WSJW (AM)

WSJW
City Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Broadcast area Providence, Rhode Island
Frequency 550 kHz
First air date February 12, 1950[1]
Format Religious
Power 1,000 watts day
500 watts night
Class B
Facility ID 67578
Transmitter coordinates 41°54′18″N 71°23′58″W / 41.90500°N 71.39944°W / 41.90500; -71.39944 (WSJW)
Callsign meaning St. Joseph the Worker
Former callsigns WPAW (1950–1961)
WXTR (1961–1972)
WGNG (1972–1985)
WICE (1985–1995)
WPNW (1995–1997)
WLKW (1997–2000)
WICE (2000–2001)
WDDZ (2001–2011)
WBZS (2011–2012)
Owner Starboard Media Foundation
(Starboard Media Foundation, Inc.)
Website www.relevantradio.com

WSJW (550 AM) is a radio station licensed to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, serving the Providence area. Established in 1950 as WPAW, the station is owned by Starboard Media Foundation and airs Catholic talk programming.

History

In 1948, a construction permit was issued for 500 watts on 1380 kHz for Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The station went on the air in 1950 as WPAW, becoming WXTR on October 13, 1961. On March 25, 1972 the call letters changed to WGNG ("Gold-N-Great") with the station adopting an oldies format. It quickly switched to Top 40 in early 1973, then to "mellow rock" in the spring of 1977. Around 1980 the station returned to its "Gold-N-Great" format. The next callsign change occurred on Halloween 1985 when the station changed its call letters to WICE (which were vacated from 1290 in Providence). With a change in ownership and format it became a simulcast of Boston's all business-talk WBNW as WPNW. The WPNW call became official on June 16, 1995. After 2 years of business talk it changed on December 12, 1997 to WLKW. On July 17, 2000 the WICE calls returned, and on May 16, 2001, after joining Radio Disney, the station became WDDZ.[2] WPAW was originally on 1380 kHz until 1952, when it changed to the current 550 kHz.

The Walt Disney Company took WDDZ, and three other stations slated to be sold, off the air on September 30, 2010.[3] A deal to sell the station to Salem Communications was reached that November; after returning to the air, it ran in conjunction with Boston sister station WEZE (the descendant of WBNW).[4] The call letters were changed to WBZS on January 1, 2011,[2] when the WDDZ call letters were moved to the Radio Disney affiliate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.[5] The call sign changed to WSJW when the station was acquired by Starboard Media Foundation[6] and the format changed to Catholic radio on March 17, 2012.[7]

References

  1. ↑ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-390. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  2. 1 2 "WSJW Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ↑ Fybush, Scott (September 27, 2010). "Disney Shutters AMs in RI, CT". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved September 27, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Radio Disney spins another AM". Radio Business Report. November 10, 2010. Retrieved November 10, 2010.
  5. ↑ Fybush, Scott (January 3, 2011). "New Year Dawns with Format Changes". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Media Bureau Call Sign Actions" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. March 9, 2012. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  7. ↑ http://www.fybush.com/nerw.html


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