View source for WYAI

{{short description|Air 1 radio station in Scotia, New York}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name               = WYAI
| logo               = Air1 logo 2019.svg
| city               = [[Scotia, New York]]
| area               = [[Capital District, New York|Capital District]]
| branding           = ''[[Air1]]''
| airdate            = 1980 (in Corinth)<br/>April 22, 2002 (Scotia)
| frequency          = 93.7 [[Megahertz|MHz]]
| translator         = {{Radio Relay|104.3|W282BI|[[Coxsackie, New York|Coxsackie]]}}<br>{{Radio Relay|104.3|W282AD|East Windham}}<ref>[https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/public/tv/draftCopy.html?displayType=html&appKey=13127e604cdf489eada6c1b6063ebeb7&goBack=N "License To Cover for FM Translator Application - BLFT-19970414TD W282AD"], ''Federal Communications Commission'', 1997-07-11. Retrieved 2022-12-02.</ref>
| format             = [[Christian worship]]
| former_frequencies = 93.5 MHz (1980–2002, Corinth)
| power              =
| erp                = 1,250 [[watt]]s
| haat               = {{convert|215|m|ft|sp=us}}
| class              = A
| callsign_meaning   = '''W''' Alban'''Y''' '''A'''ir '''I'''
| former_callsigns   = WSCG (1980-91, Corinth)<br/>WZZM-FM (1991–2001, Corinth)<br/>WHTR (2001-02, Corinth)<br/>WHTR-FM (2002)<br/>WKRD (2002-04)<br/>WEGB (2004)<br/>WEGQ (2004-06)<br/>WOOB (2006-07)
| owner              = [[Educational Media Foundation]]
| webcast            = [http://www.air1.com/listen/player.aspx Listen Live]
| website            = [http://www.air1.com air1.com]
| affiliations       = ''[[Air1]]''
| licensing_authority= [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
}}
'''WYAI''' (93.7 [[FM broadcasting|FM]]) is a listener-supported, non-commercial [[Christian worship]] [[radio station]] licensed to [[Scotia, New York]], and serving the [[Capital District, New York|Capital District]] and [[Mohawk Valley]]. The station is owned by [[Educational Media Foundation]] and broadcasts at 1,250 [[watt]]s [[effective radiated power]] from a location near [[Rotterdam Junction, New York]]. The station is an [[owned-and-operated station]] (O&O) of EMF's ''[[Air1]]'' network.<ref>[http://timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=566884&category=BUSINESS&newsdate=2/27/2007] [[Times Union (Albany)|Times Union]] article accessed February 28, 2006</ref>
==Corinth history==
The history of WYAI dates back to December 1981, when 93.5 signed on in [[Corinth, New York|Corinth]] as country station WSCG. WSCG was a live 24-hour-a-day operation throughout the 1980s, that ran into financial difficulties in the early 1990s. In early 1991, WSCG left the air, returning under new ownership in the summer of 1991, as beautiful music station WZZM. WZZM encountered financial problems of its own by early 1993, and left the air itself. It returned to the air, during the summer of 1993, as an Oldies station. It abruptly left the air again in March 1994. It returned to the air in May 1994, still doing oldies, but flipped to country two weeks later as ''Z-Country 93''.
In the late 1990s, Bradmark Communications began studies for moving the station down to the Albany market and selling it at a profit. These plans were expanded when Bradmark sold the stations to Vox Media in 2000, which in March 2001, moved the oldies format of 107.1 WHTR to 93.5, and relaunched the Z-Country format as the locally-run [[WFFG-FM|WFFG]] (''Froggy 107.1''). Galaxy purchased the station in late 2001, and surprisingly retained the WHTR calls with the move, a rarity among move-in stations.
==Move into Scotia==
WHTR moved into the Albany market from [[Corinth (town), New York|Corinth]] (when it was moved to 93.7&nbsp;MHz to protect [[WZCR]]'s signal) in 2002, signing on at 3:00&nbsp;p.m. on April 22, 2001. The call letters initially remained WHTR at that time, and took on the ''Hot Talk 93.7'' name with a [[hot talk]] format and simulcast on AM 1400 (the original WABY, now known as [[WAMC (AM)|WAMC]]). The station's key personalities were former [[WPYX]] morning co-host [[John Mulrooney]] in morning drive and the syndicated [[Opie and Anthony]] show in afternoon drive; most weekend programming was a simulcast of ''K-Rock'' [[WKRL-FM|WKRL]] [[Syracuse, New York|Syracuse]], albeit with local ads. Within four months, Mulrooney was fired and the "Sex for Sam" incident ended [[Gregg Hughes|Opie]] and [[Anthony Cumia|Anthony]]'s original syndication attempt.
Outside of drivetimes, the WKRL simulcasts on WHTR-FM were the highest rated programs on the station (impressive given the presence of two full-time stations, WHRL (now [[WGY-FM]]) and WQBK-FM (now [[WPBZ-FM]]), in the market). With a hole to quickly fill, on August 30, 2002, the station took on the '''WKRD''' calls and flipped to [[modern rock]] as ''K-Rock 93.7''. The station became notable for hiring former [[WGY (AM)|WGY]] afternoon host JR Gach for mornings in January 2003 after being released from WGY. This format was simulcast on 1400 until Galaxy sold that station in April 2003.
However, on January 22, 2004, WKRD abruptly flipped to [[classic country]] as ''93.7 The Eagle'', taking on the '''WEGB''' calls, which were quickly switched to '''WEGQ''' to alleviate confusion with television station [[WRGB]]. For nearly two years, WEGQ played [[Dial Global]] satellite-fed classic country music from the 1960s to 1980s. The station had only one local personality under this format, former [[WYJB]] afternoon personality Chris Holmberg who left for Galaxy on the heels of WYJB's first #1 (12+) ratings book.
On January 4, 2006, after simulcasting the ''Eagle'' format on [[WYKV|WRCZ]] (which was formerly ''94 Rock'') for about a week, the station relaunched as ''93.7/94.5 The Bone'', taking on the '''WOOB''' calls. ''The Bone'' had a [[mainstream rock]] format with the tagline ''Everything That Rocks'', and featured [[J. R. Gach]] in mornings with co-host Pi and traffic gal Alecia.
On February 16, 2007, the ''Bone'' format ended anticlimactically right in the middle of the song "Ride the River" by [[Eric Clapton]], when Galaxy Communications exited the Albany market and sold both stations to Educational Media Fund in a [[fire sale]]. WOOB was converted to an ''Air 1'' O&O, broadcasting a [[Christian contemporary music|Christian CHR]] format, and later changed its calls to '''WYAI''' several months later on July 6, 2007.
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{FM station data|64620|WYAI}}
{{Albany Radio}}
{{Air 1}}
{{coord|42.857|N|74.067|W|type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC|display=title}}
[[Category:Radio stations in Capital District (New York)|YAI]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1983]]
[[Category:Air1 radio stations]]
[[Category:Christian radio stations in New York (state)|YAI]]
[[Category:1983 establishments in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Educational Media Foundation radio stations]]