First air date March 1951 HAAT 299 meters City of license Columbia Owner iHeartMedia Inc Branding 975 WCOS | ERP 100,000 watts Frequency 97.5 MHz Format Country music Area Columbia | |
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Broadcast area Columbia, South Carolina Slogan SC's #1 for New Country Translator(s) 105.5 WXBT (Columbia, relays HD2) Sister stations WNOK, WVOC, WCOS, WXBT, WLTY | ||
WCOS-FM is a Country music radio station licensed to Columbia, South Carolina and serves the Columbia, South Carolina market. The iHeartMedia, Inc. outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast at 97.5 MHz with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts. The station goes by the name 97.5 WCOS and its current slogan is "Today's Best Country and Your All-Time Favorites." Its studios are in Columbia (west of the Congaree River) and the transmitter is north of the city.
The station airs a variety of country music, mainly from the 1970s to present (unlike competitor WWNU did), with current and recent hits in heavy rotation.
History
WCOS-FM signed on in March 1951 on 97.9 MHz as the sister station of WCOS/1400 and as Columbia's second FM station. Prior to 1963, it broadcast only during the evening hours. The programming featured Broadway, opera, and classical music, some or all of which came from the ABC Radio Network. In the fall of 1963, the station began broadcasting in stereo and the hours were extended to the daytime. The morning show was a simulcast of WCOS, which was hosted by Bob Fulton, the long-time announcer for University of South Carolina football. After 9 am, the format was easy listening. The music was broadcast in mono until 6 pm, converting to stereo for the evening hours. In the late 1960s, WCOS-FM converted to a Progressive rock format. Prior to the change, the station promoted the new format by announcing frequently that WCOS-FM was "going underground." By 1973, the station changed to country, adopting its longtime slogan "The Great 98." The format has remained since.
In 1991, the station upgraded its signal by changing the frequency from 97.9 MHz to 97.5 MHz and increasing its power to 100,000 watts, making it one of the strongest FM signals in the Columbia radio market.
The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications, which also owns sports talk WCOS, CHR WNOK, Variety Hits WLTY, Urban contemporary WXBT, Classic hip hop W288CX/WCOS-HD2, and News/Talk WVOC in the Columbia radio market.