WFTW

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

WFTW
Currently silent
Broadcast area Emerald Coast
Frequency 1260 kHz
BrandingNewsTalk 1260
Programming
Format News/talk
Affiliations ABC News Radio
NBC News Radio
Compass Media Networks
Premiere Networks
Radio America
Westwood One
Ownership
Owner
WKSM, WNCV, WYZB, WZNS
History
First air date
November 20, 1953;71 years ago (1953-11-20)
Former call signs
WFTW (1953–1979)
WDIS (1979–1981)
Call sign meaning
W ForTWalton Beach
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 27466
Class D
Power 2,500 watts day
131 watts night
Translator(s) 107.5 W298CV (Fort Walton Beach)
Repeater(s) 96.5  WZNS-HD2 (Fort Walton Beach)
Links
Public license information

WFTW (1260 AM) was a commercial radio station in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, serving the Emerald Coast. It is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcast a news/talk format. The radio studios and offices are on Hollywood Boulevard NW in Fort Walton Beach.

Contents

By day, WFTW is powered at 2,500 watts non-directional. But to protect other stations on 1260 AM from interference at night, WFTW reduces power at sunset to 131 watts. The transmitter is co-located with the studios on Hollywood Boulevard NW, also used as the tower for co-owned 99.5 WKSM. [2]

On March 28, 2025 at noon, WFTW went silent. [3]

Logo before 107.5 sign on. WFTW NewsTalk1260 logo.png
Logo before 107.5 sign on.

Programming

Weekdays began on WFTW with "Emerald Coast Morning with Dan Diamond," a local news and information program. The rest of the weekday schedule was made up of nationally syndicated conservative talk shows, mostly from the co-owned Westwood One Network. They include Chris Plante, Dan Bongino, Ben Shapiro, Michael J. Knowles, Jim Bohannon, "Red Eye Radio," "America in the Morning" and "First Light." Also heard from other syndicators are Sean Hannity and Dana Loesch.

Weekends feature shows on money, health, real estate, technology and guns. Weekend programs include Kim Komando, "Meet The Press" and repeats of weekday shows. Most hours begin with world and national news from ABC News Radio.

History of call letters

WFTW first signed on the air on November 20, 1953;71 years ago [4] It was owned by Vacationland Broadcasting of Fort Walton Beach. The station was originally a daytimer, required to go off the air at night. It later got permission to operate at night at reduced power. WFTW originally had a middle of the road format of popular music, news and sports. It added an FM station in 1965, WFTW-FM, which today is WKSM.

On February 28, 1979, WFTW's call letters were changed to WDIS, but they were changed back to WFTW on the first day of 1981. The call letters WFTW earlier were assigned to a station in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that began broadcasting August 10, 1947. [5]

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for WFTW". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. Radio-Locator.com/WFTW
  3. Cumulus Shutting Down Des Moines, Flint & Fort Walton Beach AMs Radioinsight - March 28, 2025
  4. "AM Query: First License Date" (FCC.gov)
  5. "Staff of New Ft. Wayne 1-kw Station Announced" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 13, 1947. Retrieved October 13, 2014.

30°24′49″N86°37′40″W / 30.41361°N 86.62778°W / 30.41361; -86.62778