 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Boston |
| Frequency | 1170kHz |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | March 7, 1978 (47 years ago) (1978-03-07) |
Last air date | June 13, 2014 (11 years ago) (2014-06-13) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Discussion" |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 16977 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 1,000 watts (day) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°5′32.4″N71°18′11.2″W / 42.092333°N 71.303111°W /42.092333; -71.303111 |
WDIS (1170AM) was a radio station licensed toNorfolk, Massachusetts. It served the suburban communities south ofBoston and north ofProvidence, Rhode Island. It had a daytime-only 1,000-watt signal[1] that reached as far west asWorcester, Massachusetts, giving it a coverage area of almost a half-million people.[2] As of June 13, 2014, WDIS was silent.[3] The FCC cancelled the license and deleted the call sign for WDIS on October 13, 2015.[4]
WDIS began as a construction permit applied for on January 16, 1976, as a 500-watt station byJohn M. Quinlan, a former Massachusetts state legislator. Quinlan obtained a license from theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast on 1170 kHz with thecall sign WJMQ on March 7, 1978. The studio was located on Pond Street (Route 115) near Norfolk center. WJMQ applied for an increase in power to 1 kW on June 7, 1978. The power increase was completed and a license to cover was applied for on January 19, 1979. That license was granted on July 30, 1979.[5]
Quinlan's company, Norfolk County Broadcasting, sold WJMQ to Caroline Broadcasting for $425,000 in 1982; principal John F. Crohan already ownedWPEP inTaunton.[6][7] On October 27, 1982, the station changed its call sign to WJCC. In September 1991, thenews/talk station wentsilent;[8] theInternal Revenue Service had seized its equipment due to tax delinquencies, and the license was transferred to another Crohan-controlled company to satisfy a $25,000 debt.[9] The following year, WJCC was sold to Albert E. Grady's Discussion Radio, Inc., for $65,000.[10] The station returned to the air, again with a talk format, in December 1992;[11] on February 3, 1993, WJCC became WDIS.[12]
WDIS spent much of March 1996 silent after not paying a $2,000 power bill.[13][14] It shifted from talk to anadult contemporary format in 1997.[15] In 1999, the station briefly lost its license for not renewing its license before its expiration on April 1, 1998; its subsequent renewal application was opposed by Astro Broadcasting, which was seeking a power increase for itsWJJF (1180 AM) inHope Valley, Rhode Island.[16] In 2004, the FCC fined WDIS $16,500, with $10,000 being for apublic file violation unrelated to the renewal;[16] the fine was reduced to $1,200 in 2009.[17] The station was again silent for a period starting in July 2002; by that point, the station featured a mixture of talk and adult contemporary music.[18] In later years, WDIS was affiliated with the Business Talk Radio Network,Fox News Radio andWestwood One.
In 2007, WDIS aired Tri-County Cougar home football games at theTri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School inFranklin, Massachusetts. In 2008, they resumed broadcastingWalpole High School Rebels football team live on the internet as well as over the air (daytime games live, night games on tape given the station's daytime-only status).[19] Beginning in December 2008, WDIS had also broadcast allKing Philip High School Boys Basketball games,[20] as that basketball program tried to rebound after two consecutive no-win seasons.[21]
According to FCC filings, WDIS notified the FCC it was silent as of June 13, 2014, confirmed by the station on Twitter on June 25 and 29.[22] On August 5, 2015, a letter was sent by the FCC to WDIS's owner, Albert Grady seeking an update of the operational status of the station within 30 days, or the license would be automatically terminated for violation of section 312(g) of the Communications Act (failure to broadcast for 12 consecutive months).[23] The FCC received a response on September 8, 2015, from William J. McGrath stating that the station's studio and transmitter building had been condemned as unsafe by the town of Norfolk after an inspection on June 2, 2014.[24]
On October 13, 2015, the FCC issued its decision to cancel WDIS's license, stating that the station had been off the air for over 12 months and Section 312(g) of the Communications Act required the license to be deleted as a matter of law.[25]
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