 | |
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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Mercer County, New Jersey |
| Frequency | 1260kHz |
| Branding | Domestic Church Media |
| Programming | |
| Format | Religious (Catholic) |
| Affiliations | EWTN Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Domestic Church Media Foundation |
| History | |
First air date | January 20, 1947; 78 years ago (1947-01-20) |
Former call signs |
|
Former frequencies | 1490 kHz (1947–1953) |
Call sign meaning | Fulton J. Sheen (notedarchbishop) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 53443 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 40°15′56.39″N74°45′25.58″W / 40.2656639°N 74.7571056°W /40.2656639; -74.7571056 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | domesticchurchmedia |
WFJS (1260AM) is aradio station broadcasting areligiousradio format, focusing on theCatholic Church and carryingEWTN Radio Network programs. The station is owned by the Domestic Church Media Foundation, a Catholic-based organization inTrenton, New Jersey.[2] Programming issimulcast onWFJS-FM (89.3) inFreehold, New Jersey, as well asWGYM (1580 AM) in theAtlantic City area andWSMJ (91.9 FM) inNorth Wildwood.[3]
By day, WFJS is powered at 5,900watts. To protect other stations on1260 AM from interference, at night it reduces power to 2,500 watts. It uses adirectional antenna with a four-tower array. Thetransmitter is on Ewingville Road inEwing Township, New Jersey.[4]
The stationsigned on the air on January 20, 1947, as WBUD. Carrying During aNBC Radio during the early days. It was licensed toMorrisville, Pennsylvania, broadcasting at 1490 kHz. In 1952, WBUD moved to its current frequency of 1260 kHz as a Trenton-licensed station. During a period in the late 1970s, the station held thecall sign WTRT. On May 29, 1980, the station adopted the call letters WKXW. It reverted to the original call sign WBUD on September 1, 1981, and kept those call letters until 2008.[5][6]
In the early 1970s, WBUD broadcast a Top 40 format. In 1975, the station became anall-news outlet, carrying theNBC News and Information Service. When that service was discontinued in 1977, WBUD returned to music programming. By the late 1990s, WBUD was airingoldies music as "Great Gold Radio".
In February 2006, WBUD switched toABC Radio's "Unforgettable Favorites" satellite feed, airing a softoldies/adult standards format. Despite Unforgettable merging with the "Timeless" Radio Network, WBUD maintained its nostalgiaplaylist for two years.
On March 31, 2008, the station switched to asports radio format, becoming anetwork affiliate ofFox Sports Radio. The station aired Fox Sports all day except in afternoons, when it airedPremiere'sJim Rome Show and local programming.
The Millennium Radio Group, then WBUD's owner, announced on July 25, 2008, that the station would be sold. The buyer was the Domestic Church Media Foundation, founded by New Jersey native, Jim Manfredonia. The station would drop Fox Sports Radio, switching to Catholic religious programming, mainly fromEWTN.[7] The sale was completed on September 10, 2008.[8]
On September 14, 2008, WBUD had its final day of broadcasting, featuring the station's automated "Great Gold" oldies format, as well as Jack Pinto'sSunday Sinatra program, live in the studio. The station returned to Fox Sports at 2 p.m. after playing its final song, "Yesterday's Gone", byChad and Jeremy.[9]
On September 15, 2008, WBUD officially flipped to a Catholic-based religious format, as "Domestic Church Catholic Radio". On September 22, 2008, the station changed its call letters to WFJS, named afterFulton J. Sheen, anarchbishop who had used broadcasting (particularlytelevision) to deliver the message about the Catholic faith. The station's studios were also renamed as "The Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Center for Media Evangelization".[10]
In August 2012, WFJS was granted aconstruction permit by theFederal Communications Commission to increase its daytime power to 5,900 watts. It also added a fourth tower to its array to modify its daytimedirectional pattern.
Thesign-off of stationWNWK inNewark, Delaware, which also broadcast on 1260 AM, freed WFJS from an obligation to minimize interference to that station. The new directional pattern improves WFJS's daytime signal to the south and southwest. No change was made to the station's nighttime power or pattern.
In May 2011, the Domestic Church Media Foundation was granted a license for WFJS-FM on 89.3 FM inFreehold, New Jersey.[11] The station simulcasts 1260 WFJS.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | Power (W) | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WFJS-FM | 89.3 FM | Freehold, New Jersey | 174562 | — | 15,000 | 50 m (160 ft) | B1 | 40°16′27″N74°9′48.8″W / 40.27417°N 74.163556°W /40.27417; -74.163556 (WFJS-FM) | LMS |
| WGYM | 1580 AM | Hammonton, New Jersey | 61110 |
| — | — | C | 39°37′33.42″N74°47′42.59″W / 39.6259500°N 74.7951639°W /39.6259500; -74.7951639 (WGYM) | LMS |
| WSMJ | 91.9 FM | North Wildwood, New Jersey | 174695 | — | 730 | 280 m (920 ft) | A | 39°2′58″N74°51′13″W / 39.04944°N 74.85361°W /39.04944; -74.85361 (WSMJ) | LMS |