rome branding talkradio 1450 wkal frequency 1450 khz first air date november 25 1946 1 format talk radio power 1 000 watts class c facility id 72067 transmitter coordinates 43 12 18.00 n 75 28 48.00 w 43.2050000 n 75.4800000 w 43.2050000 ; 75.4800000 callsign meaning kallet family original owners 1 former callsigns wkal 1946 1988 wfrg 1988 1991 wzlb 1991 1993 wfrg 1993 wodz 1993 1996 wfry 1996 1997 wodz 1997 1999 wyfy 1999 2011 wruy 2011 2012 affiliations abc news radio 2 owner tune in broadcasting llc webcast listen live website www.wkal1450.com wkal 1450 am ; talkradio 1450 is a radio station licensed to rome new york usa and serving the utica rome radio market . the station is owned by tune in broadcasting llc a company based in santa clarita california . it broadcasts a talk radio format with an emphasis toward rome area sports . 3 history edit wkal signed on november 25 1946 1 as a mutual affiliate owned by the copper city broadcasting corporation . 4 copper city broadcasting was itself owned by myron kallet who also controlled a chain of theaters that included the capitol theatre in rome 5 where wkal placed its studios . 4 the station was the second station in utica rome after wibx which had already been on the air for two decades . 5 kallet would also expand into television on december 1 1949 when wktv then at channel 13 ; later on channel 2 went on the air from utica . 5 in 1958 kallet sold wkal and wktv to a group led by paul harron and gordon gray who had previously owned wibg am fm in philadelphia and wpfh in wilmington delaware . 6 the group mid new york broadcasting changed the station s affiliation to abc radio by 1959 ; 7 it then sold wkal to jackson maurer former owner of whkk in akron ohio in 1961 . 8 the sale separated the station from wktv which remained under harron ownership until 1992 . in 1962 wkal reaffiliated with mutual ; 9 by 1964 the abc affiliation had ceased 10 and by 1967 the station s studios had left the capitol theatre for its transmitter location on south jay street . 11 an fm sister station wkal fm was started in august 1968 12 on 95.9 fm as a simulcast of the am station . 13 during this time wkal s music programming included blocks devoted to middle of the road music country music and top 40 . in 1977 wkal fm dropped the am simulcast in favor of beautiful music . 14 maurer broadcasting corporation sold wkal am fm to wooster republican publishing company of wooster ohio in 1980 . 15 by 1983 wkal had an adult contemporary format ; 16 two years later the station along with what had become wtco were acquired by howard green and donald simmons owner of weny am tv and wlez in elmira and wond and wmgm fm tv in atlantic city new jersey . 17 by then wkal had an oldies format . 18 target communications bought wkal and its fm sister station which had reverted to wkal fm from green and simmons in 1987 ; 19 soon after taking over on february 1 1988 the station s call sign was changed to wfrg 20 and it began simulcasting the 96 frog country music format of the fm station which had become wfrg fm at 96.1 . 21 the am call letters were changed to wzlb on november 29 1991 22 and the station briefly resumed separate programming with an oldies format ; 23 on may 15 1993 the station reverted to the wfrg call sign 22 and returned to simulcasting wfrg fm . target communications eventually became arrow communications which went into receivership in 1992 ; 24 in november 1993 wfrg am fm was purchased by forever broadcasting 12 which renamed the stations wodz and launched an oldies format with the country format and wfrg fm call letters moving to 104.3 fm . 25 the am call letters changed again on november 25 1996 this time to wfry ; 22 this was to warehouse the call letters for a sister station in watertown 26 and the call letters were reverted to wodz on february 14 1997 . 22 forever sold the station to the bible broadcasting network bbn in 1999 ; 27 after the sale was completed that may the station became wyfy and replaced the simulcast of wodz fm with a 24 hour broadcast of bbn s satellite fed religious programming . 22 28 bbn sold the station to tune in broadcasting in 2011 ; tune in chose to return the station to commercial operation 29 forcing wyfy to leave the air following the completion of the sale on may 6 2011 as only noncommercial stations can maintain main studios outside of their broadcast area the former studios at the transmitter site in rome were demolished . 30 31 in addition bbn retained the wyfy call letters ; 29 as a result the station was renamed wruy swapping with the construction permit for a bbn station in cambridge ohio . 22 32 wruy tested its signal with public service announcements and station identification which claimed service to the nearby syracuse market in late february 2012 33 but on april 1 the call letters were changed back to wkal . 22 the station returned to the air again on may 4 2012 34 but went silent three days later due to technical difficulties . 35 wkal again resumed broadcasting on april 24 2013 36 with nostalgia programming from the 1920s radio network as well as a station identification announcing that the station was conducting an engineering test broadcast and that a brand new wkal would launch soon . 37 however on may 8 2013 satellite problems an interference complaint and the theft of copper strapping from the station s tower led wkal to again leave the air . 