On October 25, 2021, Audacy Inc. decided to switch what had been WNSH-FM 94.7 from Country to classic hip-hop. The end of “New York’s Country 94.7” generated much publicity, with RBR+TVBR Editor-in-Chief Adam R Jacobson interviewed by WNYW-5 in New York for a news report about “New York’s only Country music station signing off.”
Despite all of the discussion about the format’s Gotham absence, no competing operator swept in to bring the likes of Morgan Wallen, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood or Lainey Wilson to the nation’s biggest market. Now, some 29 months after WNSH’s end, Connoisseur Media is bringing Country back to at least part of the vast New York metropolitan area.
Introducing “103.1 The Wolf,” with a target demo of Adults 25-54, Connoisseur notes.
That would be the station that until today had been known as “103.1 MAX FM,” under call letters WBZO. Those are gone, with new call letters WWWF in place.
“After months of extensive research, and looking at artist trends, we know there is an open lane for Long Island to have its own country music radio station that reaches both Nassau and Suffolk counties,” said David Bevins, Long Island Market Manager and Connoisseur’s Chief Operations Officer. “The demand is there and we’re proud to be the group to bring it to life.”
To be clear, WWWF’s Class A signal is confined to areas east of the “five towns” and is best-heard in the center of Long Island, fading as one reaches Riverhead. As such, The Wolf’s territory will primarily include Islip, Babylon, Smithtown, Happauge, Melville, Northport, and Patchogue. In full, The Wolf can be heard across nearly all of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, and in parts of coastal Westchester County, N.Y. — in addition to lower Connecticut shore towns.
Country will still not be audible via an FM signal in the City of New York, nor in Westchester County. Northern New Jersey is also absent a Country station, although Class A WKMK-FM 106.3 in Eatontown, N.J., has attracted listeners as far north as Edison in recent months. In New Haven, Country listeners largely tune to WWYZ-FM in Hartford; the Mid-Hudson Valley is home to two Country brands — iHeartMedia’s WRWD and Townsquare Media’s “The Wolf.”
Connoisseur Media Long Island Operations Manager Patrick Shea commented, “Our team has worked tirelessly to curate the perfect music lineup. It’s a playlist that celebrates the incredible talent and storytelling that defines country music.”
WWWF was acquired by Connoisseur as part of a four-station deal with Barnstable Broadcasting in 2012. The company led by Jeffrey Warshaw paid $23 million for the stations, which also include WHLI-AM, WKJY-FM and WWSK-FM.
