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WLTB (101.7 MHz "Magic 101.7") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Johnson City, New York, and serving the Greater Binghamton radio market. Owned locally by GM Broadcasting, the station broadcasts a classic hits radio format, playing hits of the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s. It leans toward adult rock and omits pop and dance artists such as Michael Jackson, Madonna and Whitney Houston who are heard on most classic hits stations. The studios are on East Main Street in Endicott.
| Broadcast area | Greater Binghamton |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 101.7 MHz |
| Branding | Magic 101.7 (FM/HD1) 102.5 The Vault (HD2) |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic Rock Hits |
| Subchannels | HD2: Classic hits |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | GM Broadcasting |
| History | |
First air date | 1972 (as WEBO-FM) |
Former call signs | WEBO-FM (1972–1979) WWWT (1979–1985) WQWT (1985–1987) WQXT (1987–1992) WGRG (1992–1998) |
Call sign meaning | "Lite Binghamton" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 71400 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 580 watts |
| HAAT | 312 meters (1,024 ft) |
| Translator(s) | HD2: 102.5 W273AB (Vestal) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live HD2: Listen live |
| Website | magic1017fm HD2: 1025thevault |
WLTB is a Class A station with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 560 watts. The transmitter is on Ingraham Hill in Binghamton.[2] WLTB broadcasts using HD Radio technology. Its HD2 digital subchannel airs a mainstream classic hits format, known as "102.5 The Vault." It feeds FM translator W273AB at 102.5 MHz in Vestal.[3]
WEBO-FM, WWWT
WEBO Radio, Inc., the owner of WEBO 1330 AM, applied for a construction permit to build a new FM radio station in Owego on September 23, 1971. It received the permit on January 17, 1972.[4] The station signed on the air in September 1972. Its call sign was WEBO-FM, broadcasting from a new tower in South Owego. WEBO which was a daytimer station would simulcast its programming with its FM sister station. Listeners could continue hearing its programming at night by listening to 101.7 FM.[5]
Then on March 1, 1979, the simulcast ended. FM 101.7 became WWWT "3WT" and flipped to an all-disco format.[6] The exception was morning drive time when it continued to simulcast the AM.[7] The disco format gave way within several months later, switching to a mainstream Top 40 - CHR approach.[8]
WQWT, WQXT, WGRG
WWWT's hit radio format changed in October 1985. The station became soft adult contemporary WQWT "The Lite Q", aiming for an older demographic than it had under its previous format.[9] In 1987, the station returned to contemporary hits, this time as WQXT "Q102". Two years later, the station activated a new tower and transmitter site on Bornt Hill, expanding its coverage area.[10]
In 1991, the Aubol family, which owned the station, retired and sold WEBO and WQXT to Steven Gilinsky. FM 101.7 changed to an oldies format.[11] The call letters were changed to WGRG in 1992, and in September of the same year that the station reverted to Top 40 - CHR known as Power 101.[12] FM translator W273AB at 102.5 FM, was added the next year. By 1996, the format on 101.7 FM changed to alternative rock.[13]
WLTB
WGRG became WLTB "Lite 101.7", returning to soft adult contemporary music, in 1998. The call sign was retained in 2001 when the station shifted to hot adult contemporary as "Magic 101.7". Since that time, the station has changed formats three times while keeping the Magic 101.7 moniker, starting in 2016 by returning to CHR known as Binghamton's #1 Hit Music Station. In 2021, the station adopted an Adult Hits format, and in 2022, it changed formats once more to rock-leaning Classic Hits.
Gilinsky, who had previously sold 75 percent of WLTB to Thomas Mollen, repurchased his stake in the station in 2015.[14]
The Vault
The station has an HD digital subchannel, known as "The Vault". It began broadcasting in 2017 and replaced the 102.5 simulcast of WLTB.[15] The Vault airs a more mainstream classic hits format.
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