Broadcast area Hartford, Connecticut Class B Frequency 96.5 MHz Format Hot Adult contemporary Area Hartford Sister stations WTIC, WRCH, WZMX | ERP 20,000 watts Facility ID 66465 City of license Hartford Owner CBS Radio Slogan Today's Best Variety | |
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First air date February 5, 1940
(43.5 MHz as W1XSO)
December 15, 1941
(45.3 MHz as W53H)
April 17, 1948
(96.5 MHz as WTIC-FM) HAAT 247.0 meters (810.4 ft) | ||
Radio host gary craig of 96 5 wtic fm in our studio
WTIC-FM is a radio station primarily serving the Hartford market, though its signal can be picked up throughout most of Connecticut and into Springfield, Massachusetts. It currently broadcasts a Hot Adult Contemporary format. It is located on the dial at 96.5 MHz. It is currently operated by CBS Radio. Its transmitter is located in Avon, Connecticut, and has studios located at 10 Executive Drive, all in Farmington, Connecticut.
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WTIC-FM was one of the two pre-World War II FM stations in Connecticut, signing on the air originally as W1XSO on February 5, 1940 and using a frequency of 43.5 MHz. In December 1941, it became a commercial operation using the call letters W53H. In 1943, the call letters were changed for the last time to WTIC-FM. On April 17, 1948, the station moved to 96.5 MHz where it has remained, and switched to a classical music format. It switched from classical to CHR/Top 40 on May 12, 1977; the first song played as a Top 40 station was "Feels Like the First Time" by Foreigner. The station's classical music library was donated to the University of Hartford radio station WWUH a few months later.
The station switched to its current Hot AC format on June 15, 1994. This was done in order to remove controversial rap music from its playlist. After the switch, the station's sound has become decidedly softer in subsequent years compared to its past, though this has changed in recent years, as the Hot AC format as a whole has embraced more upbeat music. Since 1977, the radio station has referred to itself on the air variously as "Hot Hits 96 Tics","96TIC-FM", and "The New 965 TIC-FM".
The original WTIC-FM Top 40 format in the late 1970s consisted of only current hit songs no oldies in a high-energy, jingle-heavy presentation designed by consultant Mike Joseph, and it was an instant success. Mike Joseph would later term this formatic approach "Hot Hits" and put it into use at other stations around the United States, most notably WBBM-FM in Chicago. Clips of the radio station during its "96 Tics" "Hot Hits" era and afterwards can be heard at www.stevemcvie.com and www.reelradio.com.
WTIC-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio (hybrid) format.