WNYL

WNYL is a commercial FM radio station licensed to New York City, broadcasting on 92.3 MHz to the New York metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station airs an alternative rock format branded as "Alt 92.3." Its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building, and it is a key part of Audacy's extensive portfolio of stations in the market, which includes WCBS, WFAN, and WINS.

History

The station first signed on in 1948 as WNJR-FM, owned by the Newark, New Jersey-based WJNR (AM). It underwent several call sign and format changes over the decades, including stints as WJIT and WJRZ-FM, before being purchased by the NBC in 1973 and becoming WNBC-FM, a sister to the legendary WNBC. In 1985, NBC sold its radio properties to Emmis Communications, and the station flipped to a country music format as WYNY. After being acquired by Infinity Broadcasting in 1996, it became WXRK and adopted a Top 40 format as "K-Rock," later shifting to a talk radio and alternative rock hybrid under personalities like Howard Stern. Following the CBS-Infinity Broadcasting merger, the station changed to a soft adult contemporary format as WWFS ("Fresh 102.7") in 2012. The WNYL call sign and an alternative rock format returned in 2014, briefly gave way to a Christian contemporary format as WPLJ in 2017, before the alternative rock format and WNYL calls were reinstated by Entercom (now Audacy, Inc.) in 2021.

Programming

WNYL's "Alt 92.3" format focuses on current and recurrent alternative rock hits, featuring artists such as Foo Fighters, Green Day, Twenty One Pilots, and Paramore. The station's weekday lineup includes the local morning show "Kev, Kenny & Larry" and syndicated programming like The Woody Show in afternoons. It also carries special programming events like the annual Lollapalooza broadcast and the "Alt 92.3 Holiday Underwear Drive" for charity. The station competes directly with WHTZ (Z100) and WKTU for listeners in the alternative and pop landscapes.

Technical information

Licensed to New York City, WNYL broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 6,000 watts from a transmitter atop the Empire State Building. Its antenna is at a height above average terrain of 415 meters, granting it a wide coverage area across the New York metropolitan area, including parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, and Long Island. The station broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format, and its audio is simulcast on the HD2 subchannel of sister station WCBS-FM.

Ownership

WNYL is owned by Audacy, Inc., a major radio broadcasting company headquartered in Philadelphia. Audacy acquired the station as part of its purchase of Entercom in 2017, which had previously merged with CBS Radio. The station's license is held by Audacy License, LLC, and it operates alongside other Audacy-owned stations in New York City, including WCBS, WCBS-FM, WFAN, WFAN-FM, and WINS. The station's studios are located in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan.

Category:Radio stations in New York City Category:Alternative rock radio stations in the United States Category:Audacy Category:Radio stations established in 1948