WNIS

Last updated
WNIS
Broadcast area Hampton Roads
Frequency 790 kHz
BrandingAM 790 WNIS
Programming
Format Talk radio
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • Sinclair Telecable, Inc.
  • (Commonwealth Radio, LLC)
WNOB, WROX-FM, WTAR, WUSH
History
First air date
September 21, 1923;101 years ago (September 21, 1923)
Former call signs
WTAR
WTAR-WSUF [1]
WTAR-WPOR [1]
WTAR (1933–1997)
Call sign meaning
"News and Information Station"
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 4671
Class B
Power 5,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates
 37°4′25.0″N76°17′31.0″W / 37.073611°N 76.291944°W / 37.073611; -76.291944
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website wnis.com

WNIS (790 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, and serving the Hampton Roads media market. WNIS is owned and operated by Sinclair Telecable, Inc. [3] It airs a talk radio format.

Contents

WNIS has studios and offices on Waterside Drive in Norfolk. [4] Its transmitter site is off Hall Road in Hampton. [5] It transmits with 5,000 watts around the clock, using a directional antenna with a three-tower array.

Programming

Weekdays, WNIS has local morning drive time talk and information shows called "Marcrini's Morning News" and the “Karen and Mike Show.” Other weekday hours feature nationally syndicated shows from Sean Hannity, Brian Kilmeade, "Clay Travis & Buck Sexton," Mark Levin, "Coast to Coast AM with George Noory" and "This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal." Weekends feature shows on money, health, cars and fishing, with syndicated hosts including Kim Komando, Guy Benson, Rudy Maxa, Mike Imprevento, "Live on Sunday Night, It's Bill Cunningham" and "Somewhere in Time with Art Bell." Most hours begin with world and national news from Fox News Radio.

History

WTAR

WNIS is the oldest radio station in Virginia. The station was first licensed, as WTAR, on September 21, 1923. [6] The original call letters were randomly assigned from a sequential roster of available call signs. WTAR signed on the air at 780 kHz with a power of 15 watts. [7]

A second Norfolk station was licensed as WSUF, which in early 1928 changed its call sign to WPOR. [8] As part of a consolidation, WTAR was formally licensed as WTAR-WSUF and later WTAR-WPOR, with WPOR only used when the station was broadcasting from an auxiliary studio. [9] However, the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) requested that stations using only one of their assigned call letters drop those that were no longer in regular use, so on May 15, 1933 WPOR was eliminated from the dual call sign, with the station reverting to just WTAR. [10]

On July 6, 1934, WTAR became an affiliate of the NBC Red Network after dropping the CBS Radio Network. At that time, the station was owned and operated by the parent company of the Norfolk Ledger-Star and The Virginian-Pilot . [11]

By the late 1930s, WTAR got a power boost to 5,000 watts by day, 1,000 watts at night. [12] In the 1940s, the nighttime power was increased to match the daytime power, 5,000 watts.

WTAR added an FM counterpart in 1947, WTAR-FM (97.3), which mostly simulcast the AM station. [13] However, few people owned FM radios at that time, and WTAR gave up its FM license a couple of years later. The 97.3 frequency returned to the air in the mid-1950s as WGH-FM.

1950 advertisement for the new facility to be occupied by WTAR and recently started WTAR-TV. WTAR advertisement (1950).gif
1950 advertisement for the new facility to be occupied by WTAR and recently started WTAR-TV.

In 1950, WTAR signed on a TV station, WTAR-TV (Channel 4, now WTKR on channel 3). [13] Because WTAR was an NBC affiliate, the TV station primarily carried NBC-TV programs. As the first TV station in the Norfolk area, it also ran some shows from CBS, ABC and the DuMont Television Network. Within a year of the TV station's debut, both the TV and radio facilities moved into a new broadcasting center at 720 Boush Street.

In 1961, WTAR management decided to return to FM broadcasting, and signed on a new WTAR-FM, this time at 95.7 MHz (now WVKL). [15] WTAR-FM aired automated beautiful music, separate from the AM station, which had a full service format of middle of the road music, adult contemporary, news, sports and talk.

