Wikipedia

WXDX-FM

(Redirected from WXDX)

WXDX-FM (105.9 MHz "105.9 The X") is a commercial radio station located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It airs a modern rock radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. The station's studios and offices are located on Abele Road in Bridgeville next to I-79.[2] WXDX is the flagship radio station of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team.

WXDX-FM
Broadcast area
Greater Pittsburgh
Frequency105.9 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding105.9 The X
Programming
FormatModern rock
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
January 1, 1961 (1961-01-01)
Former call signs
  • WAZZ (1961–1962)
  • WAMO-FM (1962–1996)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
60153
ClassB
ERP15,500 watts
HAAT272 meters (892 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°29′38.2″N 80°1′8.2″W / 40.493944°N 80.018944°W / 40.493944; -80.018944
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live (via iHeartRadio)
Website1059thex.iheart.com

WXDX-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 15,500 watts. Its transmitter is located off Swanson Street in Pittsburgh's North Side, on a tower shared with KDKA-TV and other FM stations.[1] WXDX-FM broadcasts using HD Radio technology.

History

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WXDX's HD Radio Channels on a SPARC Radio with PSD.

On January 1, 1961, the station signed on as WAZZ, with an all-jazz format.[3] It changed its call sign to WAMO-FM on July 30, 1962.[4] At first, its effective radiated power was 4,500 watts. In 1962, it upgraded to 72,000 watts[4] it began simulcasting its AM sister station, WAMO (now WAOB).[5] WAMO-AM-FM served the Pittsburgh African-American community with R&B and soul music, as well as Black talk and news programming on weekdays, and religious shows on Sundays.

In the later 1960s, the FM station began separate programming, specializing in Urban contemporary music, with WAMO-AM-FM sometimes simulcasting on weekends. Over the years, the station was branded as Hot 106 WAMO.

It also had various formats during its later years, which also included Disco music and Rhythmic contemporary or "CHUrban".[6]

On April 10, 1996, at 3 pm, WAMO-FM swapped frequencies with WXDX-FM, with the urban format moving to 106.7 FM, while WXDX's alternative rock format moved to the more powerful 105.9 FM frequency.

WXDX-FM was one of six stations owned by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) that dropped The Howard Stern Show in February 2004 (however, Stern would show up on WRKZ later that year). Howard began airing on WXDX in November 1995 (when it was still on 106.7 FM).

Since 2008, WXDX-FM has served as the home for sports talk host Mark Madden.

WXDX-FM HD2

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WXDX broadcasts using HD Radio technology. It had programming on its HD2 digital subchannel beginning in 2006, launching a format focusing on Adult album alternative (Triple A) music.

In May 2009, as part of its renewal of Pittsburgh Penguins radio rights, WXDX and the Penguins announced that the HD2 subchannel would become a 24-hour channel devoted to Penguins coverage, billed as "Pittsburgh Penguins Radio." It launched on October 1, 2009, with local and nationally-originated Penguins and hockey coverage (including "NHL Live" and league commissioner Gary Bettman's weekly "NHL Hour"), rebroadcasts of classic Penguins games, and game broadcasts of the team's top farm club in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The move made the Penguins the second North American professional sports team with their own terrestrial radio channel (after the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and their HD2 relationship with KRLD-FM).[7]

In the fall of 2015, WXDX-FM-HD2 dropped Penguins Radio 24/7 with music WXDX normally plays on their station (but still simulcast Penguins games) until late March 2016 when iHeart2000s began airing. That programming later moved over by WKST-FM-HD2, and was replaced with Pride Radio, an LGBTQ service offered by iHeartRadio.

As of early 2020, WXDX is no longer broadcasting an HD2 subchannel.

References

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  1. 1 2 "Facility Technical Data for WXDX-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "Back on the road again: WDVE, iHeartMedia relocating headquarters to South Fayette".
  3. ↑ "All-Jazz WAZZ". The Pittsburgh Press. December 13, 1960. p. 54. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  4. 1 2 "History Cards for WXDX-FM". Federal Communications Commission.
  5. ↑ "Now... Night & Day WAMO is Pennsylvania's Most Powerful Radio Station". The Pittsburgh Press (Advertisement). July 30, 1962. p. 39. Retrieved January 12, 2026.
  6. ↑ "from www.rjdiscousa.com". Retrieved February 1, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ↑ Taylor, Tom (May 11, 2009). "The NHL Pittsburgh Penguins get a full-time HD-2 channel from "The X."". Taylor on Radio-Info. Radio-Info.com. Archived from the original on May 25, 2011. Retrieved December 29, 2010.
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