Empire State Building
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and completed in 1930–1931. Its roof stands 1,250 feet (381 m) high; with the antenna, 1,454 feet (443 m). At its opening it was the world's tallest building, a title it held until the World Trade Center's North Tower surpassed it in 1970. Most visitors ride up to the observation decks on the 86th and 102nd floors, photograph the skyline, and leave — but the building rewards a closer look: the Indiana limestone cladding, the mooring mast at the crown that was built for dirigibles, the color-changing floodlights after dark, and the cluster of broadcast antennas supplying much of New York's radio dial all have stories that most people walk right past.
United States · 21 The overlooked corners inside
The overlooked corners inside
WNYL-FM / WINS-FM (Alternative Rock → All-News)
One transmitter in the Empire State Building's antenna cluster has cycled through more than ten identities in seventy-odd years. The frequency — 92.3 MHz — launched on Christmas Day 1948 as WMCA-FM, broadcasting from the Chanin Building a few blocks away. It passed through WHOM-FM, WKTU, WXRK, and WFNY-FM, each time pivoting to a completely different format. Rock fans remember it best as WXRK: in 1985 the station hired Howard Stern for its morning show, and the program eventually went nationwide. The call letters became WNYL in 2018, playing alternative rock; in October 2022 it flipped again to WINS-FM, simulcasting the AM station's all-news format. Audacy owns the frequency today; the transmitter remains on the Empire State Building, with studios at Hudson Yards.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WQXR-FM (Classical Radio)
That cluster of antennas at the top carries the signal of New York's only around-the-clock classical music station. WQXR-FM (105.9 FM) is a non-commercial classical station licensed in Newark, New Jersey, serving northern New Jersey and the New York metro area. It is owned and operated by New York Public Radio, the nonprofit that also runs WNYC-AM and WNYC-FM. Its studios and offices sit in the Hudson Square neighborhood of Lower Manhattan; its transmitter sits on top of the Empire State Building.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WBLS-FM — Urban Adult Contemporary
From the same antenna cluster, 107.5 MHz carries WBLS — a station whose history is inseparable from Black community broadcasting in New York. It traces back to WLIB-FM, which signed on September 15, 1965 with a jazz-heavy lineup. In 1972, Inner City Broadcasting Corporation bought the AM sister station WLIB and simultaneously renamed the FM side WBLS, steering it toward R&B and urban contemporary. The station became one of the city's most recognizable voices for its community. The transmitter is on the Empire State Building; studios are in Hudson Yards, downtown Manhattan. MediaCo Holding is the current owner.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WQHT-FM (Hot 97)
The signal at 97.1 MHz is New York's — and arguably the country's — most famous hip-hop station: WQHT-FM, branded "Hot 97." The transmitter is on the Empire State Building; MediaCo Holding is the owner; studios are at Hudson Yards. What few people realize is that the frequency has nothing to do with hip-hop in its origins. Its 1940 predecessor, W2XWG, was an experimental FM station; the frequency then passed through WEAF-FM, WNBC-FM, and WRCA-FM, remaining an NBC property for nearly thirty years.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WSKQ-FM (Spanish Tropical Radio)
The same antenna cluster sends out one of New York's largest Spanish-language signals. WSKQ-FM (97.9 FM) is a commercial station licensed in New York City, owned and operated by Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS), broadcasting tropical music in Spanish. Its transmitter is at the Empire State Building. But the story of this frequency begins with an entirely different community — its predecessor was a multilingual "we speak your language" station.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WFAN-FM (Sports Radio)
One of the antennas at the top of the Empire State Building carries "The FAN" — WFAN-FM (1… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WAXQ-FM — Classic Rock
104.3 MHz carries WAXQ, a classic rock station owned by iHeartMedia, transmitting from the… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WLTW-FM (Lite FM)
106.7 MHz is WLTW, branded "Lite FM," broadcasting adult contemporary music for iHeartMedi… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WEPN-FM (New York)
98.7 MHz transmitting from the Empire State Building is one of New York radio's most restl… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WBAI-FM — Pacifica Radio
99.5 MHz is WBAI, one of America's oldest non-commercial left-wing broadcasters and one of… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WNEW-FM (Rock Radio)
WNEW-FM (102.7 FM), also transmitting from the Empire State Building, now programs adult c… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WWPR-FM (Power 105.1)
105.1 MHz is WWPR-FM, branded "Power 105.1" — one of New York's most popular urban contemp… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WPLJ-FM / K-Love (Christian Contemporary)
95.5 MHz is WPLJ, now owned by the non-profit Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and carry… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WCBS-FM (Classic Hits Radio)
WCBS-FM (101.1 FM), transmitting from the Empire State Building, is one of the longest-run… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
WNYE-TV — NYC Life
WNYE-TV (digital channel 24, virtual channel 25) is one of a rare breed: a television stat… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
NY Skyride
NY Skyride is a motion-simulator theater on the second floor of the Empire State Building… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Massing
The Empire State Building's stepped silhouette — so familiar it reads as decoration — is a… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Facade
The pale warm stone covering the Empire State Building's exterior came from quarries in so… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Tower Lights
The Empire State Building's crown lighting has a longer and more technical history than mo… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Mooring Mast
The Empire State Building's spire was originally designed as a dirigible mooring mast. Whe… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Broadcast History
The Empire State Building's broadcast history started just seven months after it opened. O… 🔒 Unlock the full guide
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
FAQ
What overlooked corners are worth seeing inside Empire State Building?
WNYL-FM / WINS-FM (Alternative Rock → All-News), WQXR-FM (Classical Radio), WBLS-FM — Urban Adult Contemporary and more — 21 spots in all, each with sources and a guide in your language to read or listen to on the spot.
Is the Empire State Building guide free?
The first 5 spots are free to read; the other 16 unlock with a one-time purchase (not a subscription).