WUCS

WUCS (97.9 MHz, "97-9 ESPN") is a commercial FM sports formatted radio station licensed to Windsor Locks, Connecticut. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and serves as the Hartford media market's ESPN Radio network affiliate. WUCS acts as the technical flagship station for the network because its signal covers Bristol, Connecticut, home of ESPN's headquarters. The station broadcasts from studios are located on Columbus Boulevard in Hartford with other radio stations.

"WPKX" redirects here. For other uses of WPKX, see WPKX (disambiguation).
WUCS
CityWindsor Locks, Connecticut
Broadcast areaGreater Hartford, Connecticut
Branding97-9 ESPN
SloganHartford's Sport Station
Frequency97.9 MHz (HD Radio)
First air dateJuly 1990[1]
FormatSports
HD2: Talk radio (WPOP simulcast)
ERP3,400 watts
HAAT135 meters (443 ft)
ClassA
Facility ID46965
Transmitter coordinates41°46′0″N 72°40′38″W
Call sign meaningW University of Connecticut—Storrs
(station is flagship for Connecticut Huskies athletics)
Former call signsWPKX (1990–2012)
AffiliationsESPN Radio
OwneriHeartMedia, Inc.
(Capstar TX LLC)
Sister stationsWHCN, WKSS, WPOP, WWYZ
WebcastListen Live
Website979espn.iheart.com

The station first signed on in July 1990[1] as WPKX, a country music station targeting Springfield, Massachusetts. It was originally licensed to Enfield, Connecticut but was able to move to Windsor Locks through an agreement with WMAS-FM which was formerly licensed to Springfield, Massachusetts.

It was owned by SFX Broadcasting in the late 1990s, then Capstar. AMFM owned it briefly before being acquired by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) in 2000.

The station had an HD Radio HD-2 station broadcasting Americana music since early 2006.

In March 2010, iHeartMedia, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications) filed an application with the FCC to move the WPKX transmitter from Provin Mountain in Feeding Hills, Massachusetts to the top of City Place in Downtown Hartford, effectively moving the station from the Springfield Arbitron market to the larger and more lucrative Hartford Arbitron market.[2] The previous country format has moved to WRNX (100.9 FM).

On January 27, 2012 at 6 a.m., the station switched to a simulcast of ESPN Radio affiliate WPOP (1410 AM).[3] The call sign was changed to WUCS on February 7, 2012.[4] WPOP switched to Fox Sports Radio in March 2012, with ESPN Radio remaining on WUCS.

As of the 2018–19 academic year, WUCS will serve as the flagship station for Connecticut Huskies radio play-by-play, including the school's football, hockey, and men's and women's basketball programs. Coverage is produced for the school by IMG Media.[5]

WPOP (now a talk radio station) is currently simulcast on WUCS's HD-2 signal.

References
  1. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-77. Retrieved January 28, 2012.
  2. https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101357400&formid=301&fac_num=46965
  3. http://www.radio-info.com/news/979-espn-clear-channels-hartford-move-in-is-in-espns-backyard 97.9 ESPN iHeartMedia, Inc.'s Hartford Move In Is In ESPN's Backyard
  4. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved February 8, 2012.
  5. "UConn-IMG Radio Network Announces New Partnership with iHeartMedia To Broadcast UConn Huskies Athletics". University Of Connecticut Official Athletic Site. 16 February 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2018.
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