WARA (AM)

Last updated

WARA
Broadcast area Providence, Rhode Island
Frequency 1320 kHz
BrandingWARA 1320 AM
Programming
Format Community radio
Ownership
OwnerAttleboro Access Cable Systems, Inc.
History
First air date
October 8, 1950;74 years ago (1950-10-08)
Former call signs
  • WIRD (CP, 1950)
  • WARA (1950–1998)
  • WJYT (1998–2000)
  • WARL (2000–2014)
  • WRNP (2014–2015) [1]
Call sign meaning
Attleboro Radio Association (original owners)
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 65197
Class B
Power 5,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
 41°57′33.36″N71°19′35.19″W / 41.9592667°N 71.3264417°W / 41.9592667; -71.3264417
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website wararadio.com

WARA (1320 AM) is a radio station in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Its transmitter is located in North Attleborough, Massachusetts. The station is owned by Attleboro Access Cable Systems.

Contents

It is home to Four Deep Sports Talk, a weekly sports radio show.

History

1950s

WARA first signed on October 8, 1950. It was the local Attleboro radio station from then until 1998. Its original power was 1 kW. WARA had the callsign WIRD assigned to it until it changed to WARA on March 29, 1950. [3]

1980s

Early-Mid 1980s

Day(s)Times (Eastern)Show TitleShow HostNotes
Monday-FridayMidnight-06:00Frank Belsky
Monday-Friday06:00-09:00Larry Tocci
Monday-Friday09:00-Noon Dave Kane
Monday-FridayNoon-15:00Chuck Whalen
Monday-Friday15:00-18:00Scott Duncan, then Jeff StarrJeff replaced Scott in 1988.
Monday-Thursday18:00-20:00Ron StruminskiShow simulcast on Inland Cable television channel 8
Friday18:00-20:00Jeff Lowe
Monday-Friday20:00-MidnightTom Rafferty
Saturday10:00-14:00Frank O'Donnell
Saturday14:00-18:00Rena Gordon
Saturday20:00-MidnightJack Burns Oldies program
Sunday14:00-18:00Scott DuncanStarted at the station hosting a show Friday Midnight- 6 am Saturday and Saturday Midnight to Sunday 6 AM before being promoted to weekday afternoons.
Sunday18:00-20:00Chris BakerRequest/dedication music show for older listeners
Sunday20:00-MidnightRon Santa

[4]

1985-1987: power increase

WARA's owners applied for a power increase to its currently-authorized 5 kW day & night on September 24, 1985 (BP-19850924AF). The FCC granted the increase on April 1, 1986, with a license to cover being issued on September 25, 1987. Additionally, WARA changed ownership from Jerome Ottmar to James H., Peter H. and David J. Ottmar in 1986.

1990s

By 1995, WARA was talk radio as "Talk 1320" by this time. It was owned by Peter Ottmar's Back Bay Broadcasting, along with WPNW, WWKX and WBNW.

On July 31, 1995, WARA, now owned by Dr. Michele E. Merolla of Fairhaven, Massachusetts, began syndicating Coast to Coast AM hosted by Art Bell. Art held the East of the Rockies line open in the final half-hour of the show to take calls from WARA listeners.

In 1998, WARA became Spanish-language WJYT. ADD Radio Group bought the station effective June 1.

2000s

WJYT changed calls to WARL on December 6, 2000. [1] As WARL, it has had many formats, which are detailed below. The first of these formats was "Web Access Radio Live"- a brokered time/internet TV hybrid. By this time, the station shifted its focus to the nearby Providence, Rhode Island, area, even though it cannot be received well in parts of Providence.

In 2002, WARL became easy listening with Norm Jagolinzer as host. Later that year the format changed from easy listening to urban as "Power 1320".

In 2003, WARL changed formats again to all-conspiracy talk "Reality Radio 1320" (featuring programming from Genesis Communications Network). The programming had been airing on WALE until its bankruptcy sale in May 2003.

In 2004, the format was changed to sports talk "1320 The Drive", which was programmed by Scott MacPherson as a companion to his Sports Journal newspaper. WARL was the Providence-area affiliate of Sporting News Radio from 2004 to 2006. It was the flagship station for the Providence Bruins Radio Network for the 2005–06 season.

In September 2006 WARL changed again to new-age "Positive Energy Moving Forward". It dropped sports programming during this time.

According to a filing with the FCC in early 2007, the station's transmitter facility was substantially damaged by vandals. The owner asserted that they were unable to return the station to its licensed daytime power, even with four radio engineers and support from the transmitter equipment manufacturer. In April 2008, the FCC dismissed their request to extend the temporary authority to remain at reduced power. [5]

In 2009, WARL added Boston College Eagles sports as well as Attleboro High School football.

2010s

In May 2010, Jeff Santos, who bought time on WWZN in Boston to air progressive talk, announced on his show that they were buying time on WARL as well, in full force by May 31, 2010. Santos' show went off WARL in 2012.

On May 6, 2013, WARL leased out much of its morning schedule (from 6 a.m. to noon) Mondays through Saturdays to Southeastern Massachusetts Broadcasting, which used the time for talk shows and a radio classifieds program; these programs, branded SoMa 1320, were directed toward Bristol County, as opposed to the entire Providence market. The programming began as a six-month trial period. [6]

On April 13, 2014, WARL changed its call sign to WRNP. On March 20, 2015, the ADD Radio Group agreed to donate the WRNP license to Attleboro Access Cable Systems, which converted the station to noncommercial operation. [7] The new owners changed the station's callsign back to WARA; [8] the WRNP callsign was not included in the donation. [7] The donation was completed on May 5, 2015, [9] with the return of the WARA call sign following the next day. [1]

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WARA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ WARA's history cards from the FCC website. Retrieved December 14, 2015.
  4. ↑ WARA contest entry form courtesy Jeff Starr
  5. ↑ "Application Search Details".
  6. ↑ Foster, Rick (April 30, 2013). "Local talk may return to WARL". The Sun Chronicle . Retrieved May 26, 2013.
  7. 1 2 "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. March 20, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Media Bureau Call Sign Actions" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. May 4, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Consummation Notice". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
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