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WXBK (94.7 FM broadcasting, "94.7 The Block") is a classic hip-hop-formatted radio station that is licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and serves the New York City area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. WXBK's studios are located in the combined Audacy facility in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Manhattan, and its transmitter is located in Rutherford, New Jersey.
WXBK broadcasts in the HD Radio format.
National Telefilm split up its holdings in 1961, with WNTA-TV being sold to a New York City-based nonprofit educational group (it is now WNET), and the WNTA radio stations going to Communications Industries Broadcasting. "Changing Hands." Broadcasting, November 6, 1961, pg. 78. The new owners changed the calls to WJRZ-FM "For the record." Broadcasting, April 2, 1962, pg. 129. and initially retained the station's previous format, however, on April 14, 1963, Family Radio, a Christian radio then based in Oakland, California, began leasing airtime on WJRZ-FM. "Family Stations sign to program on WJRZ-FM." Broadcasting, April 8, 1963, pg. 53. In 1964, the station was renamed WFME, and in March 1966, Family Radio purchased 94.7 FM outright and began airing its religious programming around-the-clock. "For the record." Broadcasting, January 31, 1966, pg. 37.
WFME's local programming consisted of community announcements, weekend public affairs, and weather and traffic inserts during Family Radio's Rise and Rejoice morning show. WFME originated a portion of the network's overnight program Nightwatch, hosted by station manager/chief engineer Charlie Menut. The rest of the station's schedule originated from Family Radio headquarters in Oakland.
WFME's programming was also heard on two translator stations: W213AC (90.5 FM) in Hyde Park, New York; and W247AE (97.3 FM) in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. As a result of WFME's license status change (see below), the translators could no longer legally rebroadcast WFME's broadcast signal; as a result, both translator stations are now carrying a different Family Radio station with a similar feed as of February 2012.
The sale rumors were confirmed on October 16, 2012, when Family Radio announced that it would sell WFME to Atlanta-based Cumulus Media; the originally undisclosed price was later confirmed to be $40 million. In addition, Family Radio acquired Cumulus' WDVY (106.3 FM) in Mount Kisco, New York. The FCC approved the sale/station trade on January 4, 2013, making 94.7 FM a sister station to Cumulus' two existing New York market stations, WABC and WPLJ. Four days later, on January 8, Cumulus completed the purchase of WFME. Family Radio programming on 94.7 FM ended at 3:40 p.m. on January 11; prior to signing off of the frequency, station manager Charlie Menut stated that the network's programming would be transferred to WDVY, which became WYMK on January 15, and that efforts to acquire an AM frequency that would cover the New York City area were being made. WFME Signs-Off, January 11, 2013. Formatchange.com. Retrieved January 12, 2013.Camping, Harold E. "What is happening with Family Radio?" Familyradio.com. Retrieved January 11, 2013. Two years later, in February 2015, Family Radio programming returned to the area via its acquisition of WQEW (1560 AM), a former Radio Disney outlet.
The stunting continued until 9:47 a.m. on January 21, when WRXP adopted a new country music format branded as Nash FM 94.7. The first song on "Nash FM" was "How Country Feels" by Randy Houser. The move gave the New York City area its first full-time country station since 2002, when the "Y-107" simulcast of four suburban stations at 107.1 FM cancelled the format. The last station to carry country full-time within the market was WYNY (103.5 FM), which became rhythmic adult contemporary WKTU in 1996. To coincide with the "Nash" launch, Cumulus swapped the WNSH call sign from its sister station in Cambridge, Minnesota (the present-day WGVX), on January 29, 2013.
The station served as the flagship of Nash—an initiative to create a singular multi-platform brand for country music content originated by Cumulus Media, including WNSH and other radio stations (which would either adopt the Nash FM branding themselves, or co-brand with it), Nash Bash concerts, its syndicated country programming (including American Country Countdown, and plans for other content to be distributed by Westwood One), and Nash Magazine.
On November 3, 2014, WELJ (104.7 FM) in Montauk dropped its hot AC format for a simulcast of WNSH, to cover listeners on Eastern Long Island where WNSH's signal did not reach. The simulcast ended on August 31, 2015, when WELJ re-launched as Nash Icon (a country hits format focusing on songs and artists from the 1990s and early 2000s).
In February 2019, WNSH dropped Nash FM's syndicated morning show Ty, Kelly & Chuck in favor of a local show hosted by former Nash network personality Kelly Ford.
On March 25, 2019, WNSH rebranded as New York's Country 94.7, with no change in lineup or programming.
Following the sign off of the show, the station went into an hour of jockless music, ending with Carrie Underwood's "See You Again" and the Nelly remix of "Cruise" by Florida Georgia Line. The station then teased their new format, playing "The Right Stuff" by New Kids on the Block and "Jenny from the Block" by Jennifer Lopez featuring Jadakiss and Styles P. Shortly after 1 pm, WNSH flipped to classic hip-hop as "94.7 The Block". The country format moved over to WNSH's HD2 sub-channel shortly thereafter; the previous simulcast of CBS Sports Radio there would then move to WFAN-FM-HD2. The first song under the new format was Jay-Z's "Empire State of Mind" featuring Alicia Keys. New call letters WXBK were applied for on the same day as the flip, and became effective on November 1.
Audacy, Inc. was granted a construction permit to move its transmitter site to Rutherford, New Jersey (which is closer to New York City) from the WOR transmitter site, where the station is co-located. The move was completed in October 2022. WMAS-FM also moved their signal directional away from WXBK, without affecting signal in their target area.
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