WYUP 1400 AM Jack FM Radio Station in Loretto, PA

WYUP is a commercial radio station licensed to Loretto, Pennsylvania, serving the Blair and Cambria Counties of west central Pennsylvania. Operating full-time with a power of 1,000 watts, the station is currently owned and operated by Matt Lightner through Lightner Communications, LLC.

Programming

Following the Jack FM brand model, WYUP operates without traditional disc jockeys. Instead, the station relies on pre-recorded liners provided by Howard Cogan, the national voice of the Jack FM brand, creating a streamlined, music-focused listening experience.

Station History

The station was first authorized in 1963 as WWSF, serving Saint Francis College (now Saint Francis University) in Loretto. It initially broadcast at 250 watts on the 1400 kHz frequency. The college's acquisition of the frequency was the result of a conditional application in 1957, which required the frequency to be vacated by WJAC (later WKGE) as it moved to 850 kHz.

Ownership Transitions

The station underwent several ownership and call sign changes over the decades:

• WWSF (1963–1979): Operated by Saint Francis College.
• WAMQ (1979–1992): Sold to Sherlock-Hart Broadcasting and rebranded as a country station, moving its studios to Ebensburg.
• WJRV (1992ₖ1996): Purchased by Tom Stevens, who shifted the format to soft rock and moved studios to his home.
• WEBG (1996–2001): Acquired by Allegheny Broadcasting Corporation.
• WBZV (2001 ): Operated under these call letters for a brief period.
• WWGE (2003‘): The station operated as WWGE for fifteen years, including a period of conservative talk radio.

The Transition to WYUP and Jack FM

In August 2018, Lightner Communications LLC purchased the station from Colonial Radio Group of Williamsport, LLC. Lightner changed the callsign to WYUP and established an FM translator in Altoona at 107.1 MHz.

The transition to the current format was marked by a highly publicized "stunting" period in October 2018. The station cycled through various fake formats, including "Polka-Mania 107," "Red Hot 107.1," and "The Cucumber," before officially launching the Jack FM format on November 1, 2018, at 5:00 PM.

Simulcasting and Expansion

On March 7, 2022, WYUP began simulcasting on WPHB 1260 AM in Philipsburg and translator W282CV 104.3 FM in State College. However, the simulcast on WPHB ended on January 3, 2023, when WPHB switched to a classic country format simulcasting WQWK 1450 AM.