WRNS-FM

WRNS-FM
Broadcast areaKinston, North Carolina
Frequency95.1 MHz
Branding"95.1 WRNS"
Programming
FormatCountry
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • Dick Broadcasting
  • (Dick Broadcasting Company, Inc. of Tennessee)
WERO, WQSL, WQZL, WRNS, WXQR-FM
History
First air date
October 12, 1968 (1968-10-12)[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID36950
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT459 meters (1,506 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
35°16′57″N 77°39′07″W / 35.2826°N 77.6520°W / 35.2826; -77.6520
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.wrns.com

WRNS-FM (95.1 MHz) is a radio station located in Kinston, North Carolina, in the United States. Its format is contemporary country.

The station has a non-directional signal of 100,000 watts, that reaches "from the capital to the coast". The station has served Kinston and eastern North Carolina since the 1960s, when it was WFTC-FM. At one time, it was the only country station in the area and had one of the highest market shares of any station.[3] Known for its generosity, the station has held a radiothon for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital annually for the past 5 years.[when?] The station is constantly ranked as the #1 station in its market by Arbitron.

The WRNS-FM transmitter antenna is located on WCTI-TV's tower north of Trenton, North Carolina. Studios are located in New Bern.

In September 2017, Dick Broadcasting announced the purchase of Alpha Media stations in three markets — 18 stations and two translators in total, at a purchase price of $19.5 million.[4] The acquisition of WRNS-FM by Dick Broadcasting was consummated on December 20, 2017.

Jim Mantel, who spent 18 years on WGAR-FM in Cleveland and was named to the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2017, retired in 2018 after hosting the morning show since 2010, joined by Crystal Legends in 2012.[5] Bobby Bones moved from co-owned WQSL/WQZL to replace Mantel, and Legends, also program director, moved to middays.[6]

  1. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-324. Retrieved March 20, 2018.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WRNS-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Raleigh-Durham FM Dial". Archived from the original on 2003-02-01. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
  4. ^ Venta, Lance (2017-09-05). "Dick Broadcasting Acquires Three Markets From Alpha Media". radioinsight. Retrieved 2017-09-06.
  5. ^ Venta, Lance (2018-03-12). "People Moves 3/12: Julian 'Jumpin' Perez Becomes First 104.3 Jams Host". radioinsight. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  6. ^ Venta, Lance (2018-07-02). "WRNS Revises On-Air Lineup Following Jim Mantel Retirement". radioinsight. Retrieved 2018-07-09.