WTPT is an Active Rock station licensed to Forest City, North Carolina and serving the Upstate South Carolina and Western North Carolina regions, including Greenville, Spartanburg, and Asheville, North Carolina. The Entercom outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast at 93.3Â MHz with an ERP of 93Â kW. The station goes by the name 93.3 The Planet Rocks.
The station broadcasts from Hogback Mountain in Spartanburg, South Carolina with sister station WSPA-FM, with studios in Greenville. However, it is licensed to Forest City, North Carolina.
History
93.3, then known as WBBO-FM and WBBO-AM 780 ("We Build Business Opportunities"), signed on September 10, 1947 in Forest City, North Carolina. The station was owned by the Anderson family, which also owned the "Forest City Courier" newspaper and WPNF-AM in nearby Brevard, North Carolina. Both stations simulcasted with each other on a full-time basis until the late 60s. WBBO-FM featured a variety of formats throughout the next decade, including country and adult contemporary. In 1988, after building a tower on Tryon Peak near Columbus, North Carolina to improve its signal range, WBBO switched to a satellite smooth jazz format, distributed from St. Paul, Minnesota, and began calling itself "The Breeze".
On February 14, 1991 (Valentines Day), WBBO-FM flipped to contemporary hit radio as "Power 93". This move brought back the format to the nearby Greenville-Spartanburg market that the former WANS (now WJMZ) had before they abandoned it for adult contemporary. Initially, ratings were very good, but quickly fizzled out to 9th place, where it stayed throughout much of its existence. In August of next year, the Power 93 moniker was dropped for "93.3 WBBO" as the station became more Dance-oriented. Again, ratings had shown little improvement and was re-adjusted toward Mainstream CHR within a year.
In mid-1994, the station was re-branded as "Q-93" and adopted a more uptempo-ed CHR format sprinkled with plenty of alternative rock. Ratings started to slowly tick upward, but the station was sold to Benchmark Communications (then-owners of WESC AM-FM) and the format was dropped altogether on January 1, 1995 for a younger-skewing country format as "93-Q Country" under the WFNQ-FM call letters. The station began the format with 19,095 songs in a row commercial-free, the most ever on a commercial radio station up to that time. The idea was to use WFNQ-FM as a flanker against then-rival country outlet WSSL-FM so that WESC-FM could be the #1 station in the market. This strategy failed miserablely as WFNQ-FM went to the bottom of the ratings within several months.
Programming also included the Christian music program Face to Face from Right Turn Radio.
In September 1996, WFNQ-FM dropped Young Country for active rock as "93.3 The Planet". The call letters of WTPT-FM were adopted by the end of the year. Due to ownership issues, after being inherited by Clear Channel Communications in the late 1990s, Barnstable Broadcasting purchased the station in 1999, along with WROQ. The company sold WTPT as well as WROQ and (then) WGVC-FM to Entercom Communications in 2005.
On-air staff
- 5:00AM-10:00AM The Rise Guys
- 10:00AM-2:00PM Paige
- 2:00PM-7:00PM Twisted Todd
- 7:00PM-12:00AM Nights With Diesel
Weekends include specialty shows Planet X, Fire Xscape, Rock 30, and HardDrive.
Former on-air staff
- Bill Catcher - Power 93 - currently at WMYB, Myrtle Beach, SC <http://wmybstar92.net>
- Toddzilla - Power 93 - <http://www.wate.com/global/story.asp?s=9734741>
- Scott McKay - Power 93
- Christopher Goode - Power 93
- Dr. Brad Collins - Power 93
- "Big" Steve Kelly (Tom Moog - http://www.thomasmoog.com) - Power 93
- Vic Thomas - Power 93
- "Pistol" Pete - Power 93 (deceased)
- Dallas Kincaid - Morning Show and Program Director 93.3 WBBO
- Jim Larsin (Jim Koza) - Afternoon Drive, Music Director and Asst. PD 93.3 WBBO
- Mike Murphy - 93.3 WBBO
- Logan Kelly - 93.3 WBBO
- Hollywood Joe- 93.3 WBBO
- Jammin Jeff & The Funky Bunch 93.3 WBBO
- Brad Thomas - 93.3 WBBO
- Mason & Dixon Morning Show 93 Q Country WFNQ
- Johnny Reb (Afternoons) 93 Q Country WFNQ
- Harley D Davidson (nights) 93 Q Country WFNQ
- Shotgun Kelly 93 Q Country WFNQ
- Skip Church - The Rise Guys
- Zakk Tyler - (The original "Planet" pd and host of Zakk Tyler and The Planet's Rude Awakening)
- Kimberly Kelly - (Rude Awakening Co-Host)
- Craig Debolt - (Mid-days for The Planet and Creative Services Director)
- Shotgun - (Mid-days and Imaging Director for The Planet)
- Carrie Martin - (Afternoons on The Planet)
- Some Guy - (Evenings on The Planet)
- Cliff Chaos - (Overnights on The Planet)
Previous logo
(WTPT's logo under previous "New Rock 93.3" branding)
References
External links
- Visit 93.3 The Planet's Website
- The Rise Guys Homepage
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WTPT
- Radio-Locator information on WTPT
- Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WTPT
- Visit The Rise Guys Website
