WTBN
It has been suggested that material about now-former simulcast WTWD be WTWD. (Discuss ) (December 2023) |
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Frequency | 570 kHz |
Branding | Faith Talk |
Programming | |
Format | Religious; brokered |
Affiliations | |
Ownership | |
Owner |
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History | |
First air date | March 12, 1966 | (as WFSO)
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Tampa Bay News/Talk (former format); station is wholly unrelated to the Trinity Broadcasting Network |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 51985 |
Class | B |
Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | 27°59′58.07″N 82°42′00.36″W / 27.9994639°N 82.7001000°W |
Translator(s) | 100.3 W262CP (Bayonet Point) |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | letstalkfaith |
Broadcast area | Tampa Bay Area |
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Frequency | 910 kHz |
Branding | La Numero Uno |
Programming | |
Format | Regional Mexican |
Ownership | |
Owner |
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History | |
First air date | July 1949 |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | The Word of God, another term for The Bible |
Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 26145 |
Class | B |
Power | 5,000 watts unlimited |
Transmitter coordinates | 27°59′27.08″N 82°12′30.32″W / 27.9908556°N 82.2084222°W |
Translator(s) | 102.1 W271CY (Lakeland) |
Links | |
Public license information |
WTBN (570
WTBN's programming is simulcast on WLCC (760 AM) in Brandon, Florida, and was formerly simulcast on WTWD (910 AM) in Plant City, Florida, serving the eastern portion of the Tampa Bay radio market. WTBN operates with 250 watts day and 730 watts night, WTWD operates with 5,000 watts day and night, and WLCC operates with 10,000 watts day and 1,000 watts night. All stations use two directional antenna patterns. WTBN's transmitter is off Tower Way in Land o' Lakes, Florida. WTWD's transmitter is off Sidney-Dover Road in Dover. The studios and offices for both stations are on West Laurel Street in Tampa.
History
WFSO
This station began operations on March 12, 1966, as WFSO, a daytime-only station, broadcasting with 500 watts.
WPLP
In 1978, it was acquired by International Broadcasters, Inc.
The owners of the new talk station was a conglomerate of three investors, including
In 1984, WPLP was bought by
Although WPLP was the first
WPLP was what is known as a "pig" in the radio industry: a low-budget station with little financial success and a poor signal—one that didn't even reach as far as Tampa in inclement weather (partly because Cuban state radio broadcast on the same frequency. In 1986 Gannett applied for a power increase which, at the time, was limited to 5,000 watts day and night for this frequency by developing a new 6 tower array north of Tampa. But at nighttime, in violation of the international broadcast regulations; the station received interference from a Cuban station. While the FCC was considering the power increase Gannett petitioned for additional nighttime power of 10,000 watts based on similar request at Gannett's Miami station WINZ. WPLP became the first station that had more power at night than day. The station installed a pair of 10,000-watt Continental transmitters and phasor. The day and night signal covered from north of Tampa all the way to Sarasota, that solved the Cuban interference problem over the market. Despite Gannett and the staff's best efforts, WPLP had a tremendously hard time selling advertising time. Their target audience was Tampa Bay's sizable population of retirees; while that audience gave the station a loyal following, it was outside the 25-54 age group that is the most important demographic for advertisers. Yet even when Lassiter ruled the airwaves, its sales staff had a very few clients (and those were often threatened with boycotts by opponents of the controversial and caustic Lassiter).
WTKN
In 1987, Gannett negotiated with
WHNZ
In 1991, the station was acquired by
In 1998, Clear Channel Communications bought WHNZ in anticipation of a three-way frequency swap, also involving WSAA (620 AM) and WDAE (1250 AM). On January 1, 2000, Clear Channel changed WSAA's call sign to WDAE, picking up the all-sports format heard on the previous WDAE; the previous WDAE took the WHNZ call sign and business talk format heard on the previous WHNZ; with the previous WHNZ adopting the WTBN call sign, standing for Tampa Bay News, and picking up a talk radio format.
WTBN and WTWD
By the following year, Salem Communications had bought the station, keeping the WTBN call letters but switching the format to Christian radio,.[14] In July 2000, Salem had also bought AM 910 in Plant City, which had been running its own sports talk format. Salem's religious format had begun on WTWD several months before it debuted on WTBN.
WTWD first signed on in July 1949. At the time, it was WPLA, broadcasting on 1570 kHz, transmitting with 500 watts, daytime-only.[15] By the 1960s, it had moved to its current frequency of 910 kHz, with 1,000 watts, but still as a daytimer, playing country music.[16] By the 1980s, the station had gotten nighttime authorization, also at 1,000 watts. In the 1990s, it was sports talk WFNS, boosted to 5,000 watts fulltime, before it was bought by Salem and converted to Christian radio, in 2000.
WTBN and WTWD previously broadcast two shows hosted by Gary Gauthier, It's God's Money and All About Florida Real Estate, until Gauthier was arrested in January 2014 for running a Ponzi scheme from 2005 until 2010, which allegedly allowed Gauthier and a partner to bilk $6 million from the retirement savings of at least 38 people.[17][18]
Salem agreed to sell WTWD to Solmart Media, owner of WTMY in Sarasota and WZSP in Nocatee, for $700,000 in September 2023.[19] Following the sale's completion, on December 14, WTWD broke from the simulcast with WTBN and launched a regional Mexican format as "La Numero Uno", a branding shared with WTMY and an HD Radio subchannel of WZSP.[20]
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WTBN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WTWD". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
- ^ LetsTalkFaith.com/ProgramGuide
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-48
- ^ "WFSO - A History". Radio Years.
- ^ FCC History Cards for WTBN
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1980 page C-49
- ^ Brown, Ben (October 28, 1978). "Don't Miss ABC Palestine Study". Tampa Tribune. p. 8-D. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- St. Petersburg Times.
- ^ Tedd Webb. "Where Are They Now? Michael Spears".
- ^ a b Alison Leigh Cowan (May 24, 1987). "Corporate Raider: Paul Bilzerian; A Scrappy Takeover Artist Rises to the Top". The New York Times.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1988 page B-64
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 2008 page D-144
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1951 page 113
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1964 page B-36
- New York, New York: Mortimer Zuckerman. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
- ^ Thompson, Stephen (January 30, 2014). "Former Christian radio host arrested for $6 million Ponzi scheme". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa, Florida: Tampa Media Group, Inc./Media General. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
- ^ "Salem Sells Tampa Market AM And FM Translator To Solmart Media". Inside Radio. September 11, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
- ^ Venta, Lance (December 14, 2023). "La Numero Uno Debuts On WTWD". RadioInsight. Retrieved December 14, 2023.