WOYK is the oldest radio station in York, having signed on the air on March 17, 1932.[3] For most of its history it used the call sign WORK. It was first owned by the York Broadcasting Company and was powered at 1,000 watts, heard on 1000 AM. After the enactment of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) in 1941, it switched to its current frequency at 1350 AM.[4]
WORK was an affiliate of the NBC Red Network and the Mutual Broadcasting System, carrying their dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio". In the 1950s, it got a boost to 5,000 watts by day, while still broadcasting at 1,000 watts at night, its current power. As network programming moved to television, WORK switched to a full servicemiddle of the road music format, changing call letters to WZIX in 1973. On October 25, 1981, at 7a.m., WZIX changed its call sign to WOYK. In the 1980s, it shifted to an oldies format. On October 14, 1991, at 9a.m., it shifted to a classic country format before going to all-sports in April 1999.
The station has a rich history of sports broadcasting going back to the 1930s. During its history, WORK carried the Baltimore Orioles from the 1950s through the early 1980s and then again from 2007 to 2009.
