WNTN

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WNTN
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 daytime-only, 10,000 watt, omni-directional radio station licensed to the city of Newton, Massachusetts, serving the greater Boston area. 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 a "middle of the road" format. After a year of poor ratings, managment was convinced, in 1969, to initiate an original format of free-form "Adult Rock" after 2 PM, somewhat similar in style to the radio industries current adult album alternative format. WNTN's post 2 PM programming featured an eclectic, rock-based format mixed with folk music, progressive rock, soul music, jazz fusion and various other musical genres. With FM radios still a rarity in cars at the time, the station received a boost in listenership and notoriety, primarilly due to the Boston area's high concentration of college students and musicians. The "free-form rock" hours were later increased to include the entire broadcast day. Two of the earliest members of the staff were Music Director John Gorman, and afternoon host Denny Sanders, both of whom later relocated to Cleveland, and were instrumental in the rise of that city's infuential WMMS in the early 1970s.

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 television 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 Boston University 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

• Official website
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WNTN