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WWRL

Summary

WWRL (1600 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York. WWRL airs an all-news radio format as an affiliate of the Black Information Network (BIN). The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.

WWRL
Broadcast areaNew York metropolitan area
Frequency1600 kHz
BrandingNew York's BIN 1600
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatAll-news radio
AffiliationsBlack Information Network
Ownership
Owner
WAXQ, WHTZ, WKTU, WLTW, WOR, WWPR-FM
History
First air date
August 26, 1926
(97 years ago) (1926-08-26)
Call sign meaning
Woodside Radio Laboratory
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID68906
ClassB
Power
  • 25,000 watts (day)
  • 5,000 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
40°47′44″N 74°03′18″W / 40.79556°N 74.05500°W / 40.79556; -74.05500
Repeater(s)105.1 WWPR-HD3 (New York)
Links
Public license information
  • Public file
  • LMS
WebcastListen live (via iHeartRadio)
Websitenewyork.binnews.com

By day, WWRL broadcasts at 25,000 watts; at night, to protect other stations on 1600 AM, it reduces power to 5,000 watts. It uses a directional antenna at all times. Its transmitter is on Radio Avenue in Secaucus, New Jersey, near the Hackensack River.[2]

In addition to a standard analog transmission, WWRL programming is also carried on the third HD subchannel of WWPR-FM, and is available online via iHeartRadio.

Overview edit

Founded in 1926, WWRL originally had a multi-lingual format serving the various ethnic communities of New York City. The station took on a mostly Spanish identity in the 1950s, then became primarily oriented towards African Americans living in New York City in the mid-1960s, under the direction of news director Dick London, who invited community leaders to voice their concerns publicly on air, as the station became an advocate for legislative change. The music and news advocacy was an integral part of the Black American community. WWRL played R&B music from 1964 to 1982, before changing to urban contemporary gospel music and religious programming from 1982 to 1997.

After a brief return to R&B in the late 1990s, WWRL gradually de-emphasized music in favor of more talk radio programming. In 2006, WWRL replaced 1190 WLIB as the flagship station for the Air America Radio network and retained a progressive talk radio format for seven years.

From 2014 to 2016, WWRL had a regional Mexican music format[3] before changing to South Asian programming as an affiliate of Radio Zindagi.[4] Since November 2, 2020, the station has served as the New York City outlet for iHeartRadio's Black Information Network service.[5]

History edit

Early history (1926–1963) edit

 
Ethel Merman's career in show business had early roots as a live performing artist on WWRL during the station's first years of operation.

Founded by radio enthusiast William Reuman, doing business as Woodside Radio Laboratory, WWRL signed on at midnight on August 26, 1926, from a studio and transmitter located in his home at 41-30 58th Street in Woodside, Queens. It originally broadcast on 1160 kHz.[6]: 188 [7] In its first year of operation, WWRL broadcast live musical performances, usually from Reuman's friends and neighbors. Among them were Astoria singer Ethel Zimmerman, who would later achieve stardom as Ethel Merman.[6]: 188 

WWRL began operations during a chaotic period when most government regulation had been suspended, with new stations free to be set up with few restriction. Following the reestablishment of government control by the formation of the Federal Radio Commission (FRC), the new regulators issued a series of temporary authorizations beginning on May 3, 1927, with WWRL at first continuing to be assigned to 1160 kHz,[8] which a month later was changed to 1120 kHz.[9] Stations were also informed that if they wanted to continue operating, they needed to file a formal license application by January 15, 1928, as the first step in determining whether they met the new "public interest, convenience, or necessity" standard.[10] On May 25, 1928, the FRC issued General Order 32, which notified 164 stations, including WWRL, that "From an examination of your application for future license it does not find that public interest, convenience, or necessity would be served by granting it."[11] However, the station successfully convinced the commission that it should remain licensed.

