WRKT

---

title: "WRKT" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["radio-stations-in-erie,-pennsylvania", "iheartmedia-radio-stations", "active-rock-radio-stations-in-the-united-states"] description: "Radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WRKT" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania ::

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

Field	Value
logo	WRKT Rocket105 logo.png
name	WRKT
city	North East, Pennsylvania
area	Erie, Pennsylvania
branding	Rocket 105
frequency
airdate
format	Active rock
erp	4,500 watts
haat	160.5 meters
class	B1
facility_id	55063
licensing_authority	FCC
callsign_meaning	"W"e're "Roc"K"e"T"!
former_callsigns	WHYP-FM (1970–1989)
former_frequencies	(1970–2017)
owner	iHeartMedia, Inc.
licensee	iHM Licenses, LLC
sister_stations	WFNN, WJET, WRTS, WEBG, WTWF, WXBB
webcast
website
::

| logo = WRKT Rocket105 logo.png | name = WRKT | city = North East, Pennsylvania | area = Erie, Pennsylvania | branding = Rocket 105 | frequency = | airdate = | format = Active rock | erp = 4,500 watts | haat = 160.5 meters | class = B1 | facility_id = 55063 | licensing_authority = FCC | coordinates = | callsign_meaning = "W"e're "Roc"K"e"T"! | former_callsigns = WHYP-FM (1970–1989) | former_frequencies = (1970–2017) | owner = iHeartMedia, Inc. | licensee = iHM Licenses, LLC | sister_stations = WFNN, WJET, WRTS, WEBG, WTWF, WXBB | webcast = | website =

WRKT (104.9 FM, "Rocket 105") is an active rock radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. WRKT's studios are located in the Boston Store building in downtown Erie while its transmitter is located near NE Sherman Road and Miller Road in Chautauqua County, New York. It plays both old, new, and next rock songs plus an array of sports.

History

The station signed on in 1970 as WHYP-FM. Owned by James D. Brownyard, it was a simulcast of then sister station WHYP (now WZTE) 1530's Country Music format. WHYP and WHYP-FM were sold to Rambaldo Communications in 1989. On June 22, 1989, at 12:00 p.m., WHYP-FM became WRKT as Rocket 101 at , for 28 years before moving up the dial to and rebranding as Rocket 105 at 12:00 p.m. on October 20, 2017. The final song as "Rocket 101" was "Free Bird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, while the first song as "Rocket 105" was "For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)" by AC/DC. The 100.9 frequency was to be reallocated to Westfield, New York, and sold at auction. Rick Rambaldo, owner of WEHP, won the bid, but was late in getting his down payment sent to the FCC, leading to rejection of his bid. The frequency again went up for auction in April 2020 (later delayed to July 2021). Rambaldo held an agreement to restore the oldies format that had previously been on WZTE until 2017 had he won the auction. Rambaldo sold WEHP in 2019, but re-entered the 2021 auction, winning the bidding for the 100.9 license. In 2022, Family Life Network claimed that it had acquired the frequency and relocated the allocation back to North East as WCGE.

On March 27, 2019, Connoisseur Media announced that it would transfer WRKT, along with its sister stations in Erie, to iHeartMedia in exchange for WFRE and WFMD in the Frederick, Maryland, market from the Aloha Station Trust. The sale closed on May 20, 2019. Since the iHeartMedia ownership, the only remaining local air personalities on the station were Mojo McKay and Allan Carpenter. Although Mojo McKay would be later let go as part of the nationwide iHeartMedia layoffs in August 2024 and would be replaced by Rover's Morning Glory show. The remainder of Rocket 105's programming originates from the iHeartMedia Premium Choice lineup.

Notable past and present on-air personalities include Kris Earl Phillips, the original Program Director and architect of the "Rocket" format, Steve Bohen, Paul Spinley, Kevin August, Dave Sharp, Amy St. John, Ronnie "Ron Klinester" Kline, Mark O'Brien, Nat Massing, Mojo McKay, Allan "AC" Carpenter, Sammy Stone, Greg Mauz, Jeremy "Moose" Pierce, Woody, with Chris Rodler, and "Static 'Stat' Boy".

References

References

1. "Broadcasting Station License Record".
2. (2017-10-20). "Rocket 101 Becomes Rocket 105". Format Change Archive.
3. Bruce, David. (2017-05-22). "FCC decision snarls Erie radio owner's bid for second station". [[Erie Times-News]].
4. Venta, Lance. (5 August 2021). "FCC Auction 109 Comes to an End; iHeartMedia Wins 107.9 Sacramento".
5. "Stations".
6. Venta, Lance. (27 March 2019). "iHeartMedia & Connoisseur Media Swap Frederick & Erie".
7. Palattella, Ed. "Erie morning DJ Mojo McKay, on air for decades, is let go in iHeartMedia's nationwide cuts".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::