View source for WODE-FM

{{short description|Radio station in Easton, Pennsylvania}}
{{About|a radio station| the dye plant| Woad|the surname Wode|Wode (surname)}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2017}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name               = WODE-FM
| logo               = WODE-FM 99.9 the Hawk logo.png
| city               = [[Easton, Pennsylvania]]
| country            = US
| area               = [[Lehigh Valley]]
| branding           = ''99.9 The Hawk''
| frequency          = 99.9 [[Megahertz|MHz]] {{HD Radio}}
| translator         = [[WODE-FM#Translators|See tables below]]
| repeater           = 
| airdate            = {{start date|1948}} (as WEEX-FM at 98.3)
| format             = [[Classic rock]]
| subchannels        = HD2: [[Simulcast]] of [[WEEX]] ([[Sports radio|sports]])
| language           = 
| power              = 
| erp                = {{ubl|50,000 [[watt]]s (analog)|2,000 watts (digital)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1725129&Service=FD&Form_id=335&Facility_id=8595 |title=FCC 335-FM Digital Notification [WODE-FM] |date=March 29, 2016 |website=fcc.gov |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |access-date=May 13, 2018}}</ref>}}
| haat               = {{convert|137|m|ft|sp=us}}
| class              = B
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
| facility_id        = 8595
| coordinates        = {{Coord|40|42|30.3|N|75|12|58.6|W|type:landmark_region:US-PA_source:FCC|name=WODE-FM|display=inline,title}}
| callsign_meaning   = [[Oldies]] (previous format)
| former_callsigns   = {{ubl|WEEX-FM (1948–1973)|WQQQ (1973–1989)|WHXT (1989–1991)}}
| former_frequencies = 98.3 [[Megahertz|MHz]] (1948-1950s)
| affiliations       = 
| owner              = [[Cumulus Media]]
| licensee           = Radio License Holding CBC, LLC
| sister_stations    = [[WEEX]], [[WWYY]], [[WLEV]], [[WCTO]]
| webcast            = [http://wode.tunegenie.com/tophits/#listenlive Listen Live]
| website            = [http://www.999thehawk.com/ 999thehawk.com] 
}}

'''WODE-FM''' (99.9 [[FM broadcasting|FM]], "99.9 The Hawk") is a [[commercial radio|commercial]] [[FM broadcasting|FM]] [[radio station]] licensed to serve [[Easton, Pennsylvania]]. The station's service contour covers the [[Lehigh Valley]] area of [[Pennsylvania]] and [[New Jersey]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/map-display#appid=228827&call=WODE-FM&freq=99.9&contour=54&city=EASTON&state=PA&fileno=BMLH-19960709KC&.map |title=54 dBu Service Contour for WODE-FM, Easton, PA, 99.9 MHz |website=fcc.gov |date=January 28, 2016 |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |access-date=December 4, 2016}}</ref>

The station is owned by [[Cumulus Media]], through licensee Radio License Holding CBC, LLC, and broadcasts a [[classic rock]] [[radio format]], playing rock hits from the 1960s into the early 1990s. WODE-FM's [[transmitter]], studios, and offices are on Paxinosa Road West in Easton. The station is frequently at or near the top of the ratings in the [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]]-Easton-[[Bethlehem, Pennsylvania|Bethlehem]] [[media market|radio market]].

WODE-FM broadcasts using [[HD Radio]], and [[simulcast]]s the [[sports radio|sports]] programming of [[sister station]] 1230 AM [[WEEX]] on its HD2 subchannel.

==History==
===WEEX-FM===
The station began operations on 98.3 FM as a stand-alone FM station. It got its [[construction permit]] from the [[Federal Communications Commission]] in 1948, and [[sign-on|signed on]] the air in June 1950.<ref>[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1952/Radio-NE-Ter-1952-BC-YB.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1952 page 244]</ref>  Its [[Call sign|call letters]] stood for the ''[[The Express-Times|Easton Express]]'', Easton's daily newspaper as well as the station's owner. WEEX-FM was originally powered at only 1,000 [[watt]]s.

In 1956, [[WSAN]] in nearby [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]] decided to give up its FM station on 99.9&nbsp;MHz.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/broadcastingtele50unse/page/n684/mode/1up "For the Record: Actions of Jan. 23"], ''Broadcasting'', February 6, 1956, page 101.</ref>  The ''Easton Express'' took over the 99.9 frequency, boosting WEEX-FM's power to 16,000 watts.<ref>[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1960/B%202%20Radio%20Yearbook%201960.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1960 page A-216]</ref>  Also in the late 1950s, the newspaper put an [[AM broadcasting|AM]] station on the air at 1230 [[Hertz|kHz]] under the [[WEEX]] call sign. In the early 1960s, WEEX switched to a [[Contemporary hit radio|Top 40]] format and used the FM station to [[simulcast]] much of the programming to cover areas where the AM station's 1,000 [[watt]] signal could not be heard.