On November 11, 1928, the FRC implemented a major reallocation of station transmitting frequencies, as part of a reorganization resulting from its implementation of General Order 40. WWRL was assigned to 1500 kHz, sharing this frequency with three other regional stations.[12]

In 1927, Reuman had begun selling commercial airtime to local merchants, and in 1929 incorporated as the Long Island Broadcasting Corporation.[6]: 188  With the slogan "The Voice of Queens County," WWRL began to broadcast programs in Italian, German, French, Polish, Hungarian, Slovak, and Czech, as well as English.[6]: 188 

Following implementation of the 1941 North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement the station again changed its frequency, first to 1490 kHz on April 29 that year, then within the year to the 1600 kHz, where the station remains to this day. In 1951 the station's city of license changed from Woodside to New York City. Most programs on the station were oriented towards Hispanic and Black listeners, and Greek, Syrian, Irish, Ukrainian, Russian, and Scandinavian shows also joined the schedule. By decade's end, WWRL had a 24-hour broadcast day primarily in Spanish. Leading black disc jockeys joined the station, including Tommy Smalls (known as "Dr. Jive") and Hal Jackson.[6]: 188–190 

R&B format (1964–1982) edit

Egmont Sonderling bought WWRL from the retiring Reuman in January 1964, and changed its format to R&B.[13][14][6]: 190  WWRL was "the premier radio station serving New York's Black community" at the time, wrote Dan Charnas.[15]: 9–10  Billboard magazine wrote in May 1964 that WWRL and black radio stations offered "specific information, personal identification[,] and entertainment not provided by other type stations."[16]

DJ's for WWRL in the 1960s included Frankie Crocker and Jocko Henderson, whose "on-air shtick... was as important as the music they played."[15]: 10  The station was known as "The Big RL" in the 1960s and "Super 16" in the 1970s.[13][17][18]

WWRL's first year in its R&B format included a three-hour urban gospel music show in the evenings.[16] Billboard wrote in May 1964 that WWRL and other black radio stations "are monitored as a guide to which r.&b. records could be popular with white audiences... [and] are exerting a great influence on the music played on contemporary and pop-contemporary formatted stations."[16]

Beginning in May 1966, WWRL instituted an "integrated music programming policy" that added rock and pop hits in addition to R&B to the playlist.[19] By late 1967, however, WWRL began playing more blues tracks and those from lesser-known performers like Johnnie Taylor and Wilson Pickett, to distinguish itself from mainstream pop stations that had begun playing R&B.[20] A 1971 profile of WWRL by Billboard found that WWRL played "three oldies an hour from one of the largest vaults of soul music in the nation."[21]

The Federal Communications Commission reprimanded Sonderling Broadcasting in May 1971 for allowing the Reverend James Lofton Jr. to use WWRL facilities to solicit money in exchange for tips for a numbers game.[22]

On June 5, 1972, WWRL simulcast with news/talk station 570 WMCA from 8 to 10 p.m. for a special call-in program, Black and White, owing to WMCA focusing on a general audience in contrast to WWRL's primarily black audience.[23]

Briefly in the late 1970s, WWRL was an affiliate of the Mutual Black Network.[6]: 190 

In 1979, Sonderling Broadcasting merged with Viacom.[24] WWRL carried sports talk programming from Enterprise Radio Network briefly in 1981, beginning on January 1.[6]: 190 [25] In an era when sports programming on radio was limited to live play-by-play, news briefs, and a select few call-in shows,[26] Enterprise was described as an "abortive attempt to launch the all-sports format" and shut down before year's end.[27] By the spring of 1981, WWRL went back to playing music.[28]

Religious and community station (1982–1997) edit

In 1982, Viacom donated WWRL to the United Negro College Fund, which immediately sold the station to National Black Network subsidiary Unity Broadcasting. On August 14, 1982, Unity changed WWRL's radio format to Christian talk and teaching.[6]: 190 [29] Replacing the contemporary R&B were urban gospel and reggae music, plus worship services from local black churches were broadcast live on evenings and weekends.[6]: 190 

By that time, increasing competition from FM stations like 107.5 WBLS decreased the appeal of AM music stations, to the point that even the once-dominant WABC 770 ended its popular music format in 1982, switching to talk radio.[29]

WWRL also broadcast rallies and meetings held by the Reverend Al Sharpton.[30][31] These rallies included a controversial one on September 9, 1995, in which Sharpton claimed that Jewish building owner Fred Harari wanted to evict a record store so that a "white interloper" could "expand his business on 125th Street."[31][32] Following that comment, Harari's business, a clothing store named Freddy's Fashion Mart, was destroyed in an arson, leading to eight deaths. The New York Times later said this comment "was later widely blamed for fomenting racial tension."[33] The Freddy's Fashion Mart controversy was just one of several instances of anti-Semitism said to be broadcast on WWRL.[34][35][36]

