WAOK

Last updated

WAOK
WAOK.png
Broadcast area Atlanta metropolitan area
Frequency 1380 kHz
BrandingNews & Talk 1380 WAOK
Programming
Language(s) English
Format Urban talk radio
Affiliations CBS News Radio
Ownership
Owner
  • Audacy, Inc.
  • (Audacy License, LLC, as Debtor-in-Possession)
History
First air date
1928;96 years ago (1928)
Former call signs
  • WRBI (1928–1931)
  • WJTL (1931–1935)
  • WATL (1935–1954)
Call sign meaning
Atlanta OK (former owners of the station)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 63775
Class B
Power
  • 25,000  watts (day)
  • 4,200 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
33°45′36″N84°28′45″W / 33.76000°N 84.47917°W / 33.76000; -84.47917
Repeater(s) 103.3  WVEE-HD3 (Atlanta)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live (via  Audacy)
Website www.audacy.com/waok

WAOK (1380 AM) is a commercial radio station, owned by Audacy, Inc., in Atlanta, Georgia. WAOK broadcasts from studios at Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta. It is Atlanta's third-oldest continuously licensed broadcast station and the fifth oldest in Georgia.

Contents

WAOK is a Class B station. Its transmitter site is on Chalmers Drive, Northwest, in Atlanta, near the Ralph David Abernathy Freeway (Interstate 20). [2] It operates with a power of 25,000 watts during the daytime, using a non-directional antenna. At night, when AM radio signals travel farther, in order to protect other stations on AM 1380 it reduces power to 4,200 watts and uses a directional antenna.

WAOK airs a talk radio format aimed at the African American community. It has local hosts in morning and afternoon drive time with the syndicated Rev. Al Sharpton Show heard in early afternoons. WAOK is also heard on the HD3 subchannel of sister station 103.3 WVEE.

History

The station was first licensed, as WRBI, in early 1928 to Kents Furniture & Music Store in Tifton, Georgia. [3] The original call sign was randomly assigned from a sequential roster of available call letters. It was changed to WJTL on June 1, 1931, [4] and to WATL on November 25, 1935.

In June 1931 ownership was transferred to Oglethorpe University, broadcasting on 1370 kilocycles, with 100 watts. By 1940, the station was owned by the Atlanta Broadcasting Company and had its power increased to 250 watts. WATL was Atlanta's network affiliate for the Mutual Broadcasting System. [5]

With the implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) in 1941, the frequency was shifted to 1400 kHz, but the station still only transmitted with 250 watts. By contrast, AM 750 WSB was running the maximum power of 50,000 watts and AM 590 WAGA (now WDWD) was running 5,000 watts. In the 1940s, the station got Federal Communications Commission (FCC) permission to move to 1380 kHz. It increased its power to 5,000 watts around the clock, using a directional antenna after sunset to protect other stations on AM 1380. [6]

WAOK R&B

On March 15, 1954, WATL changed its call sign to WAOK. [7] It adopted a rhythm and blues and traditional black gospel music format. Featured performers included legendary R&B disc jockey Zenas "Daddy" Sears and local musician Piano Red, as well as early shock jock Alley Pat Patrick and singer Zilla Mays, the "Dream Girl", who broadcast sultry talk and soft music in the early-morning hours. The studios were moved from 201 Henry Grady Building to a new facility at 70 Houston Street, Northeast.

WAOK was acquired by The Atlanta OK Broadcasting Company in January 1956. Stan Raymond, Zenas Sears and Dorothy Lester each were one third owners. The AOK designation preceded the popular astronaut slang expression A-OK by many years.

Ray Charles concert

At a WAOK-sponsored concert held at Herndon Stadium in Atlanta on May 28, 1959, Sears used an Ampex monaural recorder and a single microphone to make one of the most famous live albums of its time, Ray Charles in Person (Atlantic 8039). The recording was unsolicited, but after Sears had listened to what he'd recorded, he sent the tape to Charles' label, Atlantic Records, which paid Sears royalties that put his twins through college. The recording is famous not only as a documentary of Ray Charles's music before he became a crossover star, but also for its technical excellence, capturing the band, the crowd, and the singer in balance.

The final song in the concert was the premiere of "What'd I Say." WAOK turned it into a hit even though there was no released version. Both "What'd I Say" and "Tell The Truth" had been recorded in the same session in New York City on February 18, 1959, but the album What'd I Say would not be released until October 19, 1959, and the studio version of "Tell The Truth" was never released until 2005 (Pure Genius: The Complete Atlantic Recordings 1952-1959.) [8]

Changes in ownership

1962 station advertisement. WAOK Atlanta, Georgia radio advertisement (1962).jpg
1962 station advertisement.

By 1957, the station was on the air 24 hours a day. The studios moved in 1959 to 110 Edgewood Road, Northeast, and the station's licensee name was changed to the WAOK Broadcasting Company. It changed in 1962 to The Atlanta OK Broadcasting Company.

