WFTL
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Broadcast area | West Palm Beach, Florida |
|---|---|
| Branding | "News-Talk Eight-Five-Oh, WFTL" |
| First air date | 1948 |
| Frequency | 850 kHz |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Callsign meaning | Fort Lauderdale |
| Owner | James Crystal Radio Group |
| Website | 850 WFTL [1] |
WFTL is an AM radio station operating out of West Palm Beach, Florida, broadcasting news and talk radio. Its signal is located at 850 KHz and broadcasts at 50,000 watts, so it covers nearly all of South Florida. It is currently operated by the James Crystal Radio Group. It is one of only 2 news/talk/information stations in the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton radio market (#46). http://cclamp.radioandrecords.com/RRRatings_EM/DetailsPage.aspx?MID=270&RY=2006&RQ=2&MP=0&OTHER=2&MN=West%20Palm%20Beach-Boca%20Raton&MS=FL&MR=46&12P=1098000&UP=7/26/2006&SU=CM&BPER=13.9&HPER=14.6&OPER=&NSD=9/1/2006&CE=0 It is the third highest ranked English speaking news/talk/information station in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood radio market (#12). http://cclamp.radioandrecords.com/RRRatings_EM/DetailsPage.aspx?MID=164&RY=2006&RQ=2&MP=0&OTHER=2&MN=Miami-Ft.%20Lauderdale-Hollywood&MS=FL&MR=12&12P=3505100&UP=7/26/2006&SU=CM&BPER=20.3&HPER=46.1&OPER=&NSD=8/25/2006&CE=0
Contents |
[edit] Programming
Mitchell & Morley in the Morning (6 a.m. - 9 a.m.) news, traffic, interviews, sports scores with commentary, and pop culture fun. Hosted by Florida TV veteran Kelley Mitchell and Russ Morley
Dr. Laura (9 am - Noon)
Bill O'Reilly (Noon - 2 pm)
Joyce Kaufman (2 pm - 4 pm)
Jerry Doyle (4 pm - 6 pm)
Michael Savage (6 pm - 9 pm)
Laura Ingraham (9 pm - midnight)
Alan Colmes (midnight - 1 am)
Joey Reynolds (1 am - 5 am)
Wall Street Journal, This Morning (5 am - 6 am)
[edit] Timeline
1948 -- originally an NBC affiliate, airing everything from NBC Theater to Eddie Cantor.[1]
prior to October 1, 1982 -- format was country music.
October 1, 1982 -- became news/talk
April 16, 1984 -- became adult contemporary WCGY, 60's and 70's music with 25% current music.[2]
prior to April 1985 -- station was once again known as WEAT and simulcasting WEAT-FM's Easy 104 format.[3]
March 1992 -- WEAT-FM switches to Adult Contemporary. According to the Sun-Sentinel, on the AM side, WEAT (AM 850) has adopted a more conservative easy-listening format to keep the station's 45-and-older listeners. The studios have been re-equipped for digital sound, with all the music on compact disc and all the commercials run from a computer hard drive.[4]
July 1994 -- switches to all-news format [5]
November 2000 -- Jack Cole, formerly of WJNO begins a daily hour long show.[6]
October 2001 -- Jack Cole leaves the air becauise of a brain tumor.[7] He died three months later.[8]
October 2003 -- becomes "Live 85" with call letters WFTL, swapping with a Ft. Lauderdale station at 1400. Live 85 was an all-news format. [9]
August 2005 -- becomes NewsTalk 8-5-oh WFTL after a FAILED all news format. New slogan adopted as "Bigger, Better, Smarter"
[edit] Ownership
prior to October 1, 1982 -- station was owned by billionaire John D. MacArthur and was paired with WEAT-FM (Easy 104.3) for many years.
October 1986 -- sportscaster Curt Gowdy sells station to J.J. Taylor Companies Inc. of North Dartmouth, Mass., for an undisclosed price.[10]
October 1995 -- sold with WEAT-FM to OmniAmerica Group of Cleveland for an estimated $18 million.[11]
May 1996 -- sold with seven other stations for $178 million to Chancellor Broadcasting Co.[12]
June 1996 -- sold with WEAT-FM 104.3 and WOLL-FM 94.3 to American Radio Systems of Boston.
May 1997 -- WEAT-AM was initially sold with WKGR 98.7, WOLL 94.3, WBZT 1290 to Bud Paxon for $33 million, but at the last minute WEAT-AM was eliminated from the deal.[13]
April 1998 -- station sold to James Hilliard's James Crystal Enterprises for 1.5 million, changes call letters to WDJA. (Dow Jones Averages) to which respectively, the station became a moneytalk station. [14]
[edit] References
- ^ Live From Belle Glade It's Sweet 'Sugar 900' | The Palm Beach Post | October 4, 1997 | Author: Charles Passy
- ^ Radio Station Does It With Doo-Wop Ditties Miami Herald, The (FL) December 6, 1984 Author: Linda Thornton Herald Staff Writer
- ^ TV, Radio To Offer Multitude Of Games Miami Herald, The (FL)April 7, 1985
- ^ Weat Changes Format, Pursues 25-To-54 Market | Sun-Sentinel | March 26, 1992 | Author: Pat Curry
- ^ WEAT Changes to News Format | Sun-Sentinel | July 30, 1994 | Pat Curry
- ^ Dershowitz Finds Recount Saga Positively Biblical | The Palm Beach Post | November 14, 2000 | Author: Thom Smith
- ^ Boss Called, and Clemonds Went - to N.Y. | Palm Beach Post, The (FL) | October 2, 2001
- ^ Jack Cole Reigned Over Local Radio Since the '80s - 1938-2002 | Palm Beach Post, The (Fl) | January 9, 2002 | Author: Thom Smith, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
- ^ WFTL shifts to all news Fort Pierce Tribune (FL) October 9, 2003 Author: Bob Betcher staff writer
- ^ Curt Gowdy Sells Two Radio Stations | Sun-Sentinel | October 11, 1986 | Author: Marcia H. Pounds, Business Writer
- ^ A Wave Of Radio Sales Echoes The Sound Of Money | The Palm Beach Post | October 23, 1995 | Author: Mitch Mckenney
- ^ Firm Buys 8 OmniAmerica Stations | The Palm Beach Post | May 16, 1996 | Author: Mitch McKenney
- ^ Lost in Paxon Suffle, WEAT Is Still For Sale | The Palm Beach Post | December 15, 1997
- ^ Fairbanks Selling Six Local Radio Stations | The Palm Beach Post | April 22, 1998 | Author: Julie Waresh
[edit] External links
850 WFTL [2]
WFTL History from South Florida Radio Pages, including old WFTL 1400 [3]
By frequency: (FM) 88.1 | 89.3 | 89.9 | 90.7 | 92.1 | 94.3 | 95.5 | 97.9 | 98.7 | 102.3 | 103.1 | 104.3 | 105.5 | 106.3 | 107.9
(AM) 560 | 610 | 640 | 640 | 670 | 710 740 | 760 | 850 | 940 | 980 | 1000 | 1040 | 1190 | 1230 | 1290 | 1340 | 1380 | 1420 | 1470 | 1600
By callsign: WAQI | WAYF | WBZT | WCNO | WDJA | WEAT | WEFL | WFTL | WHSR | WINZ | WIOD | WIRK | WJBW | WJBW | WJNA | WJNA | WJNO | WKGR | WLDI | WLVJ | WMBX | WMNE | WOLL | WPBR | WPBZ | WPSP | WQAM | WRLX | WRMB | WRMF | WSBR | WWFE | WWNN | WWRF | WXEL | WZZR
