WFAD

Last updated
WFAD
Simulcast of WGLY-FM
Frequency 1490 kHz
BrandingThe Light Radio Network
Programming
Format Christian radio
Network The Light
Ownership
OwnerChristian Ministries Inc.
History
First air date
July 22, 1966;58 years ago (1966-07-22)
Call sign meaning
"Frank and Don" (original owners) [1]
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 53612
Class C
Power 960 watts
Transmitter coordinates
 43°59′57″N73°9′35″W / 43.99917°N 73.15972°W / 43.99917; -73.15972
Translator(s) 101.1 W266CU (Middlebury)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website www.thelightradio.net

WFAD (1490 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Middlebury, Vermont, United States. The station is owned by Christian Ministries Inc. and is part of The Light, a network of six FM stations and one AM station, as well as five associated FM translators, carrying a Christian radio format.

Contents

History

On the air, off and on again

Frank Alvin Delle, Jr., and Donald G. Fisher were initially granted on April 20, 1966, a construction permit for a new 1,000-watt radio station on 1490 kHz in Middlebury, for which they had filed more than four years prior. [3] The station signed on shortly before noon on July 22, 1966, airing a full-service format and became affiliated with CBS. [1] The studio facilities were so small that the Associated Press teletype machine was in the bathroom. [4]

Almost immediately after the station opened, however, a legal problem emerged. WIPS, a radio station on 1250 kHz at Ticonderoga, New York, appealed the grant of the permit to Delle and Fisher. WIPS claimed that the new competitor would cause economic harm and make their business economically unviable, and on a 2–1 vote by a three-judge panel, [5] they won a restraining order from the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on August 3. [6] The ruling raised the likelihood that an order would force the brand-new station off the air; WFAD continued to broadcast until it received a telegram from the Federal Communications Commission at 2:35 p.m. on August 5, instructing it to cease operations. [7]

WFAD launched a legal and public opinion campaign to allow the station to go forward, which included a petition signed by 5,000 residents of Addison County. [7] The appeals court found in favor of WFAD and upheld the commission's grant of a construction permit on December 13. [8] The court's action enabled WFAD to return to the air on Christmas Day. [9]

Brady, Straus and Brady

Fisher, a 45 percent stockholder in licensee The Voice of Middlebury, Inc., [3] sold his stake to Delle in 1970. [10] After the sale, Delle told people that the WFAD call letters, which had initially been for "Frank and Don", instead represented his initials. [4] Three years later, Addison Broadcasting, owned by Mark Brady and Timothy Buskey, acquired WFAD for $150,000; [11] Buskey would sell his stake to Brady in 1976. [3] Under Brady-Buskey ownership, WFAD launched an FM sister station, oldies-formatted WCVM (100.9 FM), on April 2, 1975, [12] and moved to larger studio quarters. [4] Also during this time, in the late 1970s, Jim Douglas, a Vermont state legislator, would join the WFAD announcing staff, working at the station to supplement his legislative salary; [13] [14] he would be elected Governor of Vermont in 2002, serving for eight years. [15] New studios on U.S. Route 7 were completed in 1983. [4]

After 14 years, the Brady family sold WFAD and WCVM to Straus Communications of New York City for $1.1 million. [16] Straus made a series of decisions that alienated listeners of WFAD and WCVM, capped by a 1990 format flip to a country simulcast; in part due to a downturn in the Vermont economy, and despite reversing the earlier format change and restoring an adult contemporary music format on WFAD, both stations would go silent on December 6, 1990, at which time the Bradys reacquired the pair. [17] As they had bought another FM outlet, WMNM of Port Henry, New York, they could not retain WCVM, which they put up for sale. [18]

