WUST

WUST (1120 AM) is a commercial all-news radio station licensed to serve Washington, D.C. the station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.[3] The station services the Washington metropolitan area as the market affiliate of the Black Information Network.[4]

WUST
Broadcast areaWashington metro area
Frequency1120 kHz
BrandingDMV's BIN 1120
Programming
FormatBlack-oriented news
AffiliationsBlack Information Network
Ownership
Owner
WASH, WBIG-FM, WIHT, WMZQ-FM, WWDC
History
First air date
1947 (1947)
Former call signs
WBCC (1947–51)[1]
Call sign meaning
previous studio location in the U Street district
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID48686
ClassD
Power50,000 watts day
3,000 watts critical hours
Transmitter coordinates
38°52′09″N 76°53′47″W
Repeater(s)100.3 WBIG-HD2 (Washington)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live (via iHeartRadio)
Websitedmv.binnews.com

The WUST studios are located on Rockville Pike in the district suburb of Rockville, Maryland, while the station transmitter resides in Capitol Heights. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WUST programming is available online via iHeartRadio. While WUST operates at 50,000 watts during the day, the station is required to reduce power during critical hours in the early morning—and go off the air during nighttime hours—to protect the signal of KMOX in St. Louis, the dominant Class A station on 1120 AM.[5]

History

WUST first signed on in 1947 as WBCC, licensed to the Washington, DC suburb of Bethesda, Maryland with 250 watts of power, broadcasting in the daytime only.[6] It had been a rhythm and blues station. Its call letters came from its studio location at 1120 U Street, NW, later moving to 815 V Street NW, site of today's 9:30 Club.

During the 1950s, DJs Lord Fauntleroy Bandy and "Terrible" Thomas popularized R&B music with high school students, weaning them from Top 40. Part of the appeal of WUST was its location in the red light district of the time.

During late August 1963, the ballroom of the WUST studio served as the operations headquarters for the August 28 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.[7]

On April 6, 2017, WUST filed an application for a Federal Communications Commission construction permit to remain on the air at night with 50 watts. The application was accepted for filing on April 12, 2017.[8]

New World Radio sold WUST to Herndon, Virginia-based Potomac Radio Group for $750,000 on September 18, 2018.[9] On August 31, 2020, WUST switched from ethnic programming to an all news format using programming from iHeartMedia's Black Information Network; several programs from the previous ethnic format were moved online.[10][11][12] iHeartMedia subsequently purchased WUST for $1.2 million.[13]

References
  1. "FCC History Cards for WUST".
  2. "Facility Technical Data for WUST". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. "BIN: Black Information Network Extends Across Four New Stations In Baltimore, Montgomery, Philadelphia And Washington, D.C." www.iheartmedia.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  4. "Black Information Network Expands To Washington, Baltimore, Philly and Montgomery". Insideradio.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  5. Radio-Locator.com/WUST
  6. Broadcasting Yearbook 1948, page 140
  7. Euchner, Charles, "Nobody Turn Me Around: A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington", 2010.
  8. "Application for Construction Permit for Commercial Broadcast Station". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. April 12, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  9. "CDBS File No. BAL-20180918ABA". FCC CDBS.
  10. InsideRadio.com "BIN Expands to Washington-Baltimore-Philly"
  11. "iHeartMedia Begins LMAs In Philadelphia, Washington DC & Baltimore For Black Information Network". RadioInsight. 2020-08-31. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  12. "wust1120.com". wust1120.com. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  13. "CDBS File No. BAL-20200901AAF". Federal Communications Commission. 1 September 2020.
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