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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Upstate South Carolina |
| Frequency | 1070kHz |
| Branding | La Jefa 94.9 FM & 1070 AM |
| Programming | |
| Language | Spanish |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio ®ional Mexican |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | May 26, 1966 (59 years ago) (1966-05-26) |
Former call signs | WHYZ (1966–2000) |
| Technical information | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Class | B |
| Power |
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| Translators |
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| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | lajefa949 |
WCSZ (1070kHz, "La Jefa 94.9 FM & 1070 AM") is a commercialAM radio stationlicensed toSans Souci, South Carolina, United States, and serving theGreenville–Spartanburgmedia market inUpstate South Carolina. WCSZ is owned by Tama Broadcasting and airs aSpanishcontemporary hit radioformat. The station issimulcast onFMtranslator W235BM at 94.9MHz located on Paris Mountain in Travelers Rest and licensed toMauldin, South Carolina.[1] The station identifies itself as "La Jefa" which means "The Boss" in Spanish.
By day, WCSZ is licensed to broadcast at the maximum power allowed by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC), 50,000 wattsnon-directional.[2] BecauseAM 1070 is aclear-channel frequency, reserved forClass A stationsKNX in Los Angeles and a now-dark facility in Canada (formerly used byCBA inMoncton, New Brunswick), WCSZ must reduce power at night to 1500 watts using adirectional antenna to avoid interference. The station'stransmitter, a 3-tower antenna array, is off West Duncan Road (U.S. Route 25) in Greenville.[3] WCSZ is one of 5 AM radio stations in South Carolina operating at 50,000 watts by day, the others beingWESC in Greenville,WAGL inLancaster,WBAJ inBlythewood, andWCEO inColumbia.
On May 26, 1966, the station firstsigned on the air as WHYZ, licensed to Greenville, and operating as adaytimer.[4] WHYZ in the 1960s and early 1970s featured aTop-40 format. WHYZ switched to anurban contemporary format in the late 1970s and 1980s. The station's main studios were destroyed by a fire in the late 1960s. The station has been broadcasting from a mobile home off of Highway 25 in Greenville ever since.
Around 2000, the station's city of license was moved to suburban Sans Souci and it was authorized to operate around the clock. Also in 2000, the station changed its call sign to WCSZ, and was purchased byEntercom Communications. WCSZ was eventually sold to Tama Broadcasting.
WCSZ wassports radio until the early 2000s, thenurban contemporary gospel, andoldies, with the last two formats being entirely satellite-fed.
On July 19, 2007, the FCC issued aspecial temporary authority (STA) which is the process that allows a station to officially remain off the air for up to 6 months, at the end of which the station must have returned to the air or surrender its broadcasting license. The station applied for another STA in 2008. The justification for the STA was "to conserve assets while pursuing funding, the licensee respectfully requests authority to remain silent for 180 days". The application was filed in September 2008. In September 2009, the STA was denied; this meant the station, which had not operated on a regular basis since 2007, was forced to return to the air. Had the station not signed back on, it would have been forced to permanently remain dark.
In December 2009, the station's abandoned building was burglarized twice and many items were stolen, with the transmitter picked apart for parts. No arrest has been made in the burglaries.[5]
In January 2011, WCSZ was granted special temporary authority for 2,000 watts during the day and 350 at night, non-directional.
34°55′05″N82°27′21″W / 34.91806°N 82.45583°W /34.91806; -82.45583