WOFX (AM)

WOFX, known as Fox Sports 980, is an AM radio station broadcasting on 980 kHz licensed to Troy, New York. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and runs a sports radio format and is the Fox Sports Radio affiliate for the Capital District, Adirondacks, and Berkshires.[1]

WOFX
CityTroy, New York
Broadcast areaCapital District, Adirondacks, Berkshires
BrandingFox Sports 980
SloganThe Capital Region's Sports Station
Frequency980 kHz (HD Radio)
Translator(s)95.9 W240EC (Albany)
First air dateApril 15, 1940 (as WTRY)
FormatSports
Power5,000 watts unlimited
ClassB
Facility ID37233
Call sign meaningWe're On FoX
Sports
Former call signsWTRY (1940-2000)
AffiliationsFox Sports Radio
Boston Red Sox Radio Network
OwneriHeartMedia
(Capstar TX LLC)
Sister stationsWGY, WGY-FM, WRVE, WKKF, WPYX, WTRY-FM
WebcastListen Live
Websitefoxsports980.iheart.com

History

From the station's sign-on in 1940 until 2000, the station was known as WTRY which made an early splash by taking the CBS affiliation from WOKO. The station's original owner was Troy Broadcasting Co.

During its 63 years, led by principal owner C. George Taylor and others, WTRY gave birth or adopted three other stations at varying times: WTRI-FM 102.7 (in the early 1950s, went silent)[2], co-owned WTRI-TV (later became WAST-TV 13 (1959-1981); now WNYT) from 1954 to 1955 with Van Curler Broadcasting, and WTRY-FM 106.5 (now WPYX).

When WROW took the CBS affiliation in 1954, WTRY briefly was the ABC affiliate before WPTR took that affiliation several years later. In the early 1960s, the station took a Top 40 format (which gained a simulcast on 106.5 FM briefly in the early 1970s), which they maintained in some form until the early 1980s when it went through a long-term evolution which resulted in the station becoming oldies in 1986. In 1992, WTRY gained a simulcast on WTRY-FM (98.3 FM) which they lost in 1994, then regained in a mutual arrangement two years later in which the FM became primary and the AM secondary with the AM splitting for alternate programming at points.

WTRY went through several ownership changes. Follow the selling its stake in WTRI, Troy Broadcasting, changes its name to Tri-City Radio, Inc. in late winter of 1956. In 1965, the station was acquired by New Haven based Kops-Monahan Communications. In 1972, WTRY and WTRY-FM (106.5) were sold to Scott Broadcasting of Pennsylvania, Inc. In 1985, television personality Merv Griffin through his company Merv Griffin Enterprises brought the stations and then sold it to Capstar Broadcasting (which was controlled by billionaire mogul Tom Hicks) in 1994. In 1999, Capstar merged with another Hicks-owned company Chancellor Media Corporation to form AMFM Inc.

After the merger of AMFM and Clear Channel Communications (now known as iHeartMedia) in 2000, WTRY and WTRY-FM (98.3 FM) were permanently split with 980 AM flipping to sports and becoming WOFX while the oldies format stayed on 98.3 FM.

WTRY was eligible to move from 980 to 1640 kHz however this was never done.[3]

On September 20, 2010, with the flip of WHRL to a simulcast of talk radio WGY, WOFX's programming can now be heard on WGY-FM's HD2 channel.

Programming

In addition to Fox Sports network programming, the station is home to Jay Mohr Sports in middays. Previously, WOFX aired Imus in the Morning, a program which predated the sports format, however the show was taken off the schedule at the end of 2006 and replaced by Fox Sports Radio's Steve Czaban. WOFX is also the Albany market home to the syndicated Cigar Dave show.[4]

In addition to sports talk, the station clears a sizeable amount of play by play on both the local and national levels. WOFX currently is home to Boston Red Sox baseball,[5] University at Albany football and men's basketball, some Syracuse University basketball games not heard on WGY, plus the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship among other events.

Former programming

Previously, WOFX has held the rights to the New York Giants (which were moved to sister WPYX), New York Jets football (currently on WQBK-FM), and New York Mets baseball.[6] They were the home of Albany Devils (previously the Albany River Rats) hockey[7] until the team relocated following the 2017 season. They were the home of Westwood One's coverage of the National Football League until 2019.[8]

In the rare case of play by play conflicts, the latter games are usually heard on sister WTRY-FM, a procedure that has become more solidly done in the wake of the mild success of UAlbany football and the success of the Mets in the 2006 season.

See also

References
  1. Schott, Ken. "UPDATE: Wyland's talk show leaving WOFX-AM for WTMM-FM". dailygazette.com. The Daily Gazette Company. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  2. "WTRI-FM, yet another "lost" broadcaster". Doc Circe Died For Our Sins. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  3. DA97-537 from the F.C.C. page.
  4. "Cigar Dave". foxsports980.iheart.com. iHeartMedia, Inc. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  5. Doughrety, Pete (December 9, 2011). "WOFX (980 AM) dumps Mets in favor of Red Sox". Albany Times-Union. Retrieved December 10, 2011.
  6. Dougherty, Pete. "WOFX (980 AM) Dumps Mets in Favor of Red Sox". blog.TimesUnion.com. The Hearst Corporation. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  7. "Hennessy Gets the Call". TroyRecord.com. The Troy Record. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  8. Schott, Ken. "104.5 The Team is new home for Westwood One's NFL coverage". dailygazette.com. The Daily Gazette Company. Retrieved 13 November 2019.

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