WCTW - History

History

The 98.5 frequency, the first FM station in Greene County, first came into being in early 1988 as a construction permit bearing the WCKL-FM calls as a sister to WCKL. Originally, the plans for the station were to simulcast the popular standards format of WCKL but at some point in 1990 these plans were changed for the 98.5 frequency to go on its own under the WQKZ calls. With those calls, the station would begin testing late that August and on September 6 would sign on with a CHR format as Z98.5. Being an all-local station outside of signing off overnights and some weekend programming, Z98.5 did well but given its position as a station in a small, unrated market going against established rivals such as WSPK, WBPM, and WFLY the station began to lose money.

In late 1991, Straus Media (owner of WELV and WWWK in Ellenville) purchased WCKL and WQKZ. Looking to make the pairing of stations more attractive to advertisers and wanting to cut costs, Straus flipped WQKZ to a hot adult contemporary format as WCTW (The Cat) in February 1992 with the station going to satellite-fed programming outside of mornings which retained Z98.5 morning host Bob Johnson. Straus would later buy the cross-river rivals of WCKL and WCTW, Hudson-based WRVW and WHUC, in early 1995 giving Straus a practical monopoly on radio between Kingston and Albany. This would be followed in 1997 by Johnson getting a move to afternoons (with the studios moving from Catskill to Poughkeepsie alongside Straus' stations there) with the syndicated Bob & Sheri morning show coming to the station.