WGAR-FM
WGAR-FM (99.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and features a country music format. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves Greater Cleveland and surrounding Northeast Ohio as the local affiliate for The Bobby Bones Show. WGAR-FM's studios are located at the Six Six Eight Building in downtown Cleveland's Gateway District and the transmitter is in nearby Parma.
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| Broadcast area | |
| Frequency | 99.5 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 99.5 WGAR |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format | Country music |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | December 15, 1952 |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | George A. Richards, founder of WGAR (1220 AM), now WHKW |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 47740 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 152 meters (499 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°22′18.00″N 81°43′4.00″W |
| Translator(s) | 101.1 W266CJ (Beachwood) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (via iHeartRadio) |
| Website | wgar |
Signing on in 1952 as the FM extension of WGAR (1220 AM), WGAR-FM mostly operated in obscurity until 1970, when management instituted a progressive rock format as WNCR. Airstaff turnover, conflicts with management and increased competition from other rock stations led to a format change to Top 40 in 1973, country music in 1974 and again to easy listening as WKSW in 1975. Returning to country in 1980, WKSW became WGAR-FM in 1984 in tandem with WGAR, with the AM simulcasting the FM from 1986 to 1990. WGAR-FM has remained in the format ever since, even with multiple ownership, management and airstaff changes. Since 1999, iHeartMedia (known as Clear Channel Communications until 2014) has owned WGAR-FM as part of their Greater Cleveland cluster.
Along with a standard analog transmission, WGAR-FM broadcasts over one HD Radio channel and is available online via iHeartRadio.