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WOLF-FM

Baldwinsville, New York United States
Broadcast area	Syracuse, New York
Frequency	92.1 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	92.1 The Wolf
Programming
Format	Country
Subchannels	HD2: WSEN simulcast HD3: WMVN simulcast
Affiliations	Compass Media Networks Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Craig Fox and Sam Furco (FoxFur Communications, LLC)
Sister stations	WFBL, WMBO, WMVN, WOLF, WOSW, WSEN, WSIV, WVOA-LD
History
First air date	1967 (as WSEN-FM)
Former call signs	WSEN-FM (1967–2016) WNDR (4/6/2016-4/14/2016)
Call sign meaning	"The Wolf" (station branding)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	7716
Class	B1
ERP	25,000 watts
HAAT	91 meters (299 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	43°10′46″N 76°20′19″W / 43.17944°N 76.33861°W / 43.17944; -76.33861
Translator(s)	See § Repeaters and translators
Repeater(s)	See § Repeaters and translators
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	www.921fmthewolf.com

WOLF-FM (92.1 MHz) is a radio station serving the community of Baldwinsville, New York, in the Syracuse metropolitan area. The station is owned by Craig Fox and Sam Furco, through licensee FoxFur Communications, LLC, and broadcasts a country music format branded as 92.1 The Wolf.

History

In 1967, the station began operations as a full-time country outlet as WSEN-FM. It was the sister station to WSEN (1050 AM), one of the first country stations in the northeastern United States. Century Radio sold the stations in 1974. On September 7, 1975, WSEN-FM began operating on a 24-hour basis continuing with a country music format.

In 1986, the station format flipped to oldies. Both AM and FM were owned by Buckley Broadcasting during much of the 2000s, until being sold in 2008 to Leatherstocking Media Group.

In 2011, as the oldies format drifted into classic hits, WSEN (at the time playing a 1960s/1970s mix of songs) split its simulcast: the FM side switched to a modern-leaning classic hits format centered on the 1970s and 1980s, while the AM side went for a "real oldies" approach featuring 1950s and 1960s music.

Acquisition by Family Life and trade with Craig Fox

In late 2015, the station was sold to the Family Life Network, a regional religious broadcaster, along with WMCR-FM and rights to WFBL. WSEN-FM's intellectual property (including all on-air programming and staff contracts, but not the rights to the WSEN call sign) was sold to Galaxy Communications, who merged it with that of WZUN (which Galaxy reacquired in February 2016).

Family Life Network then promptly traded the 92.1 license to Craig Fox in exchange for the former WOLF-FM (105.1) in DeRuyter and WWLF-FM (96.7) in Oswego. WOLF's country music format was installed on 92.1 on March 29 at 5:00 p.m. The WSEN-FM call letters were swapped with Fox's WNDR-FM on April 6, 2016. The station adopted the WOLF-FM call sign on April 14, 2016.

On June 15, 2016, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) denied the trade and fined FoxFur and Wolf Radio $20,000 for violating the multiple ownership rule (because the companies' owner Craig Fox illegally operated eight licenses, where ownership limits in the market are seven).

In late June 2016, FoxFur filed a second request for the transfer of 105.1 and 96.7 to Family Life. However, because of the FCC's ruling, FoxFur ceased operation of WOLF-FM. As a result, Fox temporarily installed the country music format on his station WOSW. The station's previous owner, Family Life, then simulcast WOSW on 92.1 until the transfer was finalized. At the time, WOLF-FM was the only station in FLN's portfolio running secular programming.

The transaction was approved in September 2016 and the consummation occurred simultaneously with FoxFur's purchase of WFBL on August 21, 2017, in order to keep Fox under the ownership limits in the market. The transfer of translator W252AC to Family Life and translator W207BH to FoxFur affiliate Wolf Radio, Inc. was also included in the final deal.

Shortly after the consummation in late 2017, WOLF-FM began HD radio broadcasts. It also began simulcasting sister stations WSEN and WMVN on its HD2 and HD3 subchannels, respectively.

Repeaters and translators

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WOLF-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. "WSEN Trades Casey's 70s Countdowns for the 80s | CNYRadio.com / CNYTVNews.com". Cnyradio.com. August 22, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
3. "WSEN, Sunny 102 combining into one 'super' radio station". March 21, 2016.
4. Syracuse's Wolf On the Move as Family Life Swaps Again
5. Memorandum Opinion and Order and Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture - Federal Communications Commission
6. FCC Denies Syracuse Station Swap; Fines Foxfur For Ownership Limit Violations - Radio Insight
7. After Fine, FoxFur Takes Second Crack at Family Life Deal

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 7716 (WOLF-FM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WOLF-FM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

• HD Radio stations
• Craig Fox stations
• Radio stations in Syracuse, New York
• Radio stations established in 1967
• 1967 establishments in New York (state)
• Country radio stations in the United States