| Broadcast area | Tri-County area (Broward/Palm Beach/Miami-Dade) |
|---|---|
| Branding | "News-Talk Eight-Five-Oh, WFTL" |
| Slogan | "" |
| Frequency | 850 kHz |
| First air date | 1948 |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Power | 50,000 watts |
| Callsign meaning | ForT Lauderdale |
| Affiliations | ABC Radio, Florida State University Seminoles |
| Owner | James Crystal Radio Group |
| Website | 850 WFTL |
WFTL (850 AM) is a radio station with studios in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and licensed to West Palm Beach, Florida.WFTL serves Fort Lauderdale, Miami and The Palm Beaches. The station broadcasts a mix of news and mostly syndicated talk programming. Its signal is broadcast at 50,000 watts, covering all of South Florida from the Keys to Jupiter. It is currently operated by the James Crystal Radio Group. The station is the South Florida home to Florida State Seminoles football broadcasts.
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For many years prior to October 1, 1982, the station was owned by billionaire John D. MacArthur and was paired with WEAT-FM (Easy 104.3). In October, 1986 sportscaster Curt Gowdy sold the station to J.J. Taylor Companies Inc. of North Dartmouth, Mass., for an undisclosed price.[1] In October, 1995, it was sold with WEAT-FM to OmniAmerica Group of Cleveland for an estimated $18 million.[2]
In May, 1996, WTFL was sold with seven other stations for $178 million to Chancellor Broadcasting Co.,[3] and WTFL was sold again in June of that year, along with WEAT-FM 104.3 and WOLL-FM 94.3 to American Radio Systems of Boston.
In April, 1998, the station was sold to James Hilliard's James Crystal Enterprises for $1.5 million and changed its call letters to WDJA. (Dow Jones Averages) to which respectively, the station became a moneytalk station.[4]
1948 – originally an NBC affiliate, airing everything from NBC Theater to Eddie Cantor.[5]
prior to October 1, 1982 – format was country music.
October 1, 1982 – became news/talk radio
April 16, 1984 – became adult contemporary WCGY, 60's and 70's music with 25% current music.[6]
prior to April 1985 – station was once again known as WEAT and simulcasting WEAT-FM's Easy 104 format.[7]
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.[8]
July 1994 – switches to all-news format[9]
November 2000 – Jack Cole, formerly of WJNO, begins a daily hour long show.[10]
October 2001 – Jack Cole leaves the air becauise of a brain tumor.[11] He died three months later.[12]
October 2003 – becomes "Live 85" with call letters WFTL, swapping with a Ft. Lauderdale station at 1400. Live 85 was an all-news format.[13]
August 2005 – becomes NewsTalk 8-5-oh WFTL after a failed all news format. New slogan adopted as "Bigger, Better, Smarter"