WGSO
 | |
| City | New Orleans, Louisiana |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | New Orleans metropolitan area |
| Branding | WGSO 990AM |
| Frequency | 990 kHz |
| First air date | January 20, 1947 |
| Format | News, Talk, Sports |
| Power |
1,000 watts day 400 watts night |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 52433 |
| Owner | Northshore Radio LLC |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wgso.com |
WGSO is a news, talk, and sports AM radio station based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The station, which is owned by Northshore Radio, LLC., broadcasts at 990 kHz with 1,000 watts day and 400 watts night.
History
The station was originally an AM daytimer and throughout its life went through a series of call letters and formats before going 24 hours in the 1980s. In 2001 they gave New Orleans its first Business Talk format. When it signed on January 20, 1947, it used the call sign WJMR owned by George Mayoral and broadcast from the Jung Hotel. WJMR would become the sister station of WJMR-FM and WJMR-TV (New Orleans' second television station in 1953).
In the mid-1950s it was home to "Poppa Stoppa" whose program featured long runs of uninterrupted Rock and Roll music. When WJMR-TV was sold the station call sign was changed to WNNR (Winner Radio). The station briefly became WLTS in the fall of 1984. On June 4, 1985 it became WYAT (capitalizing on the local street expression "Where y'at?"), broadcasting a syndicated Oldies format with some local D.J.s during the day.
On December 1, 1993 the station became WGSO, broadcasting an audio feed of CNN's Headline News. From 2001 until Hurricane Katrina in 2005 the station was billed as "City Business 990," touting its relationship with the local "City Business" newspaper. 2004-2006 was known as "BizRadio 990" During this time there were local hosts during the day and syndicated programming and CNN newscasts overnight.
Post Katrina (2007), the station used the "Voice of the Northshore" moniker, aiming its news & traffic reports at St. Tammany Parish. This was problematic, as the station's signal on the Northshore of Lake Pontchartrain is weak during the day and practically unlistenable at nighttime power. By 2009, the station changed management and adapted "Speakin' Easy New Orleans Style" as their moniker. Their lineup includes local programming during the day (including Eric Asher and Kaare Johnson, who moved over in late 2012 when GHB Broadcasting sold WIST) and syndicated programs at night, such as Michael Savage, Joy Browne, and Ronald Hoffman.
Transmitter
The transmission power of WGSO is 1,000 watts day and 400 watts night. At all times omnidirectional pattern is used. The antenna of WGSO is unique, as it uses not a mast radiator situated on the ground, but instead a mast radiator on the top of a building situated at 29° 57' 24.00" N, 90 ° 04' 34.00" W.
On June 2, 2014 WGSO was granted a Federal Communications Commission construction permit to move to a new transmitter site, decrease day power to 600 watts and decrease night power to 310 watts. The permit expires on June 2, 2017.[1]