WLAD
WLAD (800 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Danbury, Connecticut. It broadcasts a talk format.[1] WLAD is owned by Berkshire Broadcasting. The studios and offices are located on Mill Plain Road in Danbury. The transmitter is off Brushy Hill Road, also in Danbury.[2]
City | Danbury, Connecticut |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Danbury, Connecticut |
Frequency | 800 kHz (C-QUAM AM Stereo) |
Slogan | News, Talk, Sports |
Programming | |
Language(s) | English |
Format | News/talk |
Affiliations | |
Ownership | |
Owner | The Berkshire Broadcasting Corporation |
History | |
First air date | October 5, 1947 |
Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 65456 |
Class | B |
Power | |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°22′27″N 73°26′47″W |
Translator(s) | 94.1 W231DJ (Danbury) |
Links | |
Public license information | Profile LMS |
Website | wlad |
WLAD airs a local morning news and information show on weekdays, hosted by Dave Rinelli and Bart Busterna, with newscaster Jillian Mauro and weathercaster Gary Lessor. They are followed by nationally syndicated talk shows the rest of the day, including Brian Kilmeade, Rush Limbaugh, Todd Schnitt, Dave Ramsey, Jim Bohannon and America in The Morning.[3] WLAD also broadcasts New York Giants football games.
Programming on Saturdays and Sundays consists largely of music and entertainment shows, including "American Top 40" hosted by Casey Kasem and "Hollywood 360" hosted by Carl Amari among many others. "The Big Show", hosted locally by Busterna on Saturday mornings, features interviews with personalities from the music and sports worlds.
WLAD operates at 1,000 watts using a non-directional antenna; but because 800 AM is a clear channel frequency reserved for Mexico, WLAD must reduce power at night to 286 watts. In early 2017, WLAD began simulcasting on an FM translator, W231DJ at 94.1 MHz.[4]
History
WLAD first signed on the air on October 5, 1947.[5] At first, the station broadcast with only 250 watts of power as a daytime-only station.[6] It later increased its power to 1,000 watts by day, but it took until the 1980s for it to get nighttime authorization. In 1953, the station signed on an FM sister station, 98.3 WLAD-FM, which is today WDAQ. For most of its history, WLAD broadcast a full service middle of the road music format, including the local call-in talk show "Dialogue 80" hosted by Rhoda Daum from 1978-1988,[7] but in the 1990s, it shifted to its current format of full-time talk radio on weekdays.
Translator
Call sign | Frequency (MHz) | City of license | Facility ID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W231DJ | 94.1 | Danbury, Connecticut | 156264 | 99 | D | 41°22′27″N 73°26′47″W | FCC |
References
- "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
- Radio-Locator.com
- http://www.wlad.com/
- FCC.gov
- Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-35
- "WLAD at Danbury, Conn., 250-w Daytimer, Starts" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 27, 1947. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- "Obituary of Rhoda Fenster Daum Kenner". Associated Press. February 2, 1996. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
External links
- WLAD in the FCC's AM station database
- WLAD on Radio-Locator
- WLAD in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FCC History Cards for WLAD
- W231DJ in the FCC's FM station database
- W231DJ on Radio-Locator