 
Transmitter building in Secaucus, New Jersey

Community Chorale edit

Beginning in 1985,[37] the station also sponsored a choir with around 70 members called the WWRL Community Chorale, which grew to nearly 100 members by 1996.[38][39] The Community Chorale toured 26 cities in Germany in December 1996.[39]

Technical improvements edit

In the fall of 1996, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved WWRL's request to increase its power from 5 kW to 25 kW.[40]

To resolve issues of co-channel interference, WWRL bought and later shut down three nearby stations on the 1600 or 1590 frequencies: WERA 1590 in Plainfield, New Jersey, WLNG 1600 in Sag Harbor, New York, and WQQW 1590 in Waterbury, Connecticut.[41] WWRL's signal could be better heard in the suburbs of New York by removing these other stations from the airwaves. By this time, WWRL used the slogan "The Spirit of New York".[41]

From R&B oldies to urban talk (1997–2006) edit

 
WWRL logo from the urban talk format era.

In April 1997, WWRL reduced gospel programming to Sundays, a move that drew criticism from former program director Reverend Paul Stephens. On April 16, WWRL switched to an R&B oldies format nicknamed "100% Pure Soul." It played music from the 1960s and 1970s, in a nod to what its vice president of programming called the station's "golden age."[42][43]

To distinguish itself from FM urban contemporary stations 105.1 WBIX and 98.7 WRKS, starting in the summer of 1999, WWRL devoted Saturdays to playing Caribbean music, and added R&B from the 1950s and earlier to its playlist.[44] Additionally, WWRL added brokered talk shows to the weekday lineup that year.[45]

In 2001, WWRL was sold to Access.1 Communications Corporation, an African-American owned and operated radio broadcasting company.[46][47] By then, WWRL began playing more Caribbean music during the week beyond Saturdays.[48]

In 2002, WWRL added a popular morning 6-10 a.m. "drive time" show co-hosted by Peter Noel, a Black advocacy journalist tied to Al Sharpton, and white Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, "The Peter and Shmuley Show".[49][50][51] "This is an interracial buddy pair, the radio equivalent of Lethal Weapon," said Jonathan Rieder, a sociologist at Barnard College.[52] The station reported that after the introduction of the show, it saw a 90% increase in white and Hispanic listeners.[53] Rabbi Boteach resigned in June 2003 shortly after his co-host Noel did the same; Boteach alleged that station management changed his morning show's format from "harmonious to adversarial."[54]

The station also broadcast New York Liberty basketball games.[55] By the beginning of 2003, WWRL had talk shows for most of the week, with music only broadcast on weekends, specifically Caribbean on Saturdays and gospel on Sundays.[56]

WWRL subsequently added local shows hosted by Karen Hunter, Steve Malzberg, and Armstrong Williams among others, in addition to nationally syndicated shows from Larry Elder and Alan Colmes.[57][58][59]

Progressive talk station (2006–2014) edit

 
The final logo of the WWRL talk radio format. Variations of this logo had been used since 2006.

In August 2006, WWRL became the flagship station for Air America, a politically liberal talk radio network that had previously broadcast on 1190 WLIB.[60] Beginning on October 29, 2007, Mark Riley and New York television personality Richard Bey co-hosted the WWRL morning show.[61] Bey resigned in March 2008.[62] New York Daily News columnist Errol Louis became the morning host beginning in mid-July 2008.[63]

In January 2010, after Air America shut down, WWRL brought back Mark Riley as morning host and added syndicated liberal hosts such as Ed Schultz, Thom Hartmann, Stephanie Miller, Randi Rhodes, and Al Sharpton.[64]

On December 13, 2013, WWRL announced it would change format to Regional Mexican music in Spanish, citing low advertising revenue as a reason.[65] New York's growing Mexican-American community had no other stations playing music of their homeland.

Ethnic formats (2014–2020) edit

Following a few days of stunting, WWRL launched a Regional Mexican music format and brand "La Invasora" on January 5, 2014.[3]

On February 1, 2016, WWRL changed its format to Indian and South Asian talk and music as part of the Radio Zindagi network. Ten days later, Access.1 Communications sold WWRL to NJ Broadcasting, LLC for $7 million.[4] WWRL also added an HD Radio simulcast on WKXW-HD2 for listeners in central and southern New Jersey.

