WLTE
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WLTE | |
 |
|
| Broadcast area | Minneapolis-St. Paul |
|---|---|
| Branding | 102.9 Lite FM |
| Slogan | Your Station at Work |
| First air date | 1970 |
| Frequency | 102.9 FM (MHz)  102.9-2 FM WLTE2 simulcast of WCCO-AM (HD Radio) |
| Format | Commercial; Adult Contemporary |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| Class | C0 |
| Callsign meaning | W LITE |
| Owner | CBS Radio |
| Website | www.wlte.com |
WLTE ("Lite FM", 102.9 FM) is a radio station in Minneapolis-St. Paul that carries a "Lite rock" adult contemporary format and has done so for more than two decades. WLTE is owned by CBS Corporation, which also owns WCCO radio today. Its main transmitter is located on the KMSP Tower in Shoreview, Minnesota, with backup facilities on the nearby Telefarm installation.
The station is one of the most popular in the Twin Cities, since they, like many similar stations, aim heavily at workplace environments (WLTE calls itself, "Your Station at Work").
WLTE is also the flagship station of the nationally syndicated "Saturday Night at the 70s." The host, Cindy Barton, is also host of WLTE's morning show.
[edit] History
The station began as WCCO-FM, the FM broadcast of local powerhouse WCCO 830 AM, but was hampered by its limited signal and never carried 'CCO's signal very far.
Until 1973, the station only operated for the minimum amount of time required to keep the license. However, when the transmitter was upgraded full-power full-time, a broad-based adult contemporary format was launched, lasting throughout the 1970s. Personalities included Paul Stagg, Carl Lensgraf, Terri Davis, Tom Ambrose, Curt Lundgren, Johnny Canton, Peter May and Pat O'Neill. Tim Russell, currently a cast member of "A Prairie Home Companion," hosted middays and created memorable characters like traffic reporter "Captain Buzz Studley.
WCCO-FM was a successful station until new IDS Center transmitters for competing stations were built in 1979, causing damaging interference to the station's broadcast signal. In 1983, Top 40 became a massively popular format across the country. WLOL, which picked up the format in 1981, was one of the most successful stations in the market, and KDWB was just returning to the FM band. WCCO-FM switched to Top 40 under Program Director John Long that year. Results were dismal, and both the format and Long lasted just a few months.
The "lite" format was introduced later that year, along with new call letters WLTE. In addition to the adult contemporary format, in recent years the station switches to all-Christmas music from mid-November to midnight on Christmas, billing itself in that period as "The Official Christmas Music Station". Rival KQQL, an oldies station, also programs nothing but Christmas music during this period.
In a way, the 102.9 signal went full-circle, simulcasting WCCO AM 830 on its HD-2 subchannel.
[edit] External links
By Frequency: 88.5 | 89.3 | 89.9 | 90.3 | 90.7 | 91.1 | 91.5 | 91.7 | 92.5 | 93.3 | 93.7 | 94.5 | 95.3 | 95.9 | 96.3 | 97.1 | 98.5 | 99.5 | 99.9 | 100.3 | 100.7 | 101.3 | 102.1 | 102.9 | 103.7 | 104.1 | 105.1 | 105.3 | 105.7 | 106.1 | 106.5 (day/night) | 106.7 | 107.1 | 107.9
By Callsign: KBEM | KBGY | KCMP | KDWB | KDXL | KEEY | KFAI | KLCI | KMOJ | KNOF | KNOW | KQQL | KQRS | KSJN | KSTP | KTCZ | KTIS | KTLK | KTTB | KUOM | KXXR | KZJK | K214DF | K218DK | K260BA | K279AZ | WFMP | WMCN | WGVX | WGVY | WGVZ | WLKX | WLTE | W227BF | W264BR
Satellite Radio Local Traffic/Weather: XM Channel 219
- See also: List of United States radio markets
