WAKC

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K-Love radio station in Concord, New Hampshire

title: "WAKC" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["radio-stations-in-new-hampshire", "concord,-new-hampshire", "radio-stations-established-in-1972", "1972-establishments-in-new-hampshire", "educational-media-foundation-radio-stations", "k-love-radio-stations"] description: "K-Love radio station in Concord, New Hampshire" topic_path: "general/radio-stations-in-new-hampshire" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAKC" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary K-Love radio station in Concord, New Hampshire ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox radio station"]

FieldValue
nameWAKC
logoKLOVE 2014.svg
cityConcord, New Hampshire
countryUS
areaManchester–Concord area
frequency
airdate
formatContemporary Christian music
networkK-Love
erp3,000 watts
haat87 m
classA
licensing_authorityFCC
facility_id8683
coordinates
former_callsigns
ownerEducational Media Foundation
website
embed_headerAssociated station
nameWLKC
cityCampton, New Hampshire
countryUS
areaWhite Mountains–Lakes Region
frequency
ownerEducational Media Foundation
airdate
former_callsigns
licensing_authorityFCC
facility_id72211
classA
erp4,100 watts
haat119 m
coordinates
childyes
::

| name = WAKC | logo = KLOVE 2014.svg | city = Concord, New Hampshire | country = US | area = Manchester–Concord area | branding = | frequency = | translator = | repeater = | airdate = | format = Contemporary Christian music | network = K-Love | erp = 3,000 watts | haat = 87 m | class = A | licensing_authority = FCC | facility_id = 8683 | coordinates = | callsign_meaning = | former_callsigns = | affiliations = | owner = Educational Media Foundation | website = | embed_header = Associated station | embedded = | name = WLKC | city = Campton, New Hampshire | country = US | area = White Mountains–Lakes Region | frequency = | owner = Educational Media Foundation | licensee = | airdate = | former_callsigns = | licensing_authority = FCC | facility_id = 72211 | class = A | erp = 4,100 watts | haat = 119 m | coordinates = | child = yes

WAKC (102.3 FM) is an American licensed radio station in Concord, New Hampshire. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and is part of its K-Love network of contemporary Christian music outlets. EMF also owns WLKC (105.7 FM) in Campton, serving the White Mountains and Lakes Region.

History

Early years

The station began operations March 7, 1972, as WKXL-FM, the FM sister station to WKXL (1450 AM), under the ownership of Frank Estes, who also owned WKXR in Exeter, New Hampshire. In 1980, Estes sold the WKXL stations to a group of station employees.

The Music Zone

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f4/WKXL.jpg" caption="page=1}}"] ::

"Outlaw" country

In 1999, the employee group sold the WKXL stations to Vox Media, who, after buying WRCI (107.7 FM) in nearby Hillsborough several months later, shifted the simulcast to that station; as a result, on January 3, 2000, the station returned to separate programming as a country station, WOTX-FM ("Outlaw Country").

"The Hawk"

In 2004, Vox sold most of its stations in the area to Nassau Broadcasting Partners; however, Nassau could not buy WOTX outright due to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ownership restrictions. Nassau did take control of the station under a local marketing agreement, and on February 7, 2005, swapped formats with WNHI (93.3 FM) and became a classic rock station as WWHK ("102.3 The Hawk"), in tandem with a nearby Nassau classic rock station, WWHQ (101.5 FM) in Meredith, New Hampshire.

WWHK had planned to drop the classic rock format in favor of sports talk provided by Boston's WEEI in January 2008, but the deal between Nassau and Entercom ended up collapsing. In March 2008, the station shifted from classic rock to a more mainstream rock format.

Ownership limbo

In September 2006, the FCC ruled that local marketing agreements and joint sales agreements counted towards the operator's ownership count in a market. Initially, Nassau continued to operate WWHK in violation of this ruling as it attempted to obtain a waiver to buy WWHK outright, but the FCC ruled in April 2008 that Nassau had worked with Arbitron to create a Concord radio market, and barred its purchase of WWHK. Four months later, the FCC ordered Nassau to terminate the joint sales agreement with Capitol Broadcasting (the Vox Media subsidiary that continued to hold the WWHK license while Nassau ran the station). Nassau complied, and on August 22, 2008, Vox reassumed control of the station with a commercial-free rock format. The station switched to classical music in September 2008; soon afterwards, the station went silent.

Vox reached a deal to sell WWHK to Andrew Sumereau in 2009. In the interim, Vox returned the station to the air in July, again airing a classic rock loop. WWHK's programming would also include a simulcast of WTPL (the former WRCI and second WKXL-FM). The sale to Sumereau's company, Birch Broadcasting, was finally completed on June 22, 2011; a week earlier, Vox temporarily signed WWHK off once more. Birch returned the station to the air on June 15, 2012 (after an earlier return on June 8 was ended three days later due to the station's tower not being grounded to safely handle lightning strikes). For nearly two years, 24 hours a day, the station aired rock songs performed in classical style by the group known as the Vitamin String Quartet.

A "River" in Concord

In early 2014, Steven Silberberg's Northeast Broadcasting reached a deal to purchase WWHK from Birch Broadcasting. On May 2, 2014, WWHK began simulcasting WXRV. However, the station broadcast separate news, weather, and advertising. WXRV's programming was already available in portions of the Concord-Lakes Region market through WLKC (105.7 FM) in Campton; WWHK is located between the coverage areas of WXRV and WLKC. The sale to licensee Devon Broadcasting Company, Inc., at a price of $425,000, was consummated on June 19, 2014. On March 28, 2016, WWHK changed its call letters to WXRG.

