York Professional Baseball Club’s 1350 WOYK York PA is using its new FM translator to rebrand as “Sports Radio 98.9“.
The station is owned by the ownership of the Atlantic League’s York Revolution and serves as its flagship. Programming will continue to consist of mostly Fox Sports Radio programming and lots of play-by-play including York College, high school basketball and football, Philadelphia 76ers basketball, Washington Capitals and Hershey Bears hockey, and Westwood One’s NFL package.
The new 98.9 W255DJ York signal operates with 250 watts covering the city and surrounding towns.
On the heels of its 87th anniversary, the first radio station in York announced today it has begun broadcasting its coverage of local, regional, and national sports on an FM frequency. WOYK has become the new SportsRadio 98.9 FM & WOYK 1350.
A staple of AM airwaves since March 17, 1932, WOYK successfully applied last year for Federal Communications Commission approval to transmit its signal on a newly available FM frequency, 98.9. General Manager Darrell Henry, the longtime York Revolution play-by-play broadcaster, called the change – pardon the pun – a “game changer.”
“We are thrilled to bring sports fans throughout most of York County another crystal clear way to follow their favorite teams, local and national,” said Henry, the station GM since 2014. “From Columbia to Spring Grove and Dover to Glen Rock, the oldest station in York is now the newest stop on your FM dial.”
Originally assigned the call letters WOR and then WORK, the station moved from 1320 AM to 1350 AM, where it offered NBC Network programming until 1973. In the years that followed, it featured a variety of formats before finding its true calling in sports broadcasting in 1999. The “First in York. First in Sports.” station was purchased by York’s professional baseball team, the York Revolution, in 2014.
Today the station is a proud new member of Fox Sports Radio and the home of top syndicated shows like The Dan Patrick Show, The Rich Eisen Show, and The Herd with Colin Cowherd. WOYK also features Philadelphia 76ers, Washington Capitals, and Hershey Bears games, as well as NFL games and March Madness broadcasts by Westwood One.
The station’s pride and joy, however, is its coverage of local sports, including all 140 York Revolution games, York College athletics, and high school basketball and football, presented by WellSpan Sports Medicine. Now coupled with FM and AM signals, it’s content that officials say makes WOYK a critical contributor to York’s sense of community – and an invaluable resource for advertisers trying to reach that community.
“Our listeners are extremely supportive of our advertisers,” said Nate Tile, York Revolution vice president of business development. “Because we are the definitive source for local sports coverage, our listeners tend to pay very close attention to the businesses who advertise on WOYK. We have helped hundreds of local businesses reach new customers. Becoming an FM station makes WOYK an exponentially more powerful tool for these advertisers. We are very excited to offer them a broader reach and look forward to partnering with others who are looking for an affordable, effective way to connect with the greater York County area.”
“And we’re still the only ones rooted in that area,” added Eric Menzer, York Revolution president. “WOYK is the only locally owned commercial media outlet. Keeping it that way is an extension of our commitment to serving the York area. Locally owned, locally operated, locally focused. Not a lot of media companies can say that these days, and we are very proud that we are still able to say that to the listeners and businesses we serve.”