On November 29, 1963, Stan Raymond and Zenas Sears became fifty percent owners of WAOK's licensee, acquiring the late Dorothy Lester's 33% interest for $57,786 from a local bank serving as the executor of her estate. The studios were moved to new quarters at 75 Piedmont Road.

The FCC granted approval for the sale of the station on April 1, 1974, to Broadcast Enterprise Network, Inc. Ragan Augustus Henry, a Philadelphia attorney, headed the new organization as President and 53% owner. He founded BENI (Broadcast Enterprises National, Inc.) in 1974 as a Black-owned business venture. BENI took control of the station May 14, 1974. In late May 1982, studios and offices were relocated to 401 West Peachtree Street.

On July 9, 1985, WAOK was sold again, this time to the DKM Broadcasting Corporation. [10] DKM (Dyson Kissner-Moran) sold Atlanta's AM 590 WPLO (now WDWD) to buy WAOK. That paired WAOK with Urban Contemporary FM station 103.3 WVEE, which DKM also owned. In the summer of 1985, WAOK revamped its programming format. It now aired R&B music with gospel music heard early weekday mornings and on Sundays. The studios were then moved to 120 Ralph McGill Blvd.

On January 1, 1988, all DKM-owned properties were sold for $200 million, including stations in Denver, Baltimore, Akron, Dayton and Dallas, as well as WAOK and WVEE in Atlanta. The buyer was the Summit Communications Group, Inc. While WVEE concentrated on Urban Contemporary music, WAOK became a full-time gospel music station.

In March 1995, Summit sold its interests in WAOK and WVEE to Granum Communications, Inc. (Herbert W. McCord, Peter Ferrara, and Michael Weinstein).

CBS and Entercom

On March 15, 1996, Granum Communications sold WAOK and WVEE to Infinity Broadcasting, a division of CBS Radio. Infinity already owned 92.9 WZGC, that gave Infinity a triopoly in the Atlanta media market. On December 26, 2001, WAOK switched from urban contemporary gospel to a talk radio format aimed at the African American community in Atlanta. Tony Brown was named Program Director of the "New WAOK—The Voice of the Community."

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom. [11] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th. [12] [13]

Expanded Band assignment

On March 17, 1997, the FCC announced that 88 stations had been given permission to move to newly available "Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with WAOK authorized to move from 1380 to 1650 kHz. [14] A construction permit for the expanded band station was assigned the callsign WAZJ on March 23, 1998. [15] However this station was never built, and its construction permit was cancelled on January 15, 2004. [16]

Notable hosts

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZGC</span> Sports radio station in Atlanta

WZGC – branded 92.9 The Game – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to serve Atlanta, Georgia, covering the Atlanta metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WZGC is the Atlanta affiliate for Infinity Sports Network; the flagship station for the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta United FC radio networks; and the radio home of Randy McMichael. The WZGC studios are located at Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta, while the station transmitter is located in Atlanta's North Druid Hills neighborhood. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WZGC broadcasts over one HD Radio channel, and is available online via Audacy.

WSTR is an FM radio station licensed to Smyrna, Georgia, and serving the Atlanta metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts a rhythmic adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at Colony Square in Midtown Atlanta, while the station transmitter resides in Atlanta's Reynoldstown neighborhood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVEE</span> Radio station in Atlanta, Georgia

WVEE – branded as V-103 – is a commercial radio station in Atlanta, Georgia. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an urban contemporary radio format. WVEE is one of the highest-rated stations in the Atlanta radio market according to Nielsen Audio, reaching number one on many reports. Its studios and offices are located in Colony Square on Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta, along with its sister stations WAOK, WSTR and WZGC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPGC-FM</span> Mainstream urban radio station in Morningside, Maryland, serving Washington, DC

WPGC-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Morningside, Maryland, and serving the Washington metropolitan area. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs an urban contemporary format.

WQXI is an AM radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia. The station has a power of 28,000 watts in the daytime, and 1,000 watts at night. WQXI's signal is non-directional during the daytime, and directional at night. As of 2009, the station broadcast in the IBiquity HD Radio AM hybrid digital mode during daytime hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRLD (AM)</span> Clear-channel news/talk radio station in Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas

KRLD is a commercial AM radio station in Dallas, Texas. Owned and operated by Audacy, Inc., the station carries an all news radio format on weekdays, switching to mostly non-political talk radio nights and weekends. Syndicated shows include The Dave Ramsey Show, Our American Stories with Lee Habeeb and America in the Morning with John Trout. Some weekends hours carry paid brokered programming. Most hours begin with CBS News Radio. The studios and offices are in Uptown Dallas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KXNT (AM)</span> Radio station in Nevada, United States

KXNT is a commercial AM radio station licensed to North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. It is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. and carries a news/talk format. The radio studios are located in the unincorporated Clark County area of Spring Valley, while KXNT's transmitter is located on U.S. Route 93 at Great Valley Parkway in North Las Vegas.

