WSTJ
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WSTJ (1340
History
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/12/St_Johnsbury_Academy_-_Fuller_Hall.jpg/220px-St_Johnsbury_Academy_-_Fuller_Hall.jpg)
Twin State Broadcasters, Inc., obtained a construction permit for a new 250-watt radio station to serve St. Johnsbury on 1340 kHz on May 25, 1949.[3] WTWN had its formal opening on July 10, 1949;[2] the original studios were built atop what had been a manure pit on a farm.[4] Two years later, it lived up to its Twin States moniker when it established a satellite studio in Littleton, New Hampshire.[5] Three years after the station began broadcasting, Don Mullally joined and eventually took over the morning shift: he would remain at the station for most of the next 64 years (with the exception of a short stint in Glens Falls, New York and a brief retirement to serve as the director of the Caledonia County fair[4]), leaving the air for good only two weeks before his death in 2016;[6] he was the last station employee still playing music off of vinyl records.[4] In 1960, WTWN was approved to upgrade from 250 to 1,000 watts.[3]
E. Dean Finney, who had been a manager and owner of the station since the outset, sold WTWN in 1979 to Northeast Kingdom Broadcasting, Inc.;[3] the sale was part of a two-station transaction that also included Finney's only other broadcast holding, WIKE in Newport, as Finney said it was "time for a change" in his life.[7] The new ownership was jointly held by Brent Lambert and Eric H. Johnson, two Boston optometrists who owned stations in California and Wyoming.[8] The new owners changed the call letters to WSTJ on October 1.[3] After Johnson bought out Lambert's stake in the company—which had been transferred to a bank—in 1993,[9] Vermont Broadcast Associates bought WSTJ and the FM station it had started in 1985—WNKV (105.5 FM)—in 1998 for $630,000.[10]
In December 2020, WSTJ launched an FM translator, W281CC (104.1 FM); while the station was still featuring an oldies/adult standards format at the time, it announced its intention to review the format after the Christmas holiday.[11] The new format launched in February 2021 as adult album alternative "The Trail", so named for the region's ski and bike trails.[12]
Translator
Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W281CC | 104.1 FM | St. Johnsbury, Vermont | 200719 | 250 | D | 44°24′38.2″N 71°58′11.3″W / 44.410611°N 71.969806°W | LMS |
References
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-458. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
- ^ a b "New Station To Open". Rutland Daily Herald. July 9, 1949. p. 6. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ a b c d FCC History Cards for WSTJ
- ^ a b c Ash Nixon, Amy (November 18, 2016). "Don Mullally: A Northeast Kingdom Radio Legend". Northland Journal. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "WTWN Branch Studio" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 22, 1951. p. 86. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ Craven, Jay (December 26, 2016). "Craven: Remembering Don Mullally". Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "Boston Firm Seeks WIKE, WTWN". Burlington Free Press. July 3, 1979. p. 12A. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 17, 1979. p. 69. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. December 3, 1993. p. 6. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. February 27, 1998. p. 8. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ Hatch, Barbara (December 26, 2020). "Business Watch". The Caledonian-Record. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ "WSTJ/St. Johnsbury, VT, Launches As Triple A 'The Trail 104.1'". All Access. February 2, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
External links
- WSTJ in the FCC AM station database
- WSTJ in Nielsen Audio's AM station database