WHLD

WHLD
City of license Niagara Falls, New York
Broadcast area Buffalo, New York
Branding Sportsradio 1270 The Fan
Frequency 1270 kHz
First air date 1941
Format Sports
Power 5,000 watts (day)
1,000 watts (night)
Class B
Facility ID 7822
Callsign meaning W HiLDa Hull
Hilda L. Duell
Affiliations CBS Sports Radio
Owner Cumulus Media
Sister stations WEDG, WHTT, WGRF
Webcast Listen Live
Website sportsradio1270.com

WHLD is an AM radio station licensed to Niagara Falls, New York with a sports talk format. The station resides at 1270 kHz on the dial and is owned by Cumulus Media. It is the second of two local sports radio stations in the Buffalo area, the other being WGR. The station's transmitter is located in Hamburg, New York, and studios are located in Buffalo.

History and programming

WHLD signed on in 1941 under the ownership of Earl C. Hull, who named the station after his wife Hilda L. Duell. The radio station often programmed classical music and featured local artists. Among them was a continuing program of classical piano duets played by Niagara Falls pianist Harold Bradley and his friend John Peirce Langs from Buffalo, NY.

Locally owned Butler Communications Corporation bought radio station WHLD and its sister station WZIR-FM (now WKSE) on suburban Grand Island in May 1980. During the Butler Communications days WHLD was programmed Big Band / Nostalgia and featured various locally produced programs. The station was billed as "The Station of the Nations." and owner Paul Butler's daughter Mary Ann Butler gave the station its tag line, "The Sound of the Falls."

In August 1999 WHLD was purchased by Citadel Broadcasting Corporation. At midnight on Monday, February 13, 2006 WHLD gave up its brokered programming format and Niagara Independent Media began operating the station via an LMA and branded it "News Talk 1270: The Voice of Reason," primarily affiliating with Air America Radio.[1] That programming was dropped in December 2006[2] because of financial problems. Some of the non profit programs including Democracy Now were moved to sister station WBBF.

The station then began an Urban Inspirational (Black Gospel) format through a lease with the Totally Gospel Radio Network.[3] That programming had been carried on daytime only station WBBF since May 1997. On August 2, 2010 Totally Gospel ended its 3½ year lease of WHLD in preparation of the construction of its own station, WFWO, 89.7 kHz.[4]

WHLD, back under the control of its owner (at the time Citadel Broadcasting Corporation) then switched to an automated adult standards format, becoming the first adult standards station in the market since WECK dropped the format in 2006.[5] On August 11, 2010 WHLD began branding itself "Swing 1270" featuring vocalists associated with the adult standards format.[6] Harv Moore, a well-known local radio personality, was added as the first jock in April 2011. Its only competitor for the adult standards market in the Buffalo market was distant but powerful 50,000 watt CFZM located in Toronto, Ontario.

Cumulus Media bought WHLD and other Citadel stations in a deal approved in September 2011.[7]

In January 2013 it was announced that WHLD would be changing their format once again, this time to sports talk, with programming from CBS Sports Radio. One local program, hosted by Rich Gaenzler, will air from noon to 3 p.m. (CBS Sports's offering in that time slot, The Jim Rome Show, remains signed to WGR).[8] Cumulus Media planned to move the former WHLD format to WBBF, but protests from the Spanish speaking community led the company to reconsider.[9] In May 2013, the adult standards format would be picked up by WECK.

WHLD acquired the rights to the University of Buffalo Bulls athletics teams in 2013; those rights had previously rested with WECK.

References

  1. ↑ Article by Geoff Kelly ArtVoice 2006-02-23 retrieved 2010-08-10 Contrary to the article, gospel programming was only a part of the previous brokered programming format.
  2. ↑ 2006 in review fybush.com
  3. ↑ Totally Gospel website Retrieved 10-28-2011
  4. ↑ WFWO Retrieved 10-28-2011.
  5. ↑ Fybush.com
  6. ↑ It's back to the future on WHLD 1270 AMBuffalo News 2010-08-12 retrieved 2010-08-14
  7. ↑ Fink, James (2011-09-13). "Cumulus, Citadel radio swap nearly done". Buffalo Business First. Retrieved 2013-01-24.
  8. ↑ Connors, Greg (6 January 2012). "1270 The Fan will debut Monday". The Buffalo News. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
  9. ↑ Kwiatkowski, Jane (2013-01-14). "Hispanic radio station fights for its survival". Buffalo News. Retrieved 2013-01-24.

External links

Coordinates: 42°44′41″N 78°53′13″W / 42.74472°N 78.88694°W