94.1 began as WIBG-FM, a subsidiary of WIBG-AM, and primarily simultaneously broadcast top 40 AM stations until the FCC mandated separate programming in 1966. At this point, half of the daytime programming was provided by Gates’ automation system. Initially, it was a mix of pop standards, country and classical music, but in the spring of 1968, progressive rock was already being played, albeit without announcers. The station had rather poor coverage due to the fact that its antenna was hastily suspended at a relatively low height of 250 feet on one of WIBG-AM’s towers.
In the late 1960s, WIBG’s owner Storer Communications tried to get permission to increase its transmission power. At the time, 94.1 was a Class B station with a limited range to avoid interference with another station on 94.1 FM in Sunbury, Pennsylvania. Around 1969, WIBG’s call letters were replaced by WPNA, but only on paper, as the FM station was closed. After an unsuccessful attempt to get the Sunbury station to agree to an FCC waiver, Storer sold WPNA to SJR Communications.
SJR changed its call signs to WYSP (“Your Philadelphia Station”) and quickly struck a deal with Sunbury Station that allowed WYSP to increase its power. The site became a full Class B, with a 550-foot non-directional antenna providing 39,000 watts of ERP. On August 23, 1971, the transmitter was turned on and WYSP went on the air. The format consisted of live announcers playing music in a format that was large-range and easy to listen to from half-hour reel-to-reel tapes produced in-house. WYSP studios were located in a commuter station building at 16th and JFK Parkway in Philadelphia. A new RCA transmitter and a five-bay circular polarization antenna were installed at the transmitter site.
WYSP QUAD FM logoAt six in the morning on Monday, August 6, 1973, WYSP suddenly stopped playing big band music and began playing album-oriented rock (AOR). The entire staff of operators was fired (despite attempts to unionize) and five new announcers were hired, including Tom Stroh, Dean Clark, and Doug Christian with Frank X. Feller as program director. The music included popular cuts from albums by artists such as Jimi Hendrix, Chicago, and Crosby Stills and Nash.
In 1974, WYSP became Philadelphia’s “quad” station, running audio through a Sony Quad encoder that provided an “ambience” effect on the rear channels of several quad receivers on the market. Due to compatibility issues with conventional monaural radios and a lack of interest from listeners, the quad encoder was quietly dismantled in 1976. At the same time, WYSP moved its studios to their current location at One Bala Plaza (then called One) Decker Square) in Bala Cynwyd, a suburb of Philadelphia. In 1977, the transmitter was also moved to its current location in Roxboro.
WYSP logo from the 80sAround 1980, WYSP began using the term “classic rock” to describe its music mix. In 1981, the station was sold to Infinity Broadcasting along with two other SJR stations, WKTU and WJIT New York. The $30 million price tag for all three stations made many in the industry stand up and take notice. In 1984, there was a brief attempt to focus on heavy metal on the playlist, but it lasted less than a year. The big event at the station came on September 10, 1986, when Howard Stern made his debut in the 6am-10am slot, simultaneously broadcasting from WXRK in New York City. Many industry observers believed that an out-of-town morning show would not succeed in Philadelphia. However, Stern slowly, steadily, and methodically outpaced his rival, WMMR morning host John DeBella, to eventually become the city’s top morning personality. In 1992, Stern accomplished the unthinkable: He outpaced KYW-AM, which handled all the news, to take first place in the overall morning drive standings.
In the same year, 1992, Philadelphia Eagles Football play-by-play moved to WYSP from WIP-AM sports. In the fall of 1995, WYSP, concerned about the “antiquated” image of classic rock (and its aging listeners), switched to a modern rock format aimed primarily at a young male audience.
The logo of WYSP Free FMThe purchase of Infinity by CBS in 1996 allowed CBS to exceed the limit of stations it was allowed to own in Philadelphia. As a result, WMMR-FM was sold to Greater Media. This left an empty space in KYW’s Independence Mall studios, so on Saturday, April 5, 1997, WMMR and WYSP switched studios. WYSP moved downtown and WMMR moved to Bala Cynwyd. Throughout the rest of the 1990s and early 2000s, the station tried a number of different talk shows or talk formats. On October 25, 2005, WYSP switched to the intense talk format Free FM, which included some music. When Howard Stern moved to satellite radio in 2006, Opie and Anthony took over the morning spot.
On the weekend of March 17-18, 2007, the station moved its studios from the KYW building at 5th and Market to new studios at 4th and Market. (KYW-AM is in the same building on a different floor. The old building has since been demolished). By November 2006, all weekday music programs were removed. In June 2007, the term “Free FM” was completely dropped and WYSP was known as “Philadelphia’s Talk Station”.
In September 2007, the station returned to the “Active Rock” format, and then on August 25, 2008, it returned to the “Classic Rock” format under the slogan “The Rock you grew up with from the 70s, 80s and 90s”.
WIP-FM Sports talk format
On August 18, 2011, CBS Radio announced that subsidiary station WIP would simultaneously broadcast its sports talk format on 94.1 FM starting September 6. The change actually took place on September 2, four days earlier than announced. In the days leading up to the change, numerous WYSP alumni appeared for on-air interviews as well as guest hosts. On the last day, Howard Stern called the station to discuss his time at WYSP with host Spike Eskin. At 3 p.m. that day, WYSP ended its music format with Metallica’s “Fade to Black.”
According to Mark Rayfield, a CBS vice president, the rationale for WYSP’s “event” was to “introduce sports radio to a whole new generation of listeners,” presumably referring to the younger generation of listeners who ignore AM radio. The call signs soon changed to WIP-FM, ending WYSP’s 40-year run. WIP-FM’s call letters previously belonged to 93.3 FM until 1966, when 93.3 became WMMR.
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced a merger with Entercom. The merger was approved on November 9, 2017 and completed on November 17. In 2021, Entercom changed its brand to Audacy.