WCNL

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WCNL is an AM radio station located at 1010 on the AM dial, licensed to Newport, New Hampshire. It was New Hampshire's first radio station. The studios are located on Main Street in Newport, and its on-air slogan is Country 1010.

[edit] History

WCNL went on the air as a 250w daytimer on 1010, before moving up the dial with 10,000 watts of daytime power on 1020 and changing call letters to WNTK. WNTK became a stand alone AM station when the original WCNL AM 1010 and WCNL-FM 101.7 were sold off to individual owners. WCNL-FM 101.7 became the original frequency for country formatted WXXK (Kixx). WNTK AM was fairly successful as a stand-alone AM talk signal. WNTK would eventually add a couple FM simulcast partners, with the first FM simultcast being on 100.5 FM then known as Paul Mataruso WNBX in Lebanon under a lease arrangement. WNTK received another simultcast partner, this time under the same ownership when the talk programming was broadcast over WNTK-FM99.7 in New London where the talk format remains today.

WNTK-AM was one of the early stations on board with the Rush Limbaugh Show, and was a huge catalyst in drawing listeners to the station. In fact, the station took advantage of Rush's popularity and even had a lifesize cardboard cutout of Rush which was brought to station live broadcasts. The owner, himself, was known to take Polaroid shots for listeners to keep while taking a picture with the Rush cutout. This cardboard cut of Rush was way before he 'slimmed down'. When Clear Channel bought WTSL-AM in Hanover NH, The Rush Limbaugh Show migrated to the much weaker 1400 signal, since The Rush Limbaugh Show's parent company was owned by Clear Channel. This was amid strong protests from the WNTK owner citing being an early and loyal affiliate, plus WNTK's strong 10,000 watt signal against WTSL's weaker 1000 watt signal.

WNTK AM would then move back down the dial to 1010, this time remaining with 10,000 watts during daylight hours, and begin to broadcast with low night power. (1010 was a former Canadian clear channel frequency) When WNTK, now WCNL, operated on 1020 AM, the station had to cease operations at sunset to protect the 50,000 watt former clear channel signal of KDKA in Pittsburgh which throws a very powerful nighttime signal over the northeastern United States and beyond.

WCNL for a time carried an Americana format, before settling in 2007 on the current country music format. In September 2007 then-WNTK switched back to the previous WCNL callsign.

[edit] Current programming

WCNL currently carries Boston Red Sox baseball and University of New Hampshire sports along with sister stations WNTK, WCFR and WUVR. Country 1010 WCNL-AM also is the weekly home of Newport High School basketball games and "Tiger Talk" - a weekly radio program written, produced, and featuring Newport High School students with Executive Producer Perry Langill. WCNL-AM also airs the Newport Historical Society Minutes. In December 2007, WCNL created the "Stuff a Bus" campaign for Toys For Tots - which evolved from WVRR / WMXR's former Program Director Steve Smith's Toys For Tots campaign called Stuff A Bus - 2004-2006. Smith is the present General Manager, Program Director, and Morning Host of WCNL.

[edit] External links

• Radio Locator Information on WCNL
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WCNL
• Query Arbitron's AM station database for WCNL

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