WNCI – branded 97.9 WNCI – is a commercial contemporary hit radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio, serving the Columbus metro area. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., the WNCI studios area located on the Columbus west side, while its transmitter resides on top of One Nationwide Plaza in the city's downtown. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WNCI broadcasts over two HD Radio channels, and streams online via iHeartRadio. Consistently one of the top-rated stations in not only Central Ohio, but the entire country by Arbitron, the station has had a hit music format since the early 1970s, making it one of the oldest continuously airing Top 40 stations still in the format. WNCI was named the Top 40 Station of the Year in 2005, 2006 and 2007 for market size 26 to 100 at the national Radio & Records convention. The station broadcasts with a power of 175,000 watts, which is 3.5 times what would normally be permitted, but is allowed to do so because it was established before current Federal Communications Commission regulations were enacted. There are only 6 FM stations in the United States that operate with more power.
History
WNCI started broadcasting with a classical music format in July 1961 as WRFD-FM, sharing studios with AM sibling WRFD, east of Powell, Ohio. In early 1967, a request for a change in call letters from WRFD-FM to WNCI-FM was requested and subsequently granted. The call letter change marked a change in programming from primarily classical music. In mid 1968, WNCI began programming CBS supplied "Young Sound" format. In 1972, WNCI moved to the sixth floor of the new Scot's Inn, later the Carousel Inn, at 4900 Sinclair Road. Since that time, the studios of WNCI have been relocated to various places in the Columbus area, including the Nationwide Building, The Continent, Broadcast Lake, and their current location at 2323 West Fifth Avenue. WNCI began its Top 40 programming in 1970, although the station also broadcast an evening "progressive rock" album-based program beginning in the fall of 1969. From 1979 to 1982, the station attempted a full-service adult contemporary music format to compete with WTVN, adding a 5-person news staff. Its slogan at the time was "The Best Is At The Center," playing on its location on the FM dial. The format was abandoned in 1982 and the station returned to the Top 40 format. In June 1993, WNCI again morphed into a Hot AC-leaning station to compete with rival Sunny 95 WSNY. This lasted for nearly a year before they moved back into a CHR/Pop formatted-direction. As of 2010, WNCI currently competes with WCKX, who shifted from Mainstream Urban to Rhythmic Top 40, since WNCI tends to be more mainstream, conservative, and still at times, leans slightly towards Hot AC, while WCKX, who targets the younger demos that WNCI also goes after, concentrates on mostly hit-driven R&B/Hip-Hop and Rhythmic Pop product that WNCI doesn't add much of. WNCI's popularity has meant that iHeartMedia has had no need to convert the station to its KISS-FM branding, although its current logo features the logo style of most KISS-FM stations. WNCI is currently owned by. Previously, the station was owned by Jacor Communications Incorporated. Jacor acquired the assets of Nationwide Communications in 1997 for $620 million. WNCI was once the flagship station for the 17 radio station group Nationwide Communications, a division of the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. Nationwide continues to be a broad advertiser with the station. Although WRFD is still broadcasting, it no longer has any affiliation with WNCI.