K-Love

The Educational Media Foundation (EMF) acquired WXRG and WLKC from Devon Broadcasting Corporation, a subsidiary of Northeast Broadcasting, for $395,000 in 2020, as part of its sale of three New Hampshire FMs to the Christian broadcaster. The call letters in Concord changed to WAKC on January 6, 2021, coincident with the consummation of the sale.

WLKC

The 105.7 FM facility in Campton signed on in May 1996 as WVFM; under a local marketing agreement, the station was a simulcast of WLKZ, an oldies station in Wolfeboro. Daphne Corcoran's White Mountain Radio sold WVFM to Northeast Broadcasting for $325,000 in 1999; that February, the station shifted to a simulcast of new sister station WXRV.

In June 2005, the call sign was changed to WUSX; that call sign was transferred to a co-owned station in Vermont in September, with 105.7 taking on the WLKC call sign formerly used by another Vermont sister station, WWMP. For a brief time during 2012 and 2013, WLKC was programmed separately (though retaining the "River" branding and AAA format), before returning to the WXRV simulcast.

WLKC was included in EMF's 2020 purchase of three New Hampshire radio stations from Devon Broadcasting.

References

References

  1. Fybush, Scott. (May 21, 1996). "New England RadioWatch".
  2. (1989). "Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1989".
  3. (October 28, 2001). "NHAB Alumni: Frank Estes". New Hampshire Association of Broadcasters.
  4. (April 6, 2014). "Is 92.5 FM 'The River' Coming to Concord?".
  5. "Album Network 1989 09 13 OCR Page 9".
  6. "Gavin-Report-1989-07-09-OCR-Page-0038".
  7. "This Island Earth".
  8. "RR-1991-01-11-OCR-Page-0028".
  9. (January 14, 1991). "Format Changes". The M Street Journal.
  10. (October 25, 1995). "Format Changes & Updates". The M Street Journal.
  11. Fybush, Scott. (April 2, 1999). "The Eagle Has Crash-Landed". North East RadioWatch.
  12. Fybush, Scott. (December 26, 1999). "Citadel Bulks Up in Worcester". North East RadioWatch.
  13. Fybush, Scott. (January 28, 2000). "Welcome Back WMEX, and We Take On LPFM". North East RadioWatch.
  14. Fybush, Scott. (March 22, 2004). "Vox Sells 10 More to Nassau". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  15. Fybush, Scott. (April 7, 2008). "CBS Cutbacks Hit Local TV Staffs". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  16. Fybush, Scott. (February 7, 2005). "Qantum Buys the Cape; Cherry Creek Buys the East End; WSMN Goes Dark". North East RadioWatch.
  17. (October 26, 2007). "Nassau Broadcasting Brings A Championship To New Hampshire". [[Nassau Broadcasting Partners]].
  18. (January 4, 2008). "Entercom-Nassau Deal Falls Through". Radio Ink.
  19. (August 12, 2008). "FCC Denies Waiver Bid, Rules Nassau Must End JSA". Radio Ink.
  20. Fybush, Scott. (August 25, 2008). "Atlantic Coast, Nassau Shake Up Maine". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  21. Fybush, Scott. (September 8, 2008). ""Now" Time at Philly's WJJZ". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  22. Fybush, Scott. (September 29, 2008). "Scranton's Ron Allen Dies". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  23. Hanna, Maddie. (March 21, 2009). "Off-air station purchased; future unclear". [[Concord Monitor]].
  24. Fybush, Scott. (July 27, 2009). "Whither Pulse?". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  25. (April 7, 2014). "NERW 4/7/2014: Live from the NAB Show". Fybush.com.
  26. Sumereau, Andrew T.. (June 24, 2011). "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  27. (June 15, 2012). "Resumption of Operations". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  28. (June 8, 2012). "Resumption of Operations". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  29. (June 11, 2012). "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". [[Federal Communications Commission]].
  30. Lavoie, Rebecca. (August 8, 2012). "From Classic Rock to Classical Pop". [[New Hampshire Public Radio]].
  31. Doyle, Megan. (May 1, 2014). "92.5 the River begins simulcast on Concord station". [[Concord Monitor]].
  32. [http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/88283/wwhk-concord-nh-sold/ WWHK Concord Begins WXRV Simulcast]
  33. Jacobson, Adam. (August 27, 2020). "EMF Bolsters Its Presence In New England With Dual Deals". Radio & Television Business Report.
  34. (August 27, 2020). "EMF Acquires Four In Northern New England". RadioInsight.
  35. (May 29, 1996). "Format Changes". The M Street Journal.
  36. (January 22, 1999). "Marathon Goes The Distance With $16 Million Deal". [[Radio & Records]].
  37. (February 10, 1999). "Format Changes & Updates". The M Street Journal.
  38. (June 20, 2005). "Burlington TVs Join Forces". NorthEast Radio Watch.
  39. (September 5, 2005). "Hall Buys Big in Burlington". NorthEast Radio Watch.

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radio-stations-in-new-hampshireconcord,-new-hampshireradio-stations-established-in-19721972-establishments-in-new-hampshireeducational-media-foundation-radio-stationsk-love-radio-stations