===Beautiful music===
In the late 1960s, WEEX-FM's simulcast with the AM was broken off under new [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) rules which forbid full-time AM/FM simulcasts. The FM station switched to [[beautiful music]] under the WQQQ [[call sign]].

The call letters were chosen because the lower-case Q closely resembled the number 9, hence the station's frequency 99.9. The station offered an instrumental-based [[easy listening]] format, playing [[cover version]]s of pop songs, as well as [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]] showtunes. A few times per hour a soft vocal was mixed in.

===Contemporary hits===
In late 1982, The ''Easton Express'' acquired ''The Globe-Times'', a newspaper in nearby Bethlehem. To satisfy the FCC's media ownership rules, both WQQQ and WEEX were sold off to Wilks-Schwartz Broadcasting, so that the ''Easton Express'' would not own too many media outlets in the same market.

On April 4, 1983, WQQQ swapped formats with its AM [[sister station]], WEEX. WEEX had evolved by 1981 from Top 40 into an [[adult contemporary]] format. WEEX's [[disc jockey]]s moved to 99.9 FM.  WQQQ's easy listening format was moved to WEEX but it played more vocals than it did on FM.

The former WEEX format was modified on FM into mainstream [[Contemporary hit radio|CHR]]/[[Top 40]]. The station kept the WQQQ call sign but became known as "Q 100".  Initially, the station focused on current pop music, but also played a moderate amount of 1960s and 1970s [[oldies]] until about 1985. Throughout the 80s, WQQQ aired a Saturday evening oldies show. But by 1986, the regular rotation was mostly current and recent titles.

At the time, Q100 was the only Top 40/CHR station in the Allentown/Easton/Bethlehem radio market, competing with then-dominate [[album rock]] station [[WZZO]] for first place in the ratings. However, on January 26, 1987, former mainstream [[adult contemporary]] station [[WAEB-FM]] switched to CHR as "Laser 104.1 WAEB-FM".  While the change did not have an immediate impact on Q100's ratings, a burnt-out transmission line in the summer of 1988 forced the station to broadcast on low-power for a period of two weeks. This caused Q100's ratings to slip, allowing WAEB-FM to beat Q100 in the ratings.

In 1989, Roth Broadcasting acquired WQQQ and WEEX from Wilks-Schwartz, and later during the last week of August 1989, Q100 switched to a [[dance music|dance-leaning]] CHR format as "Hot 99.9" under the WHXT call sign. The format lasted about a year before returning to mainstream CHR.

After an uphill ratings battle with its rival WAEB-FM for almost two years, Hot 99.9 was unable to make any significant gains due to budget and signal issues. However, in its final ratings trend as a CHR, WHXT had beaten WAEB-FM by two-tenths of a point.

===Oldies===
On August 23, 1991, WHXT dropped its CHR format for [[oldies]]. The format played the hits of the 1950s, 1960s, and a few songs from the early 1970s. The call sign became WODE-FM (standing for "oldies") and the station became known as "Oldies 99" under programming consultant Pete Salant.

The station was sold to Patterson Broadcasting and became "Oldies 99.9" in the mid 1990s (adding the "point nine" in its handle as more radios employed digital tuners). In 1997, Capstar bought WODE-FM and WEEX as part of a multi-station deal, but spun the Easton stations off to [[Clear Channel Communications]]. Capstar had to do this because the Lehigh Valley has only five FM stations, and under FCC rules, no one company could own more than half. Capstar was already buying WZZO and WAEB-FM. Under Clear Channel ownership, WODE-FM continued its oldies format.

In 2000, Clear Channel announced a merger with AM/FM Broadcasters (a company which was created as a result of a merger with Capstar and Chancellor). AM/FM already owned WZZO and WAEB-FM. Clear Channel would not be allowed to keep all three stations upon the merger, so it decided to swap WODE-FM and WEEX with [[Nassau Broadcasting Partners]]. Nassau was given cash plus WODE-FM and WEEX, while Clear Channel obtained stations in [[New Jersey]], including [[WTOC (AM)|WNNJ]], [[WNNJ|WNNJ-FM]], [[WSUS]], [[WHCY]], and management agreements for [[WDLC]] and [[WVPO (FM)|WTSX]]. Clear Channel also kept the former Capstar/AM-FM stations.

