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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Central New Jersey,Delaware Valley |
| Frequency | 94.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 94.5 PST |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WCHR,WKXW,WNJE | |
| History | |
First air date | August 7, 1965 (60 years ago) (1965-08-07) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Passport" or "Passport Stereo Trenton"[1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 25013 |
| Class | B |
| ERP |
|
| HAAT | 150 meters (490 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°11′21.8″N74°50′47.6″W / 40.189389°N 74.846556°W /40.189389; -74.846556 (WPST) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | wpst |
WPST (94.5FM, "94.5 PST") is a commercialradio station licensed toTrenton, New Jersey, airing acontemporary hit radio format. Owned byTownsquare Media,[3][4] the station servesCentral Jersey, theDelaware Valley,Philadelphia and its northern and eastern suburbs.[5]
The station's studio is located in the suburbs of Trenton inEwing, New Jersey.[6] Its broadcast tower is located west ofMorrisville, Pennsylvania, at (40°11′21.8″N74°50′47.6″W / 40.189389°N 74.846556°W /40.189389; -74.846556).[7] In addition to a standardanalog transmission, the station can be streamed available online.
On August 7, 1965, 94.5 signed on as WTTM-FM. It was owned by the Scott Broadcasting Company, Inc. of New Jersey and was the adjunct toWTTM (920 AM).[8] On February 1, 1969, WTTM-FM became WCHR, a religious station; in 1974, it was approved to increase its effective radiated power to 50,000 watts.[9]
The Scott family sold WTTM and WCHR in 1996 for $20 million toNassau Broadcasting Partners.[10] The sale prompted immediate speculation that a format change was in the offing for WCHR.[11] That November, WCHR's religious programming began being simulcast on 920 AM. On February 27, 1998, the 94.5 frequency beganstunting with construction sound effects.
On March 2, 1998, at 5:00 pm, 94.5 relaunched as "New Jersey's Oldies Station", with new WNJO call letters.[12] The station's format of primary 1960s oldies was selected so as to avoid cannibalizing Nassau's other Trenton station,WPST (97.5 FM). The first request on the new WNJO was made by GovernorChristine Whitman, who attended the launch.[13]
WNJO brought in morning personality Don Kellogg Who was a ratings winner, but facing competition fromWKXW which was moving in a 1970s direction, and inspired by the revenue success of a similar flip at Nassau's station inAllentown, Pennsylvania, WNJO becameclassic hits "The Hawk" on December 1, 2001[14] and adopted WTHK call letters on August 1, 2002.
WPST'scontemporary hit radio format moved from 97.5 to 94.5 on February 14, 2005, at 5 pm. At the same time, WTHK's programming moved to 97.5, which had been approved to move its community of license toBurlington, New Jersey, closer to Philadelphia.[15]
The station, along with nine other Nassau stations in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, was purchased at bankruptcy auction by NB Broadcasting in May 2012. NB Broadcasting is controlled by Nassau's creditors —Goldman Sachs, Pluss Enterprises, and P.E. Capital.[16][17] In November, NB Broadcasting filed a motion to assign its rights to the stations toConnoisseur Media.[18] The sale to Connoisseur Media, at a price of $38.7 million, was consummated on May 29, 2013.
On March 22, 2018, it was announced that the station had been sold by Connoisseur Media to Townsquare Media (along withWNJE andWCHR) for a deal totaling $17.3 million.[19] The acquisition was finalized on July 2, 2018.
WPST is short-spaced to two otherClass B stations:WXBK94.7 The Block (licensed to serveNewark, New Jersey) andWDAC (licensed to serveLancaster, Pennsylvania). They are also short spaced due toWJLK-FM on 94.3 inAsbury Park.
WPST and WXBK operate on first adjacent channels (94.5 MHz and 94.7 MHz) and the distance between the stations' transmitters is 59 miles as determined by FCC rules.[20] The minimum distance between two Class B stations operating on first adjacent channels according to currentFCC rules is 105 miles.[21]
WPST and WDAC operate on the same channel and the distance between the stations' transmitters is 76 miles as determined by FCC rules.[20] The minimum distance between two Class B stations operating on the same channel according to current FCC rules is 150 miles.[21]