WPBS is an commercial AM radio station licensed to the city of Conyers, Georgia. It broadcasts a Vietnamese language music and talk radio format for the Atlanta media market. The station is considered a Class D AM radio facility by the Federal Communications Commission, operating with 50,000 watts of power during the daytime, and 5,500 watts during critical hours using a non-directional antenna. The station must sign off after local sunset to avoid interference to WHO in Des Moines, Iowa which is a Class A clear channel station on the same frequency.

WJFK is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a sports gambling radio format. Licensed to Morningside, Maryland, and serving the Washington metropolitan area, the station is owned by Audacy, Inc. The radio studios are in Southeast DC in the Navy Yard neighborhood. Programming is supplied by the co-owned BetQL Network and CBS Sports Radio.

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

KCSP 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. KCSP is one of the oldest radio stations in the Kansas City metropolitan area, going on the air in 1922.

The following is a list of media in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHLL</span> Radio station in Springfield, Massachusetts

WHLL – branded as Nueva 98.1 – is a commercial radio station broadcasting a Spanish-language latin pop format licensed to Springfield, Massachusetts. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the Springfield metropolitan area; and the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts. The WHLL studios are located at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, alongside sister stations WMAS-FM and WWEI, while the station transmitter, shared with WMAS-FM, resides in Springfield's Brightwood neighborhood. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WHLL simulcasts over low-power analog Springfield translator W251CT (98.1 FM) and on the second HD Radio channel of WMAS-FM, and streams online via Audacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGKA</span> Talk radio station in Atlanta

WGKA – branded AM 920 The Answer – is a commercial conservative talk radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia, serving primarily the Atlanta metropolitan area. Currently owned by Salem Media Group, WGKA serves as the Atlanta affiliate for the Salem Radio Network and the Clemson Tigers football radio network. The WGKA studios are located on Peachtree Street in Atlanta, while the station transmitter resides near the Morningside Nature Preserve. Besides a standard analog transmission, WGKA is available online.

WWSZ is a commercial radio station licensed to Decatur, Georgia, and serving the Atlanta metropolitan area. It is owned by JDJ Communications, LLC, and airs a mainstream urban radio format. The station calls itself "Streetz 94.5, Atlanta's New Hip Hop Station." WWSZ is simulcast on FM translator station 94.5 W233BF in Atlanta, which forms the middle leg of a three-transmitter simulcast of Streetz on 94.5 MHz. The station competes along with WHTA and WVEE-FM.

WYZE is a gospel AM radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia broadcasting with 10,000 watts of power during daytime hours, and only 44 watts of power during nighttime hours with a non-directional antenna pattern. The station is owned by Ray Neal, through licensee New Ground Broadcasting, LLC.

<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">WMAC</span> Radio station in Macon, Georgia

WMAC is a commercial Class B radio station in Macon, Georgia. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a news/talk format. The studios and offices are on Mulberry Street in Macon. It is one of the oldest radio stations in Georgia. WMAC is a primary entry point for the Emergency Alert System (EAS).

WJTP was an AM radio station licensed to Lithia Springs, Georgia, and served the Atlanta metropolitan area. The station was last owned by James Su.

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

WROM is a commercial AM radio station in Rome, Georgia. It airs a variety hits radio format blending Top 40, Dance, Alternative and Rock music. The station is owned by Howard Toole, with Rome Radio Partners, LLC, holding the broadcast license.

W233BF – branded as Streetz 94.5 – is a radio station in metro Atlanta, now licensed to serve Atlanta owned by Edgewater Broadcasting. After a series of moves, the station now transmits from the WUPA tower east of downtown, just north of Interstate 20. The station competes with WHTA and WVEE-FM.

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for WAOK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "WAOK-AM 1380 kHz - Atlanta, GA". radio-locator.com.
  3. "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, March 31, 1928, page 4.
  4. "Alterations and Corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, May 29, 1931, page 12.
  5. "Georgia: Atlanta: WATL", Broadcasting Yearbook (1940 edition), page 112.
  6. "Georgia: Atlanta: WATL", Broadcasting Yearbook (1950 edition), page 116.
  7. "Georgia: Atlanta: WAOK", Broadcasting Yearbook (1956 edition), page 102.
  8. "Atlantic Records Discography: 1959". www.jazzdisco.org.
  9. WAOK (advertisement), Broadcasting, December 10, 1962, page 86.
  10. "Georgia: Atlanta: WAOK (AM)", Broadcasting Yearbook (1986 edition), page B-68.
  11. "CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom", February 2, 2017, RadioInsight.com.
  12. ""Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio"". Entercom. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  13. Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  14. "FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations" (FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997.
  15. Call Sign History for 1650 AM (Facility ID: 87148)
  16. FCC Station Search Details: DWAZJ (Facility ID: 87148)

See also