View source for WIKX

{{Short description|Radio stations in Charlotte Harbor, Florida}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| logo                = WIKX-FM.png
| logo_size           = 150px
| name                = WIKX
| city                = [[Charlotte Harbor, Florida]]
| area                = [[Southwest Florida]]
| branding            = Kix Country
| airdate             = {{Start date and age|1970|9|1}} (as WCCF-FM 92.7 [[Punta Gorda, Florida|Punta Gorda]])
| frequency           = 92.9 [[Megahertz|MHz]]
| format              = [[Country music|Country]]
| erp                 = 100,000 [[watt]]s
| haat                = {{convert|246|m|ft|sp=us}}
| affiliations        = [[Premiere Networks]]
| class               = C1
| facility_id         = 28899
| callsign_meaning    = "Kix"
| former_callsigns    = WCCF-FM (1970–1979)<br>WQLM (1979–1993)
| owner               = [[iHeartMedia, Inc.]]
| licensee            = iHM Licenses, LLC
| sister_stations     = [[WBCG]], [[WBTT]], [[WCCF (AM)|WCCF]], [[WCKT]], [[WCVU]], [[WOLZ]], [[WWCD (AM)|WWCD]], [[WZJZ]]
| webcast             = [https://www.iheart.com/live/kix-country-929-4490/ Listen Live]
| website             = [https://kixcountry929.iheart.com/ kixcountry929.iheart.com]
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
}}

'''WIKX''' (92.9 [[FM broadcasting|FM]]) is a [[commercial radio|commercial]] [[radio station]] [[city of license|licensed]] to [[Charlotte Harbor, Florida]], and serving [[Charlotte County, Florida|Charlotte County]] in [[Southwest Florida]].<ref>{{cite web |title=WIKX |url=https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/publicFacilityDetails.html?facilityId=28899 |website=Federal Communications Commission}} Facility ID:28899</ref>  It broadcasts a [[country music]] [[radio format]] branded as "Kix Country".  On weekday mornings, veteran [[disc jockey|DJ]] Todd Matthews is heard.  Overnight, the station carries ''[[Granger Smith|After Midnite with Granger Smith]]'' from co-owned [[Premiere Networks]].   The station is owned by [[iHeartMedia]] with studios on Tiseo Boulevard, off Kings Highway in [[Port Charlotte, Florida|Port Charlotte]].

WIKX is a [[list of broadcast station classes#FM|Class C1]] FM station.  It has an [[effective radiated power]] (ERP) of 100,000 [[watt]]s, the maximum for most FM stations.  The [[transmitter]] is near Redwood Road in [[Rotonda West, Florida|Rotonda Lakes]].<REF>[https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?sr=Y&s=C&call=wikx&nav=home Radio-Locator.com/WIKX]</REF>  The signal stretches from [[Sarasota, Florida|Sarasota]] to the north, down to [[Fort Myers]] to the south.

==History==
The station [[sign-on|signed on]] the air on {{Start date and age|1970|9|1}}.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1977/C%20Section%20Radio%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201977%20P-6.pdf ''Broadcasting Yearbook 1977'' page C-46.  Retrieved Feb. 24, 2025.]</ref>  The original [[call sign]] was WCCF-FM, the [[sister station]] to [[WCCF (AM)|WCCF]] [[1580 AM]].  WCCF-FM transmitted at 92.7 MHz and its [[city of license]] was [[Punta Gorda, Florida|Punta Gorda]].  It broadcast at 3,000 watts, a fraction of its current output.  With the low power, WCCF-FM could only be heard in Punta Gorda and nearby communities.  

At first, WCCF-FM [[simulcast]] the same programming as WCCF 1580 AM.  But after a few years, it had its own format.  It was [[broadcast automation|automated]] and played [[beautiful music]], consisting of quarter-hour sweeps of soft instrumentals.  In the late 1970s, the station began adding some mellow vocals to the instrumental music and made the transition to [[easy listening]].  It changed its call letters to WQLM but was still co-owned with WCCF.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1988/B-Radio-1988-YB.pdf ''Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1988'' page B-64.  Retrieved Feb. 24, 2025.]</ref>

The 1990s brought some big changes to WQLM.  It flipped to [[country music]] as WIKX.  It moved up the dial to 92.9 MHz, which also brought a substantial boost in power to 50,000 watts.  And in 1999, WIKX and WCCF were acquired by [[San Antonio]]-based [[Clear Channel Communications]].<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2000/D-Radio-All-BC-YB-2000-2.pdf ''Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2000'' page D-101.  Retrieved Feb. 24, 2025.]</ref>  

In the early 2000s, WIKX doubled its power to 100,000 watts and changed its city of license to Charlotte Harbor.  In 2014, Clear Channel changed its name to iHeartMedia, Inc.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://kixcountry929.iheart.com/ Official website]
*{{FM station data|28899|WIKX}}

{{Fort Myers Radio}}
{{Country Radio Stations in Florida}}
{{IHeartMedia}}

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[[Category:Radio stations in Florida|IKX]]
[[Category:Country radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:IHeartMedia radio stations]]
[[Category:1970 establishments in Florida]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1970]]


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