- Source: WRFK (FM)
WRFK (107.1 MHz, "Frank FM") is an FM radio station licensed to Barre and serving central Vermont. Established in 1974, the station is owned by Jeffrey Shapiro's Great Eastern Radio. WRFK airs a classic rock format, and is simulcast in the Champlain Valley on WWFK (also on 107.1 FM) in Plattsburgh West, New York. The transmitter is located off Websterville Road and the studios and offices are on Jacques Street.
History
The station signed on August 5, 1974, as WORK. It was originally owned by Robert Kimel, who also owned WSNO in Barre and WWSR AM-FM in St. Albans, and programmed an automated Top 40/hot AC format known as "Hit Parade". Kimel sold WORK and WSNO to Bull Moose Broadcasting in 1997; two years later, the stations were purchased by Vox Radio Group. Nassau Broadcasting Partners acquired most of Vox's northern New England radio stations in 2004, and changed WORK's format to classic hits on September 15, 2006.
WORK, along with 29 other Nassau stations in northern New England, was purchased at bankruptcy auction by Carlisle Capital Corporation, a company controlled by Bill Binnie (owner of WBIN-TV in Derry, New Hampshire), on May 22, 2012. The station, and 12 of the other stations, were then acquired by Vertical Capital Partners, controlled by Jeff Shapiro. On November 14, 2012, the call letters changed to WRFK. The deal was completed on November 30, 2012. The Vertical Capital Partners stations were transferred to Shapiro's existing Great Eastern Radio group on January 1, 2013.
On June 26, 2020, WRFK began simulcasting on WPLA (renamed WWFK) in Dannemora, New York, which also operates on 107.1 FM; this brought the "Frank FM" programming into the Champlain Valley area.
References
External links
Official website
Facility details for Facility ID 34810 (WRFK) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
WRFK in Nielsen Audio's FM station database