In its second stint as a Brady-owned station, WFAD became increasingly talk-oriented, airing The Rush Limbaugh Show and a local program, The Talk of Vermont, hosted by Timothy Philbin, a Republican politician who had lost in two elections to the House of Representatives. [19] In 1993, Brady put the station on the market; 18 months later, there were still no bidders. [20] After a $925,000 [21] deal to sell WFAD and WMNM to Pathfinder Communications of Connecticut collapsed, at the start of 1997, the Bradys' Pro-Radio Inc., and Dynamite Radio Inc, which owned WGTK (the former WCVM), filed for bankruptcy. [22] Ultimately, the WFAD license was sold to Kate Shermer and her husband, WPTZ-TV meteorologist Tom Messner, while Dynamite Radio operated the station and consolidated its facilities with WGTK. [23]

The Talk of Vermont in particular grew in the late 1990s, when it was hosted by Jeff Kaufman; three additional stations in the state signed up to carry the show, and Kaufman also hosted a weekly show of the same name on Vermont Public Television. [24] Kaufman resigned from the program in 2000 to pursue opportunities in California. [25]

Northeast Broadcasting ownership

WFAD was sold in 2001 to Addison Broadcasting Company, owned by Steve Silverberg, for $180,000. [26] Northeast Broadcasting, the parent of Addison, also acquired other stations, consolidating their operations in Middlebury; by 2002, the station aired an oldies format. [27] It changed formats again, this time to sports, in 2005; WFAD had already aired local high school and college sports and was the longtime market home of Boston Red Sox broadcasts. [28] In 2014, the station was reported to carry the "Today's Comedy" format. [29]

On December 15, 2014, WFAD went silent due to the need to replace parts on its aging transmitter. [30]

In February 2016, Northeast Broadcasting acquired several translators from Vermont Public Radio, one of which would be used to give WFAD an FM signal. [31] On December 22, 2016, WFAD returned to the air—this time with the translator operating, as a simulcast of sister station WIXM (102.3 FM) in the Burlington–Plattsburgh area. [32] For a time in 2020, the station went silent as part of the replacement of its AM broadcasting tower. [33] By 2022, WFAD had shifted to carrying The Point, Northeast Broadcasting's network of adult album alternative radio stations in Vermont. [34]

Christian Ministries

In December 2022, Northeast Broadcasting filed to sell WFAD and W266CU to Christian Ministries, Inc., for $85,000. [34] The sale was consummated on February 16, 2023, with an expectation that Christian Ministries would soon switch the station to their Christian "The Light Radio Network" format. [35]

Translator

Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinatesFCC info
W266CU101.1 FM Middlebury, Vermont 15446680−31  m (−102  ft)D 43°59′57.2″N73°9′33.4″W / 43.999222°N 73.159278°W / 43.999222; -73.159278 LMS

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Addison County, Vermont</span> County in Vermont, United States

Addison County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 37,363. Its shire town is the town of Middlebury.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rutland (city), Vermont</span> City in Vermont, United States

Rutland is the only city in and the seat of Rutland County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 15,807. It is located approximately 65 miles (105 km) north of the Massachusetts state line, 35 miles (56 km) west of New Hampshire state line, and 20 miles (32 km) east of the New York state line. Rutland is the third largest city in the state of Vermont after Burlington and South Burlington. Rutland City is completely surrounded by Rutland Town, which is a separate municipality. The downtown area of the city is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Point (radio network)</span> Network of adult album alternative radio stations in Vermont

The Point is a radio network operating in the state of Vermont. The flagship station is WNCS in Montpelier, which signed on in 1977. It was started by Jeb Spaulding who later served as Chancellor of the Vermont State Colleges, State Treasurer of Vermont, and Secretary of Administration under Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin. Although at that time there was no designated adult album alternative format, The Point's programming format has been solidly adult album alternative/progressive rock for its entire history.

<i>Ethan Allen Express</i> Intercity rail service in the United States

The Ethan Allen Express is a daily passenger train operated by Amtrak in the United States between New York City and Burlington, Vermont, via Albany, New York. One daily round trip is operated on a 310-mile (500 km) north–south route with a 7-hour 35 minute scheduled running time. The train is subsidized by New York and Vermont for the portion north of Albany. It is named for Vermont cofounder and American Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen.

