WNTN
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| City of license | Newton, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Branding | "1550 WNTN" |
| First air date | 1968 |
| Frequency | 1550 (kHz) |
| Format | Community programming, ethnic |
| Callsign meaning | NewToN |
| Owner | Colt Communications |
| Website | www.wntn.com |
WNTN is a radio station serving the city of Newton, Massachusetts. It broadcasts on 1550 kHz on the AM radio dial.
WNTN broadcasts a community based format that includes music, sports, talk and news shows. Much of the programming is aimed at the areas many ethnic cultures, including shows broadcast in Haitian Creole, Greek, Indian and Arabic languages. Programming is also produced for christian audiences and the areas large Irish population. Programming in the English language includes local daily talk show "1550 Today with Sybil Tonkonogy and Paul Roberts".
[edit] History
WNTN signed on April 1, 1968 broadcasting an a then original format of "Adult Rock", somewhat similar in style to the radio industries current adult album alternative format. WNTN had an eclectic format vaguely centered on the work of singer-songwriter artist mixed with folk music, progressive rock, soul music, jazz fusion and various other musical genres.
In 1977, the station became the first in the Boston radio market to adopt a disco music format. With its unique sound and popular disc jockeys, including Wendy Hunt and Vinnie 'Disco Vinnie' Peruzzi, WNTN experienced a ratings rise and attention from the areas newspapers and televison stations. The formats success, however, was short lived. By the spring of 1978 crosstown FM station WBOS began playing disco music in the evenings and adopted the format fulltime that autumn as "Disco 93". In addition, Wendy Hunt left WNTN to work at WBOS in 1978, followed by Vinnie Peruzzi who vacated in early 1979 to join another new FM disco station WXKS-FM "Kiss 108".
Unable to compete with the two FM disco music stations, WNTN switched its format to adult contemporary music mixed with local news and information in 1979.
In 1987, the station dropped music and changed to a talk radio format consisting of syndicated national talk shows with local and national news updates.
By the 1990s many local AM sations, including WNTN, experienced a downturn in advertising revenue. WNTN responded by adding leased-time programming, allowing groups and individuals to pay for an allotted amont of time on the station and program it to their taste. The station now airs a variety of talk and music shows aimed at numerous ethnicities and age groups.
[edit] Trivia
While a student at Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts during 1975, future famous shock jock Howard Stern was a on air personality at WNTN. According to Mr. Stern's 1993 autobiography Private Parts, WNTN was his first professional job in the radio industry. Mr. Stern reported, however, that the owner of WNTN at the time never paid him for his first weeks work.
[edit] External links
| AM radio stations in the Boston, Massachusetts region (Arbitron #11) | |
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