WHTB

WHTB
City Fall River, Massachusetts
Broadcast area New Bedford, Massachusetts
Branding Rádio Voz Do Emigrante
Frequency 1400 kHz
First air date May 6, 1948[1]
Format Brokered Portuguese
Power 1,000 watts
Class C
Facility ID 60701
Transmitter coordinates 41°41′23″N 71°8′43″W / 41.68972°N 71.14528°W / 41.68972; -71.14528Coordinates: 41°41′23″N 71°8′43″W / 41.68972°N 71.14528°W / 41.68972; -71.14528
Callsign meaning Home Town Broadcasting[2]
Former callsigns WALE (1948–1989)
Affiliations Spill-over affiliate of the Red Sox Radio Network, Boston Celtics Radio Network
Owner Jim & Bob Karam
(SNE Broadcasting, Ltd.)
Sister stations WSAR
Webcast Listen Live
Website www.radiovozdoemigrante.com

WHTB (1400 AM) is a Portuguese language radio station in Fall River, Massachusetts, operating with 1 kW unlimited hours.

History

Originally known as WALE, the call sign moved to 990 AM in Providence, Rhode Island on July 20, 1989. On that date, SNE Broadcasting Ltd. (owned by local businessmen Robert and James Karam) took ownership of 1400 AM and introduced the WHTB call sign.[2] The station's first location was at the corner of North Main Street and Central Street in Fall River, Massachusetts, known as the Durfee Theatre Building. The station's "Whale" was a plaster and chicken wire figure atop the building with the words "WALE 1400" on the sides in white paint. The transmitting antenna was on the roof and had a copper screen ground system. There was no real ground connection to the antenna, and the screen created an artificial grounding system, limiting the coverage area.

WALE began broadcasting May 6, 1948, on 1400 kHz with 250 watts power (full-time). It was owned by Narragansett Broadcasting Company.[3]

Personalities

Personalities included Mike "Surfer" Sands (Arthur Lang) and long-time engineer Stephen J. Sorel, who was also an Amateur Radio operator with the call sign K1RFH. Sorel and Lang made the move to WICE in Providence, Rhode Island in the early 1970s. Steve Sorel ended his career as the Chief Engineer of WHTB and sister station WSAR. The North Main Street/Central Street site was also the location of WCFR-FM and WCFR-TV, although it is not known if WCFR-TV ever produced a signal as after World War II the Channel 1 assignment (44-50Mc.) was dropped from television and given to the Business Radio Service. WALE moved to Rock Street in the early 1970s and the transmitter was relocated to the area along Interstate 195 West and Route 24 South and remains there today. The studios have moved to Home Street in Somerset, Massachusetts as WHTB and WSAR are still owned by the Karams.

References

  1. ↑ "WALE reception verification" (PDF). June 19, 1948. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "WHTB reception verification" (PDF). February 8, 1990. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  3. ↑ "WALE Dedicated" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 31, 1948. Retrieved 16 December 2014.


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