WOKO is an American radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Burlington, Vermont, United States, the station serves the Burlington-Plattsburgh area. The station is owned by Hall Communications

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVTK</span> Radio station in Port Henry, New York

WVTK is an FM radio station airing a classic hits radio format, licensed to Port Henry, New York, near the New York State/Vermont border. It is owned by Vox AM/FM, LLC.

WVTQ is a radio station licensed to Sunderland, Vermont, United States. The station is owned by Vermont Public as part of its Classical network, airing classical music. WVTQ broadcasts from atop Mount Equinox in Manchester.

WGLY-FM is a Christian radio station licensed to Bolton, Vermont, serving the Burlington area. The station is owned by Christian Ministries, Inc.

WVLR-FM is a station that broadcasts a classical music format. Licensed to Lyndonville, Vermont, United States, the station is owned by Vermont Public Co.

WSTJ is a radio station broadcasting an adult album alternative format. Licensed to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, United States, the station is currently owned by Vermont Broadcast Associates, Inc. WSTJ is an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox Radio Network.

WIFY is an adult album alternative formatted radio station that is part of The Point radio network. Licensed to Addison, Vermont, United States, the station serves the Middlebury, Vermont, Burlington, Vermont-Plattsburgh, New York area. The station is owned by Radio Broadcasting Services, Inc.

WCAT was a commercial radio station licensed to Burlington, Vermont, United States, and serving the Burlington-Plattsburgh area. The station was last owned by Radio Broadcasting Services, Inc., part of the Champlain Media Group. It last aired a mainstream rock radio format, simulcast from co-owned WWMP in Waterbury.

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

WJOY is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting an adult standards/soft adult contemporary format. Licensed to Burlington, Vermont, the station is owned by Hall Communications, Inc. After carrying the nationally syndicated music service "America's Best Music" provided by Westwood One for many years, WJOY began programming its music locally in February 2023. WJOY plays a mixture of adult standards and soft adult contemporary from the 1950's to 2000's. WJOY carries hourly national news updates from ABC News near the top of every hour, along with a local simulcast of the WPTZ NBC5 News from 6:00pm to 6:30pm each weekday evening. Weather forecasts are provided by the NBC5 First Warning Weather team 24 hours a day.

WWFY is a radio station licensed to serve Berlin, Vermont. The station is owned by Great Eastern Radio. It airs a country music format.

WKAF is a commercial AM radio station licensed to the City of St. Albans, Vermont. It is owned by Kalani Bowles, through licensee Sky Radio & Press, LLC. It airs a mainstream rock format, simulcasting former sister station WWMP.

WWPV-LP is a radio station licensed to serve the community of Colchester, Vermont. The station is owned by Saint Michael's College. It airs a variety radio format. This station is the successor to WWPV-FM, the college's prior radio station on 88.7 FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Norris (American politician)</span> American politician

Terry Emerson Norris is an American farmer and politician who serves as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Addison-Rutland district as an independent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ferrisburgh–Vergennes station</span> Train station in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, US

Ferrisburgh–Vergennes station is an intermodal Amtrak and bus station in Ferrisburgh, Vermont, adjacent to the city of Vergennes. The facility opened in 2007 as a free park and ride lot operated by the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans). Bus service is provided by Tri-Valley Transit and Vermont Translines. The historic station building serves passengers at the Amtrak platform located along the southwest corner of the facility. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2021 as the Vergennes Station House. Rail service began on July 29, 2022, when the Ethan Allen Express was extended from Rutland to Burlington.

Vermont Public Co. is the public broadcaster serving the U.S. state of Vermont. Its headquarters, newsroom, and radio studios are located in Colchester, with television studios in Winooski. It operates two statewide radio services aligned with NPR, offering news and classical music, and the state's PBS service. It was formed by the 2021 merger of what had been previously separate organizations, Vermont Public Radio and Vermont Public Television, which were both renamed Vermont Public in 2022.

