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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Burlington-Plattsburgh area |
| Frequency | 1420kHz |
| Branding | The Swan |
| Programming | |
| Format | Full service |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | 1941 (as WWSR) |
Former call signs |
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| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 34812 |
| Class | D |
| Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | 44°49′52.16″N73°5′23.49″W / 44.8311556°N 73.0898583°W /44.8311556; -73.0898583 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | myswanradio |
WKAF (1420kHz) is acommercialAM radio stationlicensed to theCity of St. Albans, Vermont. It is owned by Kalani Bowles, through licensee Sky Radio & Press, LLC. It airs afull service format.
WKAF'stransmitter is off Lower Newton Road (Route 38) in theTown of St. Albans. It broadcasts at 1,000 watts by day, but to protect other stations onAM 1420, it reduces power at night to 107 watts. Anon-directional antenna is used at all times.
WKAF is Vermont's fourth oldest radio station, and the first north of Burlington.[2] On June 19, 1941, the station firstsigned on as WWSR at 1390 kHz.[3] With the enactment of theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA), the station moved toAM 1420 the following year. WWSR was owned by the Vermont Radio Corporation and broadcast at 1,000 watts. It was adaytimer, required to be off the air at night.
In April 1970, it added an FM station, 102.3 WWSR-FM. At first itsimulcast the AM station but it later began airing anautomatedadult contemporary format known as "Hit Parade". Today it isWWMP, amainstream rock station owned by Radio Broadcasting Services, Inc.
In the 1990s, WWSR was authorized by the FCC to broadcast at night, but only at 110 watts.[4] After changing to WTWK on March 13, 2002, the station was assigned the WRSAcall sign by theFederal Communications Commission on April 23, 2002.[5] There is an unrelatedWRSA-FM (96.9) inHuntsville, Alabama.
WRSA switched affiliations fromESPN Radio toFox Sports Radio on January 1, 2011. The ESPN affiliation moved toWCPV (101.3 FM).[6] On January 1, 2012, WRSA began to simulcast theoldies format of co-ownedWIFY "Cruisin' 93.7" inAddison, Vermont.
WRSA flipped to acomedy radio format in September 2014, along with co-ownedWCAT (1390 AM) inBurlington, Vermont.[7] WRSA and WCAT returned to music programming with a hybrid of oldies andclassic country in July 2015.[8] On October 30, 2015, WRSA wentsilent, along with WCAT. According to FCC records, the station had also been silenced in 2013.[9]
Effective May 20, 2019, WRSA was acquired from Radio Broadcasting Services, Incorporated by the Radio Sound Company, including aconstruction permit for anFM translator in St. Albans, W262DH 100.3 MHz.[10] WRSA returned to the air in spring 2019, simulcast with WCAT, carrying a business news format mostly supplied byBloomberg Radio. On June 1, 2019, the station began local operation and ended the affiliation with Bloomberg. The format was a variety of music, and local programming. The new owners pledged to air local information.[11]
After encountering financial issues, Radio Sound Company took WRSA off the air February 6, 2020.[12] Effective May 1, 2020, the station's license and the translator construction permit were transferred back to Radio Broadcasting Services, Incorporated for $1 and assumption of debt outstanding from the 2019 sale. The FCC cancelled the construction permit for W262DH effective October 1, 2021. WCAT's license was surrendered and cancelled on November 1, 2022.[13]
In 2024, WRSA was sold to Kalani Bowles’s Sky Radio & Press in a $25,000 deal; at the time of the sale, it was simulcasting 102.3, by thenhot adult contemporary station WIXM.[14] The new owners would change the call sign to WKAF on September 6, 2024.[15]
On July 7, 2025, WKAF dropped its simulcast with WWMP and launched a full service format targeting women, branded as "The Swan". The format contains music blocks such asTop 40,adult contemporary, andindie music, as well as news, talk, and sports programs. Despite its branding, "The Swan" does not lean towardsmisandry.[16]
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