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| Broadcast area | |
| Frequency | 99.5 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 99.5 WGAR |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format | Country music |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | December 15, 1952 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | George A. Richards, founder of WGAR (1220 AM), now WHKW |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 47740 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 152 meters (499 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°22′18.00″N 81°43′4.00″W / 41.3716667°N 81.7177778°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (via iHeartRadio) |
| Website | wgar |
WGAR-FM (99.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, and features a country music format. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves Greater Cleveland and surrounding Northeast Ohio as the local affiliate for The Bobby Bones Show. WGAR-FM's studios are located at the Six Six Eight Building in downtown Cleveland's Gateway District and the transmitter is in nearby Parma.
Signing on in 1952 as the FM extension of WGAR (1220 AM), WGAR-FM mostly operated in obscurity until 1970, when management instituted a progressive rock format as WNCR. Airstaff turnover, conflicts with management and increased competition from other rock stations led to a format change to Top 40 in 1973, country music in 1974 and again to easy listening as WKSW in 1975. Returning to country in 1980, WKSW became WGAR-FM in 1984 in tandem with WGAR, with the AM simulcasting the FM from 1986 to 1990. WGAR-FM has remained in the format ever since, even with multiple ownership, management and airstaff changes. Since 1999, iHeartMedia (known as Clear Channel Communications until 2014) has owned WGAR-FM as part of their Greater Cleveland cluster.
Along with a standard analog transmission, WGAR-FM broadcasts over one HD Radio channel[2] and is available online via iHeartRadio.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WGAR-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "HD Radio Guide for Cleveland WGAR - HD Radio.com". Archived from the original on September 27, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.