References

  1. 1 2 Chatfield, Violet (July 23, 1966). "New Radio Station Opens in Middlebury". Burlington Free Press. p. 3. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WFAD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. 1 2 3 FCC History Cards for WFAD
  4. 1 2 3 4 "WFAD/WCVM" (PDF). Voices from the Hills: Vermont Association of Broadcasters 35th Anniversary. Vermont Association of Broadcasters. May 19, 1989. p. 41 (43). Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  5. ↑ "Won't Hear Middlebury: Brief on Behalf of Radio Station WFAD Rejected by U.S. Circuit Court". Rutland Daily Herald. November 1, 1966. p. 5. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  6. ↑ "New Middlebury Radio Station May Have To Quit". Burlington Free Press. August 4, 1966. p. 5. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  7. 1 2 "Middlebury Station Stops Broadcasting". Burlington Free Press. August 6, 1966. p. 2. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  8. ↑ "Middlebury's Radio Station Given Permit". The Times Argus. Associated Press. December 14, 1966. p. 27. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  9. ↑ "WFAD Is On The Air: Middlebury Radio Station Wins Legal Battle After Federal Court Appeal". Rutland Daily Herald. December 28, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Fisher Offers To Sell Stock In Radio WFAD". Burlington Free Press. April 16, 1970. p. 2. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Ownership Changes" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 11, 1973. p. 51. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  12. ↑ "WCVM(FM)" (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. 1977. p. C-216 (464). Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  13. ↑ Hoffman, Jack (July 6, 1992). "Douglas Risks Career To Grab Brass Ring". Rutland Daily Herald. pp. 1, 12 . Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  14. ↑ Remsen, Nancy (October 13, 2002). "Douglas dedicated to GOP". Burlington Free Press. pp. 1A, 4A . Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  15. ↑ Flowers, John (September 14, 2014). "Gov. Douglas gives insights on his 40-year career in politics". Addison Independent. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Middlebury radio stations sold". Bennington Banner. February 13, 1987. p. 6. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  17. ↑ Donoghue, Tom (December 9, 1990). "Two radio stations are sold". Burlington Free Press. pp. 3B, 4B . Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  18. ↑ Barna, Ed (March 26, 1991). "Bradys To Buy WFAD". Rutland Daily Herald. p. 10. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  19. ↑ Pfeiffer, Bryan (June 25, 1993). "Philbin Plans to Host Talk Shows". Rutland Daily Herald. p. 11. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  20. ↑ Barna, Ed (February 9, 1995). "Stations Make Sales Pitch To Middlebury Alumni". Rutland Daily Herald. p. 10. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  21. ↑ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. June 7, 1996. p. 6. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  22. ↑ Edwards, Bruce (January 18, 1997). "Middlebury Radio Stations File Papers for Bankruptcy". Rutland Daily Herald. pp. 1, 9 . Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  23. ↑ Henderson-Schassler, Kathleen (February 5, 1998). "WFAD-AM changes ownership". Burlington Free Press. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  24. ↑ Donoghue, Mike (December 13, 1998). "Station to expand radio program". Burlington Free Press. p. 3B. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Kaufman goes west". Burlington Free Press. July 19, 2000. p. 1C. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. June 8, 2001. p. 9. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  27. ↑ Robinson, Sue (July 18, 2002). "Radio station moving office, not frequency". Burlington Free Press. p. 8A. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  28. ↑ "WFAD makes switch to all-sports format". Burlington Free Press. December 13, 2005. p. 9B. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  29. ↑ Fybush, Scott (August 29, 2014). "NERW Labor Day Weekend: WFAS Makes Its FM Return". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  30. ↑ Flowers, John (October 19, 2014). "WFAD silent; search for parts continues". Addison Independent. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Deal Digest for the week of February 11, 2016". Inside Radio. February 10, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  32. ↑ Fybush, Scott (December 28, 2016). "NERW Year in Review 2016: The Year in People and Formats (Part II)". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  33. ↑ "BLSTA-20200420AAE Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". Federal Communications Commission. April 20, 2020. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
  34. 1 2 Venta, Lance (December 16, 2022). "Station Sales Week of 12/16". RadioInsight. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
  35. ↑ "Deal Digest: Civic Media Enters Two More Wisconsin Markets". Inside Radio. February 24, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
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.