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WTAR (850 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, and serving the Hampton Roads (Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News) radio market. WTAR is owned and operated by Sinclair Telecable, Inc. It broadcasts an talk radio format as "TalkRadio 96.5 & 850 WTAR". WTAR's studios and offices are on Waterside Drive in Norfolk.

The station's transmitter site is off Track Lane in Smithfield, Virginia. WTAR uses a directional antenna at all times. It runs at 50,000 watts by day, the highest power permitted by the Federal Communications Commission for AM stations. At night, to reduce interference to other stations on 850 AM, mainly Class A KOA in Denver, WTAR reduces power to 25,000 watts, concentrating the signal in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton and Newport News.

WTAR programming is also heard on HD Radio over 106.1 WUSH-HD2 and on FM translator station W243DJ at 96.5 MHz in Norfolk and W243EK at 96.5 MHz in Hampton.

History

WCAV

The station, originally WCAV, began broadcasting in 1952, transmitting on 860 kHz.

WRAP

In 1954, owners of another Norfolk radio station, WRAP on 1050 kHz, acquired WCAV, moving it to 850 kHz and changing its call letters to WRAP and adopting a black-oriented format. On this new frequency, WRAP programming could broadcast around the clock. The daytime power was increased to 5,000 watts and the nighttime power to 1,000 watts. WRAP was programmed to Norfolk's African-American community. Its call sign used the word "RAP", an African-American English word for "talk" or "discussion." (It would be several decades before "rap" began referring to a musical style.) An advertisement in the 1957 edition of Broadcasting Yearbook, using the descriptions of the era, said "Survey figures show the most Negroes in the Norfolk area listen most to WRAP." It added that WRAP was "the only all-Negro station in Norfolk."

WNIS

In 1987, WNIS on AM 1350 was acquired by local cable TV company Clinton Cablevision (later Sinclair Telecable). The new owner flipped the format to talk. A swap was made with AM 1350, which moved the WNIS call sign to this station, and transferred the WRAP call letters, with its associated black-oriented format, to AM 1350.

WNIS, meaning "News and Information Station", picked up programming from ABC Talkradio, NBC Talknet and the Mutual Broadcasting System's Larry King Show.

WTAR

On July 15, 1997, WNIS and its sister station on AM 790, WTAR, exchanged call letters, with AM 790 becoming WNIS, while WTAR was moved to 850 kHz. 850 has the stronger signal, broadcasting at 50,000 watts by day, the highest power authorized for AM stations by the Federal Communications Commission. At night it runs 25,000 watts, while 790 kHz transmits 5,000 watts day and night. Both stations had talk formats.

WTAR flipped from talk radio to an all-sports format on February 5, 2006. On September 15, 2017, WTAR began simulcasting on WUSH-HD2 and FM translator station W243DJ at 96.5 MHz in Norfolk. The move allows WTAR listeners to hear the station on either AM or FM, although the FM translator signal is limited to Norfolk and surrounding communities due to its low power of 120 watts. The station also signed on another low-powered FM translator, W243EK in Hampton (on the same frequency of W243DJ), to improve its nighttime signal on the Lower Peninsula and the HRBT's AM/FM rebroadcast system.

On September 1, 2022, WTAR dropped its sports format and began stunting with a loop of Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack" (as well as construction sound effects). (However, on September 3, WTAR broke from the stunt to air a University of Virginia football game against Richmond; the 96.5 translators remained on the stunt during that time.) On September 6, WTAR and its translators flipped to hot adult contemporary, branded as "96.5 Lucy FM", modeled after its sister station in Austin, Texas. The 850 AM signal continues to break away from "Lucy FM" programming for the University of Virginia broadcasts.

Until September 1, 2022, the station aired a sports radio format, carrying the Fox Sports Radio Network most of the day, with a local afternoon drive time show. The syndicated Dan Patrick Show was heard in late mornings. WTAR was part of the Washington Commanders Radio Network.

On March 20, 2023, WTAR flipped to adult album alternative, branded as "96.5 The Coast". The flip returns the "Coast" branding to the market for the first time since WKOC's flip in 2003.

On September 3, 2024, the station's owner, Sinclair Communications announced that it would flip WTAR and its two translators to conservative talk radio "Talkradio 96.5/850" on Monday, September 16.

Translators

Previous logo

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WTAR". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
3. "WTAR Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved November 19, 2014.
4. "WTAR.com".
5. "WTAR-AM Radio Station Coverage Map". radio-locator.com.
6. ^ Vintage 96.5 Quickly Gives Way to WTAR Simulcast Radioinsight - September 15, 2017
7. "Directory of AM and FM Stations and Market Data For The United States: Virginia: Norfolk", Broadcasting Yearbook (1957 edition), page 268.
8. "Page D-247" Broadcasting Yearbook (1991 edition), page D-247.
9. "For The Record: Call Letters", Broadcasting, November 9, 1987, page 96.
10. Call Sign History (Facility ID: 4671)
11. Call Sign History (Facility ID: 60472)
12. "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States: Virginia: Norfolk", Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook (2007 edition), page D-533.
13. "W243DJ-FM 96.5 MHz - Norfolk, VA". radio-locator.com.
14. Lucy is Home in Norfolk Radioinsight - September 6, 2022
15. The Coast Returns to Norfolk With AAA Radioinsight - March 20, 2023
16. WTAR to flip to conservative talk Radioinsight - September 3, 2024

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 60472 (WTAR) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WTAR in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• FCC History Cards for WTAR (covering 1947-1981 as WCAV / WRAP)

FM translators

• Facility details for Facility ID 141072 (W243DJ) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W243DJ at FCCdata.org
• Facility details for Facility ID 203167 (W243EK) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W243EK at FCCdata.org

• 1952 establishments in Virginia
• Talk radio stations in the United States
• Radio stations established in 1952
• Radio stations in Norfolk, Virginia