===Classic hits===
On August 31, 2001, at noon, WODE-FM switched from oldies to [[classic hits]]. The station was originally called "99-9 The River" but was forced to change its name because Clear Channel owned the rights to the name "The River".  WODE-FM became known as "99-9 The Hawk".  Its slogan was "The Valley's Classic Hits Station". The station's ratings generally led the market with the key 25-54 audience. WODE-FM hit #1 in the Fall 2001 [[Arbitron]] ratings in the Allentown market. 

WODE-FM, along with nine other Nassau stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, was purchased at bankruptcy auction by NB Broadcasting in May 2012. NB Broadcasting was controlled by Nassau's creditors — [[Goldman Sachs]], Pluss Enterprises, and P.E. Capital. WODE-FM was included in the deal after Goldman Sachs rejected a bid from [[Cumulus Media]] for the station.<ref name=aa-saletonb>{{cite news|title=10 Nassau Stations Go To NB Broadcasting LLC|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/106532/10-nassau-stations-go-to-nb-broadcasting-llc|access-date=November 10, 2012|newspaper=All Access|date=May 30, 2012}}</ref><ref name=pr-saletonb>{{cite news|last=Pierce|first=David|title=Pocono radio stations now in the hands of creditors|url=http://www.poconorecord.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120612/NEWS/206120329|access-date=November 10, 2012|newspaper=[[Pocono Record]]|date=June 12, 2012}}</ref> In November, NB Broadcasting filed a motion to assign its rights to the stations to [[Connoisseur Media]].<ref name=aa-saletoconnoisseur>{{cite news|title=Connoisseur Moves To Assume Debtor's Bid To Buy 10 Nassau Stations, Including WPST|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/112815/connoisseur-moves-to-assume-debtor-s-bid-to-buy-10|access-date=November 21, 2012|newspaper=All Access|date=November 21, 2012}}</ref> The sale to Connoisseur Media, at a price of $38.7 million, was consummated on May 29, 2013.

===Classic rock===
With the sale completed in July 2013, Connoisseur Media tweaked the format, giving it more of a [[classic rock|rock]] focus and changing the slogan to "Classic Rock of the 70s, 80s and More".

In late 2013, WODE-FM acquired [[Broadcast relay station|translator]] W234AX (94.7 FM), licensed to serve Allentown, from [[Family Life Network|Family Life Ministries]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/86443/fcc-applications-1023-col-change-in-washington/ |title=FCC Applications 10/23: COL Change In Washington |last=Venta |first=Lance |date=October 23, 2013 |website=radioinsight.com |access-date=December 4, 2016}}</ref> The translator broadcast WODE-FM analog/HD1 programming until April 15, 2016, when it began simulcasting the programming of [[alternative rock]] [[sister station]] 107.1 [[WWYY]] via WODE-FM-HD2.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/105864/spin-radio-expands-to-lehigh-valley/ |title=Spin Radio Expands To Lehigh Valley |last=Venta |first=Lance |date=April 15, 2016 |website=radioinsight.com |access-date=December 4, 2016}}</ref>

Effective June 26, 2019, Connoisseur Media swapped WODE-FM, sister stations [[WEEX]], [[WTKZ]], and [[WWYY]], and translator W234AX to Cumulus Media in exchange for [[WEBE]] and [[WICC (AM)|WICC]].

==Translators==
WODE-FM-HD2 programming ([[WEEX]] simulcast) is broadcast on the following [[Broadcast relay station|translator]]:

{{RadioTranslators
| callsign = WODE-FM-HD2
| width    =

| call1    = W234AX
| freq1    = 94.7
| city1    = Allentown, Pennsylvania
| fid1     = 157407
| watts1   = 10
| haat1    = 204.9
| class1   = D
| coord1   = {{coord|40|35|55.4|N|75|25|10.7|W|type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC|name=W234AX}}
| notes1   =
}}

==See also==
*[[Media in the Lehigh Valley]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.999thehawk.com/ 99.9 Official website]
*{{FM station data|8595|WODE-FM}}
*{{FCC-LMS-Facility|157407|W234AX}}
*{{FXL|W234AX}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070309133724/http://www.q100radio.net/story.htm History of 99.9 during the WEEX-FM and WQQQ era.]

{{Allentown Radio}}
{{Classic Rock Radio Stations in Pennsylvania}}
{{Cumulus Media}}

[[Category:Radio stations established in 1948]]
[[Category:Radio stations in the Lehigh Valley|ODE-FM]]
[[Category:1948 establishments in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Cumulus Media radio stations]]
[[Category:Classic rock radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Easton, Pennsylvania]]