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| Broadcast area |
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| Frequency | 930kHz |
| Branding | WPAT 930 AM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Brokered programming |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WKDM,WWRU,WZRC | |
| History | |
First air date | May 3, 1941; 84 years ago (1941-05-03)[1] |
Call sign meaning | Paterson (WPAT'scity of license) |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 51661 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°50′59.36″N74°10′57.52″W / 40.8498222°N 74.1826444°W /40.8498222; -74.1826444 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WPAT (930AM) is a radio stationlicensed toPaterson, New Jersey, with abrokered programming format. It is owned byMulticultural Broadcasting with studios inManhattan'sFinancial District.
WPAT is powered at 5,000 watts, using adirectional antenna to protect other stations on930 AM from interference. The station's four 380 foottowers are on Broad Street inClifton, New Jersey, near theGarden State Parkway.
WPATsigned on the air on May 3, 1941. It originally was adaytimer broadcasting at 1,000 watts, required to go off the air at night. Its studios were at 7 Ellison Street in Paterson.[3] In December 1949, it began broadcasting 24 hours a day, with power increased to 5,000 watts, by using a directional antenna.[4] The studios were moved to 66 Hamilton Street. Air personalities at the time includedJohn Henry Faulk.[5]
For many years, the station aired abeautiful music format under the slogan "Easy 93". Coincidentally,WPAT-FM, itssister station added in 1957, was also called "Easy 93" because it broadcasts at 93.1MHz. WPAT-AM-FM were the essence of a mellow sound and feel. Announcers spoke in hushed tones and even the recorded commercials were expected to be low-key. When theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) ordered AM-FM combo stations in larger cities to end full timesimulcasting in the late 1960s, WPAT took a unique approach to the challenge. While they were forbidden to air the same songs at the same time, the stations began "shadowcasting." The FM station would repeat the previous week's AMsong list in a slightly different order on FM. (Today, the two stations have different formats and owners.)
Initially, WPAT's music was instrumental versions of popular adult music, as well asBroadway andHollywoodshow tunes. Artists includedMantovani,Henry Mancini,Stan Kenton,Jackie Gleason, theHollyridge Strings,Ray Conniff,Percy Faith,David Rose andFerrante & Teicher. Some of the music bordered on light classical.
The WPAT stations were purchased byCapital Cities Communications in 1961.[6] In the late 1960s, the stations added several vocals per hour. They werepop standards artists includingFrank Sinatra,Tony Bennett,Patti Page,Nat King Cole andDoris Day. Vocals were always soft, with string arrangements. They steered clear of jazzy type vocals at that point. Throughout the 1960s, WPAT also resisted playing easy instrumental versions ofbaby boomer pop and rock and roll songs. However, after 101.1WCBS-FM adopted a more youthful easy listening format called the "Young Sound" which played instrumental versions of rock songs and some soft rock vocals, WPAT reacted. It also began playing these songs in instrumental easy arrangements.
In the 1970s, WPAT began integrating some current soft vocals from artists includingThe Carpenters,Neil Diamond,Dionne Warwick andBarbra Steisand. WPAT-AM-FM included one vocal in each 15-minute music sweep. In 1982, the stations began playingsoft adult contemporary songs mixed into the format a few times an hour and cut back on pop standards artists and songs.
In 1985, Capital Cities announced that it would buy theABC Network, including its television and radio stations.[7][8] As a result of FCC regulations at the time, the company decided to sell WPAT-AM-FM because ABC already ownedWABC andWPLJ in New York City. The WPAT stations would be sold toPark Communications.[9] By the early 1990s both frequencies of WPAT all but eliminated the instrumentals and went full time with a Soft AC vocal format.
In January 1996, the two stations were sold to separate owners. WPAT-FM was acquired bySpanish Broadcasting System (SBS) and switched to a Spanish-language adult contemporary format. Around the same time, WPAT 930 AM was sold toHeftel Broadcasting. It switched to a Spanish-languageautomated classicsalsa andtropical music format on March 26. Heftel tried to buy the FM station too, but was narrowly outbid by SBS. Heftel bought WPAT with plans to sell it toMulticultural Broadcasting, which would help it to buy an FM station. The company's plans were to not change formats to Spanish music for the long term but to broker the station in advance of its eventual sale.[citation needed]
Weeks later, the station started adding paid programming, mostly aimed at ethnic listeners in their language. The station continued running overflow sports events fromWFAN in English as well as English-language public affairs programming. In January 1997, the station began brokering 18 hours a day toRadio Korea. The station kept Spanish programming a few hours a day, in addition to the English-language sports and public affairs programs. This was done with intent of selling the station.
By the next year, the station's ownership finally changed when its current owner, Multicultural Broadcasting, bought the station in exchange for 105.9 WNWK. In addition, Multicultural was paid some cash for WNWK as well. (WNWK subsequently became WCAA, then in 2009 switched frequencies withWQXR-FM. It is now known asWXNY-FM and broadcasts at 96.3 FM.)
The new owner of WPAT 930 AM soon modified the station's format to its current paid ethnic programming. That included moving Radio Korea to 1480WZRC. Currently WPAT is the New York home for thesyndicated radio show "La W", fromColumbia in South America. It is heard every weekday morning, featuring personalityJulio Sánchez Cristo.