Audacy has announced that starting March 28, WYRD-FM (106.3 WORD) in Greenville-Spartanburg will swap frequencies with its sister station, WSPA-FM (Magic 98.9). 106.3 WORD will be relocated to 98.9 FM and rebranded as “The Voice of the Carolinas” with the name News/Talk 98.9 WORD while retaining its existing WYRD-FM call letters.
Magic 98.9 will transition to Magic 106.3 and maintain its branding as “Today’s Hits and Yesterday’s Favorites” while keeping the WSPA-FM call sign. This move enables WSPA-FM to concentrate on serving businesses and audiences in Greenville and Spartanburg counties.
Expanding the broadcast signal will mean a four-fold increase in the coverage area for News/Talk 98.9 WORD from 25,000 to 100,000 watts. As a result, the audience size of adults aged 35 and over will also increase from 250,000 to 500,000. The coverage area will span from the South Carolina/Georgia border to Asheville, NC, including parts of four South Carolina congressional districts and several North Carolina congressional districts.
According to Senior Vice President and Market Manager of Audacy Greenville-Spartanburg, Steve Sinicropi, the Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson-Asheville area strongly desires news and talk-related content. With the recent signal flip, the company can expand its coverage in the region, catering to the requirements of listeners and advertisers across the Carolinas.
106.3 WORD has been on FM since 2008. The station previously aired at 1330 AM and 950 AM. The station signed on in 1940 as Spartanburg’s second radio station.
By March 28, News Talk 98.9 WORD “The Voice of The Carolinas” will have finished its 83-year progression from a 5,000-watt AM radio station that only catered to Spartanburg to a 100,000-watt FM station that covers multiple counties and cities in both South Carolina and North Carolina.
