WOR (AM)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WOR | |
 |
|
| Broadcast area | New York, New York |
|---|---|
| Branding | WOR Radio 710 AM |
| Slogan | Real Life. Real People. Real Talk Radio. |
| First air date | February 22, 1922 |
| Frequency | 710 (kHz)  |
| Format | News/Traffic/Talk |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| Class | A |
| Callsign meaning | World Of Radio |
| Owner | Buckley Broadcasting |
| Website | wor710.com |
WOR is a class A (nighttime clear channel), AM radio station located in New York, New York, USA, operating on 710 kHz. The station has a talk format and has been owned by Buckley Broadcasting since 1987, after the station was sold by RKO. Its call letters are said to stand for World Of Radio.
Contents |
[edit] History
WOR began broadcasting on February 22, 1922 using a 500 watt transmitter on 833 kHz from Bamberger's Department Store in Newark, New Jersey. Bamberger's sale of radio sets to consumers explained their affiliation with the station. The WOR call sign was reissued from the U.S. maritime radio service. The station initially operated limited hours, sharing time with two other stations, WDT-AM and WJY-AM, which also operated on 833 kHz. After changing frequency to 740 kHz in 1924 and sharing time with WJY, WOR occupied its current channel in 1927 on a full-time basis.
In 1934, WOR formed the Mutual Broadcasting System and became its keystone station. In 1941 the station changed its city of license from Newark to New York City. In 1959 WOR ended its relationship with Mutual and became an independent station.
In 1949 WOR started a sister TV station, WOR-TV, on channel 9. This station became WWOR-TV after it and WOR were sold to separate companies in 1987.
From the 1930s to the early 1980s, WOR was a free-flowing full service station. There was an emphasis on news reports and talk programs, but music was played also, usually a blend of pop standards and adult contemporary cuts.
From 1983 to around 1985, WOR stopped playing music altogether, as they evolved to an almost complete talk format.
WOR's most renowned program was its morning show, Rambling with Gambling, which aired continuously from March 1925 to September 2000 across three generations of hosts: John B. Gambling, John A. Gambling, and John R. Gambling. After John R. Gambling's edition of the show was unceremoneously dropped, he moved to WABC where he hosts a late morning show. Although never a favorite of young listeners, WOR was this group's radio station of record in the New York Metropolitan area whenever winter unleashed its snowy fury. Students of all ages dialed up 710-AM on their radios as John A. Gambling dutifully announced a comprehensive list of school closings for New York, northern New Jersey and southern Connecticut, in strict alphabetical order.
Today, WOR is a news and talk radio station. It broadcasts 24 hours per day with 50,000 watts using a three-tower directional antenna with a single radiation pattern, both day and night. Its transmitter is located in Lyndhurst, New Jersey. It is the only New York City AM station to have retained its original three-letter call sign, which are the oldest continually used ones in the New York City area.
On April 30, 2005, WOR moved its offices and studios from 1440 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan where it had been based for 80 years to a new facility at 111 Broadway in Downtown Manhattan. In a press release, Richard Buckley, president of WOR's owner, Buckley Broadcasting, cited that the main reason WOR moved was because the new New York Times building currently being built on 8th Avenue would block WOR's STL (Studio to Transmitter Link) from the main studio in Manhattan to their transmitter. The move was very controversial, but they managed it.
[edit] WOR Radio Schedule
- 12-5 AM Joey Reynolds
- 5-9 AM The WOR Morning Show with Joe Bartlett and Donna Hanover
- 9-11 AM Joan Hamburg
- 11 AM-12 PM Food Talk
- 12 PM-2 PM Dr. Joy Browne (first two hours)
- 2-4 PM Bill O'Reilly's The Radio Factor
- 4-6 PM Ellis Henican and Lynne White
- 6-9 PM Michael Savage
- 9 PM-11 PM Lionel Show (first two hours)
- 11 PM-12 AM Health Talk with Dr. Ronald Hoffman
[edit] WOR Radio Network
WOR is the flagship station for the WOR Radio Network. The network distributes nationally syndicated programming, all from the WOR studios in New York.
[edit] Noted WOR talk radio personalities, past and present
Other notable WOR program hosts have included:
- Arlene Francis
- Bernard Meltzer
- Michael Strange
- Carlton Fredericks
- Jinx Falkenberg
- "Uncle Don" Carney
- Joe Franklin
- Jean Shepherd
- Barry Farber
- Lisa G
- Bob and Ray
- Long John Nebel
- Barry Gray
- Joy Browne
- Jay Diamond
- Joan Rivers
- Bob Grant
- Lionel
- Bill O'Reilly
- Michael Savage
[edit] External links
- WOR AM
- WOR AM History
- WOR News Historical Profile & Interviews - 1978
- Query the FCC's AM station database for WOR