By 1986 or 1987, WTAR switched its full-service format to an oldies format and became an affiliate of CBS Radio News. In the early 1990s, the station stopped playing music and became a news/talk station, adding an affiliation with CNN as well as CBS Radio. [16] Around the same time, rival talk station WNIS got a big boost in power, going to 50,000 watts by day, 25,000 watts at night. Eventually, both stations would become co-owned, with Sinclair acquiring AM 850 in June 1997.

WNIS

On July 15, 1997, WTAR and its sister station on AM 850, WNIS, exchanged call letters, with AM 790 becoming WNIS, while WTAR was moved to 850 kHz. [17] [18] 850 has the stronger signal, broadcasting at 50,000 watts by day, the highest power authorized for AM stations by the Federal Communications Commission. At night it runs 25,000 watts, while 790 kHz transmits 5,000 watts day and night. Both stations had talk formats, although 850 WTAR later became a sports radio station and network affiliate of Fox Sports Radio.

Related Research Articles

KABC is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, and serving the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a conservative talk radio format. The studios are located in the Los Angeles suburb of Culver City. The transmitter is off West Martin Luther King Boulevard in the Crenshaw District, shared with KWKW and KFOX. KABC’s power is 6,600 watts daytime and 7,900 watts nighttime, using a directional antenna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMLB</span> Radio station in Monroe, Louisiana

KMLB is a commercial radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. Licensed to Monroe, Louisiana, the station is owned by Holladay Broadcasting. Studios are located in Monroe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJBO</span> Talk radio station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

WJBO is a commercial AM radio station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, calling itself "WJBO Newsradio 1150 AM & 98.7 FM." It carries a news/talk format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are on Hilton Avenue, east of downtown Baton Rouge.

KFNZ is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Kansas City, Missouri. The Audacy, Inc.-owned station broadcasts a sports radio format. Its studios and offices are located on Squibb Road in Mission, Kansas. KFNZ is one of the oldest radio stations in the Kansas City metropolitan area, going on the air in 1922.

KLBJ is a commercial AM radio station in Austin, Texas, airing a news/talk radio format. It is owned by Sinclair Telecable Inc. and operates under the name Waterloo Media. It is Central Texas' primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.

WTAR is a commercial radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, and serving the Hampton Roads radio market. WTAR is owned and operated by Sinclair Telecable, Inc. It broadcasts an talk radio format as "TalkRadio 96.5 & 850 WTAR". WTAR's studios and offices are on Waterside Drive in Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKS (AM)</span> Radio station in Savannah, Georgia

WTKS is a radio station licensed to Savannah, Georgia. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., with iHM Licenses, LLC holding the license. WTKS airs a news/talk format. Its transmitter is located behind WTKS's studios on Alfred Street in Garden City, Georgia, with a Savannah address.

WFIR is a commercial radio station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, and serving the Roanoke Valley. It airs a news/talk radio format and is owned and operated by Mel Wheeler, Inc. WFIR's studios and offices are on Electric Road in Roanoke. Programming is also heard on two FM translators: W297BC 107.3 MHz, off Catawba Valley Drive in Roanoke, and W233CK 94.5 MHz in Troutville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFTL</span> American radio station

WFTL is a commercial radio station in West Palm Beach, Florida, serving parts of Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County. The station airs a News/talk format and is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, through licensee WPP FCC License Sub, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUSH</span> Radio station in Virginia, United States

WUSH is a country music formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Poquoson, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads. WUSH is owned and operated by Sinclair Telecable, Inc.

