WARM (AM)

WARM (590 AM) is a radio station licensed to the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania and serves the Scranton-Wilkes Barre radio market. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media. The station is a Class B AM broadcasting station according to the Federal Communications Commission. WARM broadcasts with a power of 1,800 watts during the daytime and 430 watts at night with two different directional antenna signal patterns for each. Both antenna patterns are aimed primarily towards the southeast with some signal aimed towards the northwest from its transmitting facility located 15 miles northwest of Scranton in Falls, Pennsylvania. WARM uses three, originally five, 495 feet high broadcasting towers to transmit its signal from that location; the change to three towers occurred concurrently with a reduction in power from 5,000 watts. The station used to derive a portion of its programming from Scott Shannon's The True Oldies Channel from Cumulus Media Networks.[1]

WARM
CityScranton, Pennsylvania
Broadcast areaScranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton
Frequency590 kHz
BrandingSportsradio 590
Programming
FormatSports
AffiliationsCBS Sports Radio
Ownership
OwnerCumulus Media
(Radio License Holding CBC, LLC)
WBHD/WBHT, WBSX, WMGS, WSJR
History
First air date
1940
Technical information
Facility ID70504
ClassB
Power1,800 watts (daytime)
430 watts (nighttime)
Transmitter coordinates
41.478554°N 75.876442°W / 41.478554; -75.876442
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitesportsradio590am.com

History

WARM has a long and distinguished history in northeastern Pennsylvania broadcasting. It was the predominant Top 40 format music station in the area during the 1960s and into the 1970s. It was known during this era as "The Mighty 590".[2] WARM has held its original call sign since it signed on the AM broadcast band in 1940.[3] However, the station originally broadcast on a frequency of 1400 kHz during its early years.[4] The station was an affiliate of the ABC radio network since the 1940s. After Citadel Broadcasting bought ABC Radio Networks in 2007, WARM became an ABC Radio O&O station. Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[5]

For a time in April 2009, WARM left the air due to transmitter problems; the station then announced that it had no plans to return.[6] The host of the station's polka show told a reporter, "Unless there's a miracle, they ain't coming back."[7] However, on April 23, WARM returned to the air, still airing its oldies format.[8] On September 15, 2014 WARM went silent again, due to a transmitter failure.[9] On November 24, 2014 an application was filed with the FCC to lower power from 5,000 watts during day and night to 1,800 watts daytime and 430 watts night-time using 3 of the 5 towers.[10] The station resumed broadcasting in December 2014 and is now an affiliate of CBS Sports Radio.

References
  1. "Radio Stations". Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel. Archived from the original on July 28, 2008. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
  2. "IAP: Information Age Publishing". infoagepub.com.
  3. AOL. "News, Sports, Weather, Entertainment, Local & Lifestyle - AOL". AOL.com.
  4. AOL. "News, Sports, Weather, Entertainment, Local & Lifestyle - AOL". AOL.com.
  5. "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  6. "WARM Radio Ceases Broadcasting". WNEP. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
  7. "WARM, once-hot station, goes cold". The Times-Leader. Archived from the original on April 19, 2009.
  8. "WARM Is Back". WNEP. April 23, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  9. Jim Lockwood (October 22, 2014). "The sound of radio silence: WARM transmitter fails, station off air". Scranton Times-Tribune. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  10. http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=70504
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