WVAM

WVAM is a radio station in Parkersburg, West Virginia. Owned by Mid-Ohio Valley Radio Corporation, it broadcasts an oldies format.

For the radio station in Altoona, Pennsylvania, known as WVAM from 1948 to 2019, see WTNA.
WVAM
Frequency1450 kHz
Branding98.1 and 107.9 WVAM
Programming
FormatOldies
Ownership
Owner
  • Thomas Taggart and Samuel Yoho
  • (Mid Ohio Valley Radio Corporation)
History
First air date
July 11, 1935 (as WPAR at 1420)[1]
Former call signs
WPAR (1935–1983)
WIKS (1983–1986)
WLTP (1986–2004)
WHNK (2004-2020)
Former frequencies
1420 kHz (1935–1941)
Call sign meaning
West Virginia AM
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID73353
ClassC
Power1,000 watts day and night
Transmitter coordinates
39°17′23.0″N 81°31′36.0″W
Translator(s)98.1 W251CP (Parkersburg)
107.9 W300AQ (Williamstown)
Links
Public license information
Websitewvamradio.com

History

The station signed on July 11, 1935 as WPAR, operating with 100 watts at 1420 kHz under the ownership of the Ohio Valley Broadcasting Corporation.[1] On February 13, 1937, WPAR became an affiliate of the CBS radio network.[3] It moved to 1450 in 1941; at the same time, WPAR boosted its power to 250 watts. The station was Parkersburg's first radio station and remained the only station in the area during its first decade of broadcasting.[1] On September 22, 1983, the station was renamed WIKS; on November 1, 1986, it became WLTP.[4] The WLTP call sign moved to its sister station at 910 AM on March 9, 2004; at that time, 1450 AM became WHNK.[1][4]

Clear Channel took WHNK off-the-air on April 28, 2014 after the station lost its lease with Walker Machinery, which owned WHNK's transmitter site and intended to use the property for expansion. At the time of the going silent, WHNK was broadcasting a classic country format.[1]

On November 1, 2016, WHNK returned to the air with a Christian radio format branded as FaithTalk 1450, airing Christian talk and teaching programs.

In August 2020, the station and its two translators were sold to Mid Ohio Valley Radio Corporation for $30,000. On August 30, the station announced that it would drop its Christian talk format on August 31 and flip to oldies under the new call letters WVAM. The station will also carry Parkersburg High School football games.[5][6] The sale of the station and the translators was consummated on October 29, 2020.

References
  1. Risberg, Jillian; Schrader, Abbie (April 30, 2014). "AM 1450 Off the Air". TheNewsCenter. Archived from the original on July 25, 2014. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  2. "Facility Technical Data for WVAM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. "CBS Adds WPAR" (PDF). Radio Daily. February 9, 1937. p. 22. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  4. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  5. "Station Sales Week Of 8/28: Silent Boston AM Sold". RadioInsight. 2020-08-28. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
  6. "WHNK To Flip To Oldies". RadioInsight. 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2020-08-31.


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