38 following further test broadcasts wkal finally resumed regular broadcasts march 11 2014 . 39 the station s current format provides a mix of lifestyle and regular talk radio primarily syndicated with two local hourlong shows in afternoon drive time and also provides coverage of rome free academy athletics . wkal is affiliated with abc news radio and cable radio networks . 2 references edit a b c potw vintage wkal sign discovered 2011 . cnyradio.com . retrieved april 15 2012 . a b wkal am radio station returns to rome airwaves . oneida daily dispatch . march 12 2014 . retrieved march 13 2014 . http www.wktv.com news local wkal is back on the air and ready to bring local sports news 249587611.html a b broadcasting yearbook 1948 pdf . 1948 . p. 178 . retrieved april 15 2012 . a b c joseph trela . utica am radio . retrieved april 15 2012 . closed circuit pdf . broadcasting . november 10 1958 . p. 5 . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting yearbook 1960 pdf . 1960 . p. a 197 . retrieved april 15 2012 . changing hands pdf . broadcasting . may 22 1961 . p. 52 . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting yearbook 1963 pdf . 1963 . p. b 126 . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting yearbook 1965 pdf . 1965 . p. b 107 . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting yearbook 1968 pdf . 1968 . p. b 114 . retrieved april 15 2012 . a b broadcasting & cable yearbook 1999 pdf . 1999 . p. d 311 . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting yearbook 1969 pdf . 1969 . p. b 117 . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting yearbook 1977 pdf . 1977 . p. c 146 . retrieved april 15 2012 . changing hands pdf . broadcasting . august 4 1980 . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting cablecasting yearbook 1984 pdf . 1984 . p. b 179 . retrieved april 15 2012 . changing hands pdf . broadcasting . december 10 1984 . p. 92 . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting cablecasting yearbook 1987 pdf . 1987 . p. b 200 . retrieved april 15 2012 . changing hands pdf . broadcasting . september 21 1987 . p. 74 . retrieved april 15 2012 . call letters pdf . broadcasting . february 8 1988 . p. 114 . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting cablecasting yearbook 1989 pdf . 1989 . p. b 207 . retrieved april 15 2012 . a b c d e f g call sign history . cdbs public access . federal communications commission . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting & cable yearbook 1993 pdf . 1993 . p. b 250 . retrieved april 16 2012 . application search details . cdbs public access . federal communications commission . retrieved april 15 2012 . broadcasting & cable yearbook 1994 pdf . 1994 . p. b 259 . retrieved april 15 2012 . fybush scott march 5 1997 . praise pirates and more . north east radiowatch . retrieved april 15 2012 . fybush scott january 8 1999 . snowbound . north east radiowatch . retrieved april 15 2012 . fybush scott may 14 1999 . cbm leaves 940 . north east radiowatch . retrieved april 15 2012 . a b seyler dave february 16 2011 . tune in broadcasting reclaims one from the noncoms . radio business report . retrieved april 15 2012 . q & a why has rome s wruy been silent since may . cnyradio.com . october 10 2011 . retrieved april 15 2012 . fcc approves more silence for rome s wruy . cnyradio.com . february 15 2012 . retrieved april 15 2012 . wyfy s new call letters wruy . cnyradio.com . may 17 2011 . retrieved april 15 2012 . brief signs of progress for rome s wruy . cnyradio.com . february 27 2012 . retrieved april 15 2012 . frisch ron may 4 2012 . resumption of operations 1 . cdbs public access . federal communications commission . retrieved june 23 2013 . frisch ron may 16 2012 . notification of suspension of operations request for silent sta 1 . cdbs public access . federal communications commission . retrieved june 23 2013 . frisch ron may 6 2013 . resumption of operations 2 . cdbs public access . federal communications commission . retrieved june 23 2013 . rome s wkal 1450 back on the air days before fcc deadline audio . cnyradio.com . may 5 2013 . retrieved june 23 2012 . frisch ron june 10 2013 . notification of suspension of operations request for silent sta 2 . cdbs public access . federal communications commission . retrieved june 23 2013 . http www.uticaod.com article 20140311 news 140319852 external links edit official website query the fcc s am station database for wkal radio locator information on wkal query nielsen audio s am station database for wkal v t e radio stations in the utica rome new york market by am frequency 570 950 1230 1310 1350 1420 1450 by fm frequency 88.1 88.7 89.5 89.9 90.3 90.7 91.5 91.7 91.9 92.7 93.5 94.9 96.1 96.9 97.3 97.9 98.7 99.7 100.3 100.7 101.9 102.5 103.5 104.3 105.5 107.3 by callsign w201bs w238ca warw wbgk wfrg fm whcl fm whih lp wibx wixt wjiv wkal wkll wkvu wlzw wmvn wnrs wodz fm wopg fm wour wpnr fm wqbj wrny wrun wrvn wsks wsku wsyr wtlb wumx wuny wutq fm wvhc wxlb wxur defunct stations 1150 wuti 1480 wadr 1550 wusp new york radio markets albany schenectady troy binghamton buffalo niagara falls elmira corning hudson valley nassau suffolk long island new york city olean plattsburgh poughkeepsie rochester syracuse utica rome watertown other new york radio regions ithaca jamestown dunkirk north country saratoga see also list of radio stations in new york v t e news talk radio stations in the state