WAOK
Atlanta metropolitan area | |
Frequency | 1380 kHz |
---|---|
Branding | News & Talk 1380 WAOK |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Format | Urban talk radio |
Affiliations | CBS News Radio |
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
History | |
First air date | 1928 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Atlanta OK (former owners of the station) |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 63775 |
Class | B |
Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 33°45′36″N 84°28′45″W / 33.76000°N 84.47917°W |
Repeater(s) | 103.3 WVEE-HD3 (Atlanta) |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live (via Audacy) |
Website | www |
WAOK (1380
WAOK is a
WAOK airs a
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
With the implementation of the
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
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
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.
On January 1, 1988, all DKM-owned properties were sold for $200 million, including stations in
, 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
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with
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
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WAOK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WAOK-AM 1380 kHz - Atlanta, GA". radio-locator.com.
- ^ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, March 31, 1928, page 4.
- ^ "Alterations and Corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, May 29, 1931, page 12.
- ^ "Georgia: Atlanta: WATL", Broadcasting Yearbook (1940 edition), page 112.
- ^ "Georgia: Arlanta: WATL", Broadcasting Yearbook (1950 edition), page 116.
- ^ "Georgia: Atlanta: WAOK", Broadcasting Yearbook (1956 edition), page 102.
- ^ "Atlantic Records Discography: 1959". www.jazzdisco.org.
- ^ WAOK (advertisement), Broadcasting, December 10, 1962, page 86.
- ^ "Georgia: Atlanta: WAOK (AM)", Broadcasting Yearbook (1986 edition), page B-68.
- ^ "CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom", February 2, 2017, RadioInsight.com.
- ^ ""Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio"". Entercom. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Call Sign History for 1650 AM (Facility ID: 87148)
- ^ FCC Station Search Details: DWAZJ (Facility ID: 87148)
See also
- Ray Charles in Person (Atlantic 8039; Liner notes by Zenas Sears)
External links
- Official website
- WAOK in the FCC AM station database
- WAOK in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FCC History Cards for WAOK (covering 1928-1980 as WRBI / WJTL / WATL)