| City of license | Alexandria, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Metro Washington |
| Branding | "AM 730 WTNT" |
| Slogan | "The Truth" |
| Frequency | 730 kHz |
| Translator(s) | 102.9 W275BO (Chantilly) |
| Repeaters | WKDL 1250 Warrenton |
| First air date | December 10, 1945 |
| Format | Talk |
| Power | 8,000 watts daytime 25 watts nighttime |
| Class | D |
| Facility ID | 70036 |
| Callsign meaning | W-"TriNitroToluene" (original slogan for the original WTNT was "Dynamite Talk") |
| Former callsigns | WPRD (6/1987-9/1987) WCPT (1987-1995) WBZS (1995-2000) WKDL (2000-2006) WXTR (2006-2010) |
| Affiliations | Talk Radio Network USA Radio Network |
| Owner | Metro Radio |
| Sister stations | WKDL, WKCW, WKDV |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 730WTNT.com |
WTNT (730 AM) is a news/talk radio station licensed to Alexandria, Virginia and serving the Washington metro area. It operates with unlimited hours, with 8,000 watts during the daytime, and 25 watts in the evening hours. The station is owned and operated by Metro Radio.
Its programming lineup consists solely of Talk Radio Network offerings, particularly America's Morning News, The Laura Ingraham Show, America's Radio News Network, The Jerry Doyle Show, The Savage Nation, The Rusty Humphries Show and The Phil Hendrie Show - most of which aired on the previous incarnation of WTNT on the 570 kHz facility in Bethesda, Maryland. WTNT serves as a flagship station for America's Morning News, Laura Ingraham and America's Radio News Network.
WTNT's programming is simulcast full-time on WKDL 1250 AM in Warrenton, Virginia and on FM translator W275BO 102.9 FM Chantilly, Virginia.
WTNT signed on as WPIK in the 1940s. For many years this station operated as the AM side to country station WXRA 105.9 FM, and for another period as WPKX "Kix Country." For a time 730 simulcasted 105.9's next incarnation, classic rock, as WCXR. For a short while in the mid-1980s, 730 was WCPT and featured a soul oldies format. It was also WRMR with a nostalgia format for a very short while (not to be confused with the Cleveland, Ohio market WRMR). In the late 1980s the station changed to a CNN news format, which was soon followed by a business news brokered financial advice format (à la WBZS), which lasted until April 1999.
Then, Mega Communications bought the station and installed a Mexican/tropical music format as "Radio Capital." The call letters changed again in October 2000 to WKDL, call letters that were previously held on what is currently WFED. This format, along with its FM sisters, lasted until the launch of "Triple X" in July 2006. The WXTR calls were installed at this point; the call letters were used in the past on different stations in the Washington area on two different stations (at 104.1 FM and 820 AM).
In addition, Red Zebra planned to acquire WGYS 103.9-FM in Braddock Heights, Maryland and WGMS 104.1-FM in Waldorf, Maryland via a recent acquisition with Bonneville International, but called the deal off weeks later.
Media Web site DCRTV.com first reported on July 24, 2010 that WXTR had dropped the Spanish Sports Radio programming of ESPN Deportes Radio and switched to a "pop and soul oldies" format, calling itself "Non-Stop Classic Hits, XTRA-AM". WXTR would quickly pick ESPN Deportes Radio days later. DCRTV.com would again report that on October 9, 2010 that WXTR would drop Spanish Sports Radio for Oldies. WXTR's Spanish radio website and webstream was down as of October 13, 2010. The web site Radio Business Report reported the flip, quoting a station exec as saying the station would fill "a void in the marketplace".[1] WXTR also revived the "XTRA Oldies" nickname, which was used on the FM dial at the 104.1-FM facility. For the short amount of time the format was carried, it was the only AM station broadcasting English-language music on a full-time basis in the Washington D.C./Baltimore area. However, this change lasted only several days, as Red Zebra announced that WXTR would be sold off to Metro Radio that October 18. The WTNT call letters were moved from the 570 kHz facility, which changed to the WSPZ call letters, and picked up WTNT's previous conservative talk format, which was dropped for sports/talk in early September.[2]
WTNT must power down to 25 watts at night in order to protect clear-channel CKAC in Montreal, rendering it all but unlistenable at night. In 2006, while it was still WXTR under Snyder's ownership, it sought to boost its power to 28,000 watts in the daytime and 20,000 watts in the night hours. The power boost would have given WXTR coverage comparable to the other major AM stations in the capital.
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