "Ongoing List Of Those Affected By Entercom's Massive Cuts". RadioInsight. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  9. "Daily Schedule". Y108. Retrieved 2020-06-20.
  10. CBS Radio Debuts KDKA Traffic and Weather Together
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