WSHY

WSHY is a radio station licensed to Lafayette, Indiana, USA, located at 1410 kHz on the AM dial. WSHY broadcasts at a power of 1,000 watts during daytime hours and 60 watts at night. The station broadcasts using a two-tower directional antenna 24 hours a day. The station's studio, offices, tower site are located at 3824 South 18th Street in Lafayette, IN.

WSHY has a construction permit to operate using a non-directional antenna (one tower), with daytime power of 270 watts and nighttime power of 28 watts. The station is currently operating under special temporary authority; power is 250 watts broadcasting only during daytime hours, using a non-directional antenna.

WSHY was (until April 2013) a 24-hour-a-day simulcast of FM sister station, WBPE, 95.3 Bob-FM. The simulcast is broken precisely at the top of each hour for station identification and throughout the year for Purdue University women's volleyball, baseball, and softball broadcasts. Through the simulcast of WBPE, WSHY also carries Purdue University women's basketball.

History

In 1938, the first radio station to sign on the air was WLAF-AM. Located at 1180 kHz, the station broadcast local programming and the popular Blue Network. In 1952, the father of Top 40 radio Todd Storz (Storz Radio) purchased the AM station and built his first FM signal, WAZY-FM. Lafayette was the first city in the United States with a Top 40 FM radio station. In 1955, Storz sold the combo to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, which intended to move the AM station to a higher frequency so that WOWO Fort Wayne could expand its service. In 1956, Westinghouse sold WAZY-FM to Hillebrand Toledo who owned a few stations in surrounding states. In 1964, WAZY-FM was reunited with WLAF-AM and they began sharing station call letters.

In 1964, Fischer Communications purchased the combo and moved it to its current location on South 18th Street in Lafayette. At the time, Fischer also owned the WFBM group in nearby Indianapolis. Fischer sold the radio stations to the Peoria Journal Star newspaper group. It was later purchased in the early 1980s by Lightfoot Broadcasting, headquartered out of Connecticut. Rob Ford was hired from the WASK group to run the stations. As WAZY, the station played Top 40 music, simulcasting sister station WAZY-FM. During the evening hours when 1410 kHz was not on the air, WAZY-FM aired an Album-oriented rock format. Jeffrey Jay Weber, who later became one of the first PD's to make the move directly to GM when he left the station to go to an AM-FM in Terre Haute, was instrumental in the station's growth in the late seventies along with jocks like Lou Michaels, Keith Harris and Steve West. In the 1970s, WAZY-FM began to grow, and the need for an AM station became less in the community. 1410 kHz broke away from the FM simulcast to air several different formats, including middle of the road first then Country music as WFTE. The station also aired Notre Dame football games during this period.

In 1984, Lightfoot Broadcasting sold the 1410 kHz signal to First Assembly of God Church in Lafayette. As a result, the format was flipped to Adult Contemporary Christian with a mix of Bible teaching, talk, and music. Callsigns were also flipped at this time to WCFY (We Care For You).

In April 1998, Artistic Media Partners, now owners of 1410's former sister station, 96.5, began running the station under an LMA. The sale of the station closed about a month later.

1410's call letters were changed back to WAZY and the station launched with a News/talk format, which brought the format back to Lafayette 7 months after crosstown stations WASK-AM/FM dropped the format in favor of oldies.

As a talk station, "News/talk 1410 WAZY" carried programs such as Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, and Jim Rome. The station also carried a short-lived local talk program hosted by Rick Mummey. A live audio feed of CNN Headline News covered all other dayparts.

The news/talk format was short lived. It lasted a little less than 2 years following very low ratings. In 1999, the format was dropped and 1410 kHz began simulcasting WAZY-FM's Hot adult contemporary format. In 2000, the simulcast with WAZY-FM was dropped and the station began simulcasting WGBD's alternative rock format.

Later that year, in September 2000, the station broke away from WGBD's simulcast to run an Adult standards format via Westwood One. A year later, 1410 WAZY changed network affiliations, but remained adult standards with Jones Radio Network's Music of Your Life. In August 2002, the callsign were changed to WLAS, but the format remained for about a month before the station flipped to a full-time simulcast of Artistic Media Partner's country outlet, WLFF, now WBPE.

On May 3, 2007, WLAS changed their call letters to WSHY and on December 6, 2007, the format was flipped to Adult hits to coincide with WLFF's flip to the format.

In August 2008, a local investment group headed by local media host, Jeff Holmes, acquired a limited marketing agreement of the frequency to bring the news/talk format back to the Lafayette market after a 10 year hiatus. "Newstalk 1410 WSHY" signed on quietly after stunting with C-SPAN Radio in late September 2008. Programs heard on the station at the time included Imus in the Morning, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Dennis Miller, Jim Bohannon, and George Noory. Newstalk 1410 also aired an hour of local talk programming in the afternoon drive initially hosted by Holmes called "The L-Town Hour" as well as a weekend oldies show. In 2009 while maintaining the talk format, the station's name was tweaked to "Fox 1410" due to their affiliation with Fox News Radio.

The news/talk format was short-lived, however. After only a year, the format and the LMA agreement were dropped and WSHY returned to the hands of Artistic Media Partners. At this point, WSHY's programming returned to a simulcast of WBPE (95.3 Bob-FM).

On April 1, 2013 WSHY split from its simulcast of WBPE 95.3 and changed their format to sports, branded as "Fox Sports 1410".

See also

• WAZY

External links

• WLAS Station Section on the Artistic Media Partners Website
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WSHY
• Radio-Locator Information on WSHY
• Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for WSHY

Coordinates: 40°21′42″N 86°52′41″W / 40.36167°N 86.87806°W / 40.36167; -86.87806