Sale to iHeartMedia, BIN (2020–present) edit

On September 10, 2020, iHeartMedia announced its intent to acquire WWRL for an undisclosed amount. It began operating the station under a local marketing agreement (LMA) on November 2 as the New York City outlet of the News and Information formatted Black Information Network (BIN). The flip marked a return to the station's heritage of airing formats serving the region's African-American community.[5] The purchase, at a price of $8.5 million, was consummated on July 26, 2021.

References edit

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WWRL". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WWRL-AM 1600 kHz - New York, NY". radio-locator.com.
  3. ^ a b Venta, Lance (January 5, 2014). "La Invasora Invades WWRL". Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "WWRL New York Sold/Flips to Indian Programming". Radio Insight. February 1, 2016. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  5. ^ a b "iHeartMedia Acquires WWRL New York For Black Information Network". RadioInsight. September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Jaker, Bill; Sulek, Frank; and Kanze, Peter (1998), The Airwaves of New York: Illustrated Histories of 156 AM Stations in the Metropolitan Area, 1921-1996, Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, ISBN 078643872X{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ Radio Index: The Tuning Book (PDF), vol. 3, October 1926, p. 13
  8. ^ "List of broadcasting stations issued temporary permits", Radio Service Bulletin, April 30, 1927, page 9.
  9. ^ "Broadcasting Stations Alphabetically by States and Cities" (effective June 15, 1927), Radio Service Bulletin, May 31, 1927, page 8.
  10. ^ "Extension of Broadcasting Station Licenses", Radio Service Bulletin, December 31, 1927, page 7.
  11. ^ "Appendix F (2): Letter to and list of stations included in General Order No. 32, issued May 25, 1928", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928, to September 30, 1928, pages 146-149.
  12. ^ "Broadcasting Stations", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission (June 30, 1928), page 183.
  13. ^ a b Hinckley, David (December 31, 2013). "WWRL switching to Spanish-language station, ending an era in black radio". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  14. ^ "Egmont Sonderling, 91, Founded Company". The New York Times. August 4, 1997. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  15. ^ a b Charnas, Dan (2010). The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop. New York: New American Library. ISBN 9780451229298.
  16. ^ a b c "WWRL Example of Negro Radio's Vital Resurgence", Billboard, vol. 76, no. 18, pp. 12, 38, May 2, 1964
  17. ^ Hinckley, David (February 27, 2001). "ABCs of Black DJs: Key voices of '60s and '70s saluted". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  18. ^ "Music Survey: WWRL New York, NY "Super 16" Week of September 15, 1975". BackspinRadio.net. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  19. ^ Hall, Claude (May 14, 1966), "R&B'er WWRL Gives Pop a Whirl", Billboard, vol. 78, no. 20, p. 3
  20. ^ Hall, Claude (December 16, 1967), "Pop Stations Play 'Our Music', So WWRL Drifts to Gutsy", Billboard, vol. 79, no. 50, p. 30
  21. ^ "WWRL's Survey More Than Poll", Billboard, vol. 83, no. 8, pp. 30, 36, February 20, 1971
  22. ^ "F.C.C. Chides WWRL Over Cleric's 'Blessings'". The New York Times. May 22, 1971. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  23. ^ O'Connor, John J. (June 7, 1972). "Radio: 'Black and White' at 2 ends of the AM dial". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  24. ^ "FCC Approves Viacom-Sonderling Merger" (PDF). Radio & Records. November 9, 1979. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  25. ^ Benagh, Jim (January 12, 1981). "Sports World Specials; Scores on Scores". The New York Times. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  26. ^ Hinckley, David (July 17, 2003). "All Sports WFAN Chapter 117". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  27. ^ Hoffman, Frank; Dempsey, Jack M.; and Manning, Martin J. (2012), Sports-Talk Radio in America: Its Context and Culture, New York: Routledge, p. 8, ISBN 978-1136428913{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ "WWRL 1600 New York Survey 05/01/81". Retrieved May 10, 2017.
