Update 5/11: After delaying their planned March 24 launch, 1330 WGFT/W232AI Youngstown is currently stunting with a ticking clock in preparation for launching their new Urban AC “Star 93.7” identity on Monday, May 12 at 10:00am.
Owner Skip Bednarczyk told the Youngstown Vindicator that the station will launch with 5,000 songs in a row before launching the Steve Harvey Morning Show, Keith Sweat Hotel at night, and a local host in middays. He describes the station as “You will hear Earth, Wind and Fire, KC and the Sunshine Band, Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross, Barry White. … It will be a variety of hits and old-school music, with a much broader appeal than JAMZ. You’ll hear these songs and say, ‘I remember that one.’”.
WGFT is already streaming online.
Original Report 2/27: Following their acquisitions of currently silent 1330 WGFT Campbell and 1500 WASN Youngstown, OH, Skip and Helen Bednarczyk’s Y-Town Radio Broadcasting have made their plans for one of the stations known.
Planning to launch by March 24 with an undisclosed format, 1330 WGFT will be paired with Helen’s 93.7 W232AI Niles. The silent translator, which is currently licensed to operate on 94.3 with 2 watts, has a CP to relocate to 93.7 with 200 watts at 297.4 meters directionally pointed away from co-channel KDKA-FM Pittsburgh.
Telling the Youngstown Vindicator that they don’t plan on replicating the younger skewing Urban format of the former “101.9 Jamz” WRBP that Skip Bednarczyk was GM of, which was sold to EMF and flipped to Christian AC “K-Love“, it appears the new 1330/93.7 combo will instead program an Urban AC format. 937Star.com was registered by the Bednarczyk’s in November 2013 and a Facebook page created earlier this month simply describes the station as “Urban Adult Contemporary”.
Back when I was a baby DJ, Skip was the sales manager where I worked in Phoenix. He’s a great guy and lives and breathes radio. I wish him the best!