From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WUSL
City of license	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area	Delaware Valley
Branding	"Power 99FM"
Slogan	Philly's #1 Station Bangin' Hip Hop and R&B!
First air date	1975
Frequency	98.9 (MHz)
Format	Mainstream Urban
ERP	27,000 watts
Class	B
Callsign meaning	W US1 LIN Broadcasting (former brandname and owner)
Owner	Clear Channel Communications
Website	http://www.power99.com/

WUSL, known as "Power 99 FM", is a mainstream urban radio station, owned by Clear Channel Communications and licensed to Philadelphia. WUSL broadcasts from a class B signal with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 27,000 watts (27 kilowatts (kW)) on the 98.9 megahertz(MHz) frequency from a tower located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia. The station features the syndicated The Wendy Williams Experience.

Contents 1 History 2 On-air schedule 2.1 Weekends 2.1.1 Saturday 2.1.2 Sunday 2.2 Various shifts 3 Station management 4 External links

In 1961 the 98.9 frequency was signed on as WPBS "Philadelphia's Bulletin Station", under common ownership with the city's largest daily newspaper at the time, The Evening Bulletin. The station was cross-promoted with the newspaper and featured an easy listening format. At one point, WPBS was called "Velvet Stereo".

In 1976, the newspaper sold the station to LIN Broadcasting which also owned WFIL 560 at the time. Calls changed to WUSL "US-1" and Program Director Jim Nettleton instituted a Soft Adult Contemporary format mixed with standards which had crossed over to the 1960's/1970's pop charts (i.e Engelbert Humperdinck, Barbra Striesand, etc.). The morning man at this time was Jim Gearhart, who is now on NJ 101.5.

On July 3, 1981, the station switched to a "3-in-a-row" country format as "Continuous Country 99 FM". Two months later, co-owned WFIL-AM switched to a more personality and information-leaning country station. Realizing that they were splitting their own audience, WUSL signed off the country format in the early hours of October 9, 1982. The last country song played was "Get Into Reggae, Cowboy" by The Bellamy Brothers.

The next day, at 6AM, the station became Urban Contemporary as "Kiss 99" (copying New York's WRKS "Kiss FM"). The station even applied for new calls WPKS "Philadelphia's Kiss", however the owners of 100.3 in Media PA, WKSZ (see below), who at the time hadn't put their station on the air yet, said they were signing on as "Kiss 100" and had already copyrighted the name, and had even started legal action against WUSL.

So, WUSL backed off, dropped the "Kiss" name and was simply "99 FM" for a few weeks, until they began using the name "Power 99FM". Within months, they had surpassed WDAS-FM in the ratings, and other stations around the country began using the "Power" brandname. WUSL continues to be the dominant Urban leader in Philadelphia today.

-Weekdays- Monday through Friday

• The Sam Sylk Morning Show- 6AM to 10AM
• Shamara - 10AM to 2PM
• The Wendy Williams Experience - 2PM to 6PM
• The Hot Boyz with Mikey Dredd and Uncle O - 6PM to 10PM
• Power After Hours with Golden Girl (slow jams) - 10PM to 2AM (Sunday-Thursday)
• Don Juan Banks - 2AM to 6AM (Sunday-Thursday)

Friday Nights

• Da Come Up Show with Q Deezy and Strik Skillz - 10PM to 2AM

• The Wendy Williams Experience (Re-Airings) - 2AM to 7AM
• Live in the Den with Big Tigger - 7AM to 9PM
• Various Shifts - 9PM to 2AM

• Various Shifts - 2AM to 6:30AM
• Empower Half Hour with Lehronda Upshur - 6:30AM to 7AM
• Sunday Morning Inspirations with Don Juan Banks - 7AM to 12PM
• Various Shifts - 12PM to9PM
• Inner City With: Tiffany Bacon- 9PM to 10PM
• Power Afterhours with Golden Girl (slow jams) - 10PM to 2AM

• Q Deezy
• TT Torez
• Summer
• Lehronda Upshur
• Loraine Ballard
• DJ Diamond Kutz

• Market Manager Richard Lewis
• Vice President of Programming/General Manger - Joe Tamburro
• Director of Urban Programming/Program Director/Operations Manager - Thea Mitchem
• Assistant Program Director/Music Director - Kashon Powell
• Community Affairs Director - Loraine Ballard Morrill

• Official Website of Power 99
• "The Wendy Williams Experience" Website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WUSL