WTNY is a commercial AM radio station in Watertown, New York. The station airs a talk radio format and is owned by the Stephens Media Group. The studios and offices are on Mullin Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVKL</span> Urban adult contemporary radio station in Norfolk, Virginia, United States

WVKL – branded 95-7 R&B – is a commercial urban adult contemporary radio station licensed to serve Norfolk, Virginia. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station services the Hampton Roads region, and is the market affiliate for The Steve Harvey Morning Show. The WVKL studios are located in Virginia Beach, while the station transmitter resides in nearby Suffolk. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WVKL broadcasts over two HD Radio digital subchannels, and is available online via audacy.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHHO</span> Radio station in Tacoma, Washington

KHHO is a commercial radio station licensed to Tacoma, Washington, United States, the station serves the Tacoma portion of the Seattle-Tacoma radio market. The station is an affiliate of Black Information Network and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNST</span> News/talk radio station in Tucson, Arizona

KNST is a commercial radio station in Tucson, Arizona, airing a news/talk radio format. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and serves Greater Tucson, including the suburbs of Marana, Oro Valley, Green Valley, Sahuarita, Sierra Vista, and Vail. KNST's studios and offices are on Oracle Road, north of Downtown Tucson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZAN</span> Radio station in Maine, United States

WZAN is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a classic country radio format. Licensed to Portland, Maine, it is owned by Saga Communications. The studios and offices are on Western Avenue in South Portland, Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFH (AM)</span> Sports radio station in Wichita, Kansas

KFH is a commercial AM radio station in Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. It airs a sports radio format. The station's studios and offices are located on East Douglas Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKGK</span> Fox Sports Radio affiliate in Las Vegas

KKGK is a commercial AM radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, serving the Las Vegas area. Owned by Lotus Communications, its studios and offices are located on West Flamingo Road in the unincorporated community of Spring Valley in Clark County. The transmitter is located off North Martin Luther King Boulevard in North Las Vegas. KKGK airs a sports radio format, mostly carrying the Fox Sports Radio Network. The syndicated "Dan Patrick Show" is heard on weekday mornings.

WXJC is an AM radio station licensed to serve Birmingham, Alabama. The station is licensed to Kimtron, Inc., and is owned by Crawford Broadcasting Company. It airs a Southern Gospel music and Talk radio format.

KARN is a commercial AM radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas, owned and operated by Cumulus Media. It airs a sports radio format known as "920 AM The Sports Animal." The station's studios are located on Wellington Hills Road in West Little Rock. The transmitter tower is located off North Hills Boulevard in North Little Rock. KARN broadcasts at 5,000 watts, using a directional antenna at night to avoid interfering with other stations on AM 920. KARN is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast a digital HD signal, although it is not currently broadcasting in HD.

WRAP was an historic radio call sign, that was transferred, along with a black-oriented format, between three Hampton Roads stations from 1952 until 1989. WRAP began as one of only a handful of American radio stations broadcasting full-time to the African American community, featuring R&B, soul music and black gospel, along with news and talk programs. Communities that were served included Portsmouth, Newport News, Hampton and Virginia Beach.

References

  1. 1 2 FCC History Cards for WNIS
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WNIS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "WNIS Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  4. ↑ WNIS.com/contact
  5. ↑ "WNIS-AM Radio Station Coverage Map". radio-locator.com.
  6. ↑ "New stations", Radio Service Bulletin, October 1, 1923, page 2.
  7. ↑ "WTAR-TV Marks Its First Year". Broadcasting. April 30, 1951. p. 62. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "Alterations and Corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, February 29, 1928, page 6.
  9. ↑ "Radio Remembered" by Alice Brannigan, Popular Communications, August 1990, page 22.
  10. ↑ "Double Call Letters Are Being Eliminated", Washington (D.C.) Evening Star, June 25, 1933, Part 4, page 6.
  11. ↑ "WTAR Joins the NBC" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 15, 1934. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  12. ↑ "Directory of Broadcasting Stations of the United States: Virginia", Broadcasting Yearbook (1940 edition), page 162.
  13. 1 2 "Directory of AM, FM and TV Stations of the United States: Virigina: Norfolk", Broadcasting Yearbook (1951 edition), page 314.
  14. ↑ WTAR & WTAR-TV new facility advertisement, Broadcasting, September 28, `1950, page 53.
  15. ↑ "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S.: Virginia: Norfolk", Broadcasting Yearbook (1971 edition), page B-217.
  16. ↑ "Directory of Radio Stations in the U.S.: Virginia: Norfolk ", Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook (1993 edition), page B-376.
  17. ↑ Call Sign History (Facility ID: 4671)
  18. ↑ Call Sign History (Facility ID: 60472)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.