WORL (AM)

WORL (950 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Orlando, Florida, United States. It serves Central Florida, including the Greater Orlando radio market. The station is owned by the Salem Media Group and airs a conservative talk radio format known as "AM 950 and FM 94.9 The Answer."

WORL
CityOrlando, Florida
Broadcast areaGreater Orlando
Frequency950 kHz
BrandingAM 950 and FM 94.9 The Answer
SloganNews Opinion Passion
Programming
FormatConservative talk
Ownership
OwnerSalem Media Group
(Salem Communications Holding Corporation)
WTLN
History
First air date
October 26, 1940 (as WLOF at 1200)
Former call signs
WLOF (1940–1984)
WBJW (1984–1989)
WOMX (1989–1995)
WZKD (1995–1998)
WTLN (1998–2019)
WDYZ (2019)
Former frequencies
1200 kHz (1940–1941)
1230 kHz (1941–1949)
Call sign meaning
W ORLando
Technical information
Facility ID48731
ClassB
Power12,000 watts day
5,000 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
28°32′8.00″N 81°26′56.00″W
Translator(s)94.9 W235CR (Orlando)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitetheanswerorlando.com

WORL is powered at 12,000 watts by day and, because radio waves travel farther at night, 5,000 watts after sunset to avoid interfering with other stations on AM 950. The transmitter is off Ring Road in Orlando.[1] Programming is also heard on a 225 watt FM translator, 94.9 W235CR in Orlando.[2]

Programming

WORL carries most of the national Salem Radio Network hosts: Hugh Hewitt, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Jay Sekulow, Sebastian Gorka, Larry Elder and Joe Walsh. A local afternoon drive time show is hosted by Chris Hart. Weekends feature shows on money, health, gardening, guns and old time radio shows. Some weekend shows are paid brokered programming. WORL is also the Orlando area affiliate for the Tampa Bay Rays Radio Network. Most hours begin with news from Townhall, a subsidiary of Salem Media.

History

WLOF

WORL originally signed on as WLOF, Orlando's second radio station.[3] It signed on the air on October 26, 1940. WLOF broadcast at 250 watts on 1200 kilocycles. It was owned by Hazelwood, Inc., and was an NBC Blue Network affiliate, carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio." With the enactment of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) in 1941, it moved to 1230 kHz.

The switch to 950 kHz was completed in 1949. It continued to broadcast under the WLOF call sign until 1984. During the 1960s and 1970s, WLOF was the leading Top 40 station in Orlando.[4] The WLOF call letters are now used by a Catholic radio station in Buffalo, New York.

WBJW and WOMX

During the 1980s and early 90s, the station simulcast two FM stations. From 1984 to 1989, it was WBJW, airing a Top 40 sound.

From 1989 to 1995, it switched its call letters to WOMX. The station aired the same programming as WOMX-FM 105.1, playing hot adult contemporary music.[5]

WZKD

Owner NewCity Communications switched the station to children's radio. It affiliated with the Radio AAHS Network on December 15, 1994.[6] The FCC granted the station's call sign change to WZKD in mid-April 1995.

The week of April 14, 1995, WZKD's morning program, Jammin' Jo Jo, increased its length by an hour. The station then built new permanent studios that would allow for tours, which the station expected to be in by mid-May.[5] They hired local kids for specials and features and added Tommy's Clubhouse, a local weekend show. The week of August 4, 1995, the station opened up its studios up for visitors. Given Orlando's past with children's radio, even before NewCity launched a television advertising campaign in August, the station was in the top five AAHS stations in calls to the network.[6]

In January 1997, Cox Radio, Inc. received FTC approval of its purchase of Newcity Communications, including WZKD, initiated in May 1996.[7] In January 1998, Radio AAHS stopped broadcasting.[8]

WTLN

In 1998, the station was bought for $500,000 by TM2, Inc.[9] The call sign was switched to WTLN and the format flipped to Christian talk and teaching. In 2005, the station changed hands again. Salem bought it for $9.5 million.[10] Salem kept the Christian format in place, but added many of the national religious hosts found on other Salem stations.

For a time, programming on WTLN was simulcast on AM 1520 WHIM in Apopka. WHIM is now WNDO, airing a Haitian Creole format and no longer owned by Salem Media.

WORL

On August 5, 2019, WTLN dropped its Christian talk and teaching format and began stunting. A continuous loop of announcements redirected listeners to 990 AM and FM 101.5, with the WTLN call sign moving to 990 AM.[11][12] 950 AM took on 990's former WDYZ call sign the next day.

On August 19, 2019, WDYZ ended stunting and picked up "The Answer" conservative talk format, which moved from 660 AM. That station was acquired by JVC Media, owners of country music station WOTW; JVC also acquired the WDYZ call sign.[13] AM 950's call sign became WORL, which had previously been used for the conservative talk format on AM 660.[14]

Previous logos
WTLN’s logo prior to FM simulcast on 94.9 FM

References
  1. Radio-Locator.com/WORL
  2. Radio-Locator.com/W235CR
  3. Broadcasting Yearbook 1941 page 112
  4. WLOF Channel 95 opening page
  5. "Stern Sidekick Robin Quivers Soft-pedals His Shocking Ways". Orlando Sentinel. April 14, 1995. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  6. "Wzkd Kids Radio Starts Big Ad Campaign". Orlando Sentinel. August 4, 1995. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  7. "Cox Wins DOJ Clearance In Florida" (PDF). Radio and Records. January 10, 1997. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  8. "ABC Radio Loses Contract Lawsuit". The New York Times. October 1, 1998. p. 4. Retrieved September 3, 2011.
  9. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 page D-97
  10. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page D-146
  11. Salem Begins Orlando Format Shuffle Radioinsight - August 6, 2019
  12. FCC.gov/WTLN
  13. The Answer Completes Its Move In Orlando Radioinsight - August 19, 2019
  14. FCC.gov/WORL
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