WYAY
Simulcasting WGLD-FM Conway, SC
Broadcast areaWilmington, North Carolina
Frequency106.3 MHz
BrandingCarolina Country
Programming
FormatCountry
Ownership
Owner
  • Steve Clendenin
  • (Maryland Media One, LLC)
WGLD-FM
History
First air date
1986 (as WPGO)
Former call signs
WAEM (8/1983–11/1983)
WPGO (1983–1990)
WCCA (1990–2003)
WLTT (2003–2013)
WUDE (2013–2020)
WPGI (2020)[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID60882
ClassA
ERP6,000 watts
HAAT93 meters
Transmitter coordinates
34°2′50″N 78°16′12″W / 34.04722°N 78.27000°W / 34.04722; -78.27000
Links
Public license information

WYAY (106.3 FM, "The Coast") is a radio station broadcasting a country format.[3] Licensed to Bolivia, North Carolina, United States, WYAY serves the Wilmington area. The station is currently owned by Steve Clendenin, through licensee Maryland Media One, LLC.

History

The 106.3 frequency was WCCA, a beach music station and then a classic country station.[4] before taking over the call letters and talk format previously heard on what is now 103.7 WILT when Sea-Comm Media purchased the station.[5] With the callsign WLTT, 106.3 became a news/talk station called "The Big Talker" and in 2004, WWTB, an adult standards station at 103.9 FM which was licensed to Topsail Beach, North Carolina, began airing the same programming. Sea-Comm general manager Paul Knight called the format a "not-politically-correct talk station."[6] This simulcast ended when the WBNE 93.7 frequency took the role, moving to Topsail Beach and changing its callsign to WNTB.

WLTT changed its license city in 2009 from Shallotte to Bolivia. WLTT and WNTB simulcast The Big Talker to 5 counties in southeastern North Carolina.

Curtis Wright hosted "The Morning Beat" for four years ending in March 2010. He was replaced by Robby Kendall, who left May 6. Having come from a Whiteville station, Kendall had insufficient knowledge of Wilmington's history and politics, and he disliked the early hours. Neither general manager Paul Knight nor Wright wanted Wright's return. Kendall's co-host Chad Adams took over the show.[7]

With the "retirement" of Chad Adams on March 29, 2013, the station identification was changed from "The Big Talker FM" to "Port City Radio". On April 1, 2013, the format was changed to local news from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM.[8] The stated reason for the move was to transform the station into a source of "unbiased news and information" in keeping with the company's larger goals.[9]

After stunting with a ticking clock, on December 2, 2013, WLTT and WNTB changed their format to country, branded as "The Dude".[10] On December 10, 2013, WLTT changed their call letters to WUDE, to go with the "Dude" branding.[1]

In September 2019, WUDE was spun off to Andrulonis Media. WNTB is not included in the sale agreement.[11] In January 2020 WUDE split from its simulcast with WNTB and flipped to a simulcast of WMIR, WFAY and WYAY, joining Andrulonis's "Carolina Country" network.[12] The WYAY call letters moved from the Georgetown, South Carolina, transmitter to this station in August 2020.

On May 17, 2021, a month after Andrulonis sold the station to Maryland Media One,[13] WYAY changed their format from country to oldies, branded as "Carolina Gold", simulcasting WMIR-FM 93.9 Conway, South Carolina.[14] The sale was consummated on June 23, 2021, at a price of $400,000.

On December 28, 2023, WGLD-FM and WYAY split from the simulcast with WPGI and stunted with classic alternative, branded as "The Coast", before returning to Carolina Country as the stations returned to Andrulonis Media.[15]

References

  1. 1 2 "Call Sign History (WYAY)". Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WYAY". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "WYAY Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  4. ↑ Morgan Lee, "Station Jilts Country to Woo Female Listeners", Star-News, 1999-03-02.
  5. ↑ "Briefly Noted - Marriott at Beach Will Open Friday", Star-News, 2003-06-25.
  6. ↑ Amy Hotz, "Station Bought - Format Changing", Star-News, 2004-01-29.
  7. ↑ Roman, Casey (2010-05-05). "New host of The Big Talker signs off". WECT. Retrieved 2010-05-25.
  8. ↑ "Chad Adams's last day; Big Talker becomes Port City Radio". WWAY. 2013-03-29. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  9. ↑ Callison, Jenny (2012-08-14). "The Big Talker changes programming". Greater Wilmington Business Journal. Retrieved 2012-08-29.
  10. ↑ "Port City Radio Moves; Dude Launches In Wilmington". radioinsight.com. 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2014-04-10.
  11. ↑ "Station Sales Week of 9/27".
  12. ↑ WUDE Becomes Carolina Country Radioinsight - January 3, 2020
  13. ↑ "Station Sales Week of 4/9".
  14. ↑ Gold Debuts in Myrtle Beach & Wilmington Radioinsight - May 19, 2021
  15. ↑ "Carolina Country Returns to Myrtle Beach & Wilmington". RadioInsight. January 3, 2024.
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