With the just announced sale of iHeartMedia’s Aloha Stations Trust’s “Eagle 102.3” WEKL Augusta GA to Educational Media Foundation, the company has moved the format to 106.3 W292EE Augusta-Richmond County/WLUB-HD2 as “Eagle 106.3“.
The two stations will simulcast until EMF begins operating WEKL as part of its Christian AC “K-Love” network. The move marks the end of the Classic Country “106.3 The Bull Icons” format on W292EE.
The “Eagle” brand and Classic Rock format has moved quite a bit over its 25 year history. The brand launched on 102.3 in July 1994 before moving to 105.7 in August 2007. The station then moved back to 102.3 in November 2013.
iHeartMedia Augusta announced today the debut of the new EAGLE 106.3, Augusta’s Classic Rock, effective immediately.
EAGLE 106.3 will broadcast Classic Rock music from the 70s to early 2000s, including songs from artists such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Van Halen, Tom Petty, Foo Fighters and more. The station will feature the “John Boy & Billy Big Show” weekday mornings and renowned, longtime on-air personality Cliff Bennett, weekday middays.
“It’s been 25 years since EAGLE first came on-air,” said Cliff Bennett, Program Director for 106.3. “Yes, we’ve moved a couple of times around the dial, but Rock music never dies. We just couldn’t take this great and long-running station away from all its fans and loyal listeners in the Augusta River Region.”
Full Programming Lineup:
BMan John Beaulieu 12 a.m. – 6 a.m.
John Boy & Billy Big Show 6 a.m. –10 a.m.
Cliff Bennett 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Maria Milito 12 p.m. – 3 p.m.
Ken Dashow 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Big Rig 7 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Sorta sad to see WEKL go. In 1994, I put all the initial imaging and promos together with a two track and I believe an 8 track Otari.
Jeff Wilks (who had just closed on 102.3 (then WGUS-FM) and WZNY wanted to hire me. I didn’t want to work in Augusta. So instead, he was in a pinch and he paid me to come down and put everything together and keep it secret from the remaining staffers.