  29. ^ a b Goodman, Peter (April 9, 2001). "The soul of an old radio station: At 75, WWRL, once New York's R&B powerhouse, soldiers on". Newsday. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  30. ^ Gottlieb, Martin, and Baquet, Dean (December 19, 1991). "Street-Wise Impresario; Sharpton Calls the Tunes, and Players Take Their Cues". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  31. ^ a b Van Natta Jr., Don (December 13, 1995). "Death on 125th Street: The Protests; Blaze Inquiry Is Focusing on Protests". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  32. ^ Drusin, Hy (January–February 1996). "Massacre at Freddy's in Harlem". Jewish Post of New York. Archived from the original on January 25, 1998. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  33. ^ Pogrebin, Robin (January 28, 1996). "The Buzz on Black Radio". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  34. ^ "Talking back on black talk radio". The New York Times. January 21, 2000. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  35. ^ Hays, Constance L. (May 19, 1996). "Making it work: FAIR or not?". The New York Times. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  36. ^ "Reverend Sharpton's racist and anti-Semitic broadcasts". Jewish Post of New York. January–February 1996. Archived from the original on December 1, 1998. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  37. ^ "The Glory Gospel Singers aus New York in der Gerstunger Kirche" (in German). Gerstungen.de. October 23, 2003. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  38. ^ Collins, Lisa (August 8, 1992), "In the Spirit", Billboard, vol. 104, no. 32, p. 32
  39. ^ a b Coleman, Chrisena (December 20, 1996). "She's the heart and soul of Community Chorale". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  40. ^ Hinckley, David (September 30, 1996). "WWRL clears way for stronger signal". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  41. ^ a b Hinckley, David (March 6, 1997). "'Inspirational' WWRL advances in its quest for higher power". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  42. ^ Hinckley, David (April 24, 1997). "Anger of 'WRL's soul-ful switch from gospel". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  43. ^ R&R 4/18/97
  44. ^ Hinckley, David (May 29, 1999). "Now it's Caribbean Saturdays on WWRL". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  45. ^ Hinckley, David (July 20, 1999). "Tony Brown taking a WWRL afternoon slot". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  46. ^ "FCCdata.org - powered by REC". fccdata.org.
  47. ^ Hinckley, David (August 9, 2010). "Sydney L. 'Syd' Small, owner of radio station WWRL, dies at age 72". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  48. ^ "WWRL 1600 - Political Campaign". Archived from the original on June 8, 2002.
  49. ^ Pryce, Vinette K. (December 27, 2013). "Adios! to last NY Black radio station". Caribbean Life News.
  50. ^ Dickter, Adam (November 8, 2002). "AM's Odd Couple". The Times of Israel.
  51. ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (December 22, 2002). "An unlikely friendship, an unusual morning show". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  52. ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (December 22, 2002). "TELEVISION/RADIO; An Unlikely Friendship, an Unusual Morning Show". The New York Times.
  53. ^ "New Talk Radio Format: Minorities Spar With Chasids". The Forward. March 21, 2003.
  54. ^ Hinckley, David (June 25, 2003). "Rabbi: WWRL made show 'adversarial". The New York Daily News. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  55. ^ "WWRL 1600 - Political Campaign". Archived from the original on August 11, 2003.
  56. ^ Hinckley, David (March 25, 2003). "Format's more than just talk, WWRL says". The New York Daily News. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  57. ^ Kornblut, Anne E., and Sisario, Ben (March 3, 2005). "Columnist under fire gets show on radio". The New York Times. Retrieved May 5, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  58. ^ Hinckley, David (November 1, 2004). "Malzberg joins Karen Hunter on WWRL". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  59. ^ Hinckley, David (August 3, 2006). "A picture-perfect way to honor Hal Jackson". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  60. ^ "Air America jumps to WWRL-A/NYC". AllAccess.com. August 2, 2006. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  61. ^ "WWRL lanches new "'RL Morning Show" with Riley and Bey". Radio Facts. October 29, 2007. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  62. ^ Hinckley, David (March 9, 2008). "Richard Bey leaves, WWRL mornings to change again". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  63. ^ Ross, Kevin (July 16, 2008). "Errol Louis joins AM1600 WWRL in the mornings". Radio Facts. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  64. ^ Hinckley, David (February 22, 2010). "Famed New York radio voices join WWRL". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  65. ^ Barker, Cyril Josh (December 13, 2013). "WWRL to replace progressive and Black shows with Spanish programing". Retrieved May 5, 2017.

External links edit

  • Official website
  • WWRL in the FCC AM station database
  • WWRL in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
  • FCC History Cards for WWRL

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