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| Broadcast area | Hartford metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 1550kHz |
| Branding | WSDK 1550 AM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian talk and teaching |
| Affiliations | Salem Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | September 6, 1963; 62 years ago (1963-09-06) |
Former call signs |
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| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 37804 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | 41°51′47.36″N72°43′59.34″W / 41.8631556°N 72.7331500°W /41.8631556; -72.7331500 |
| Translator | 95.3 W237EO (Bloomfield) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | Official website |
WSDK (1550kHz) is acommercialAM radio stationlicensed toBloomfield, Connecticut, and serving theHartford metropolitan area. It is owned by Blount Communications and broadcasts aChristian talk and teachingradio format. National religious leaders heard on WSDK includeChuck Swindoll,John Daly,June Hunt,David Jeremiah andJohn MacArthur. WSDK uses abrokered programming plan, where hosts pay for time on the station and they may use their shows to seek donations to their ministries.
By day, WSDK’s transmitter power is 5,000 watts. At night, to avoid interfering with other stations on1550 kHz (a Canadianclear channel frequency), WSDK reduces power to 2,400 watts.[2] It uses adirectional antenna at all times. Programming is also heard on 36-wattFM translator W237EO at 95.3MHz in Bloomfield.[3]
On October 6, 1963, the station firstsigned on.[4] Thecall sign was WEXT, and it was licensed toWest Hartford. WEXT was a 1,000-wattdaytimer. It had acountry and westernformat.
The studios originally were located at 999 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford Center, and the transmitter and tower were at 99 Grassmere Avenue in West Hartford. Flood control work on Trout Brook adjacent to the transmitting tower resulted in damage to the ground system. In 1972, the studios were moved to the 2nd floor of the Culbro Building at 630 Oakwood Avenue in West Hartford.
In 1977, the station changed ownership and the callsign was switched to WMLB, which was a combination of the first names of the three owners: Mary, Lou and Barry. Soon afterward, WMLB was one of the first stations in the state to install a satellite downlink when theMutual Broadcasting System, of which WMLB was anetwork affiliate, agreed to place a 3-meter downlink on the roof of the transmitter building. This site then served as the Connecticut hub for Mutual and also for theAssociated Press for the next ten years.
In March 1986, the station changed its callsign to WGAB.[5]
In 1988, the station was off the air for a while. In September 1988, the station returned to the air as WLVX under the ownership of Living Communications, which also ownedWLIX inIslip, New York. The new owners brought aContemporary Christian format to the station, and the studios were moved to the Wintonbury Mall in Bloomfield.
In 1993, the station was sold again, this time to a local group who changed the callsign to WRDM and began programming the station in Italian. The studios were moved to 880 Maple Avenue in Hartford where they shared space with a sister low-power television station, W13BF (which subsequently changed its call letters toWRDM-LP to match the radio station).
In May 1998, the station was sold again, this time to the Hibernia Corporation. The format was switched to "Radio Disney" children's programming on May 26, and the studios moved to Franklin Avenue in Hartford. The call sign was then changed to WDZK.
The Walt Disney Company purchased the station from Hibernia in 2000, and continued to operate from the Franklin Avenue location until 2004, when the studios were moved to 160 Chapel Road inManchester, Connecticut. In February 2008, WDZK commencedHD Radio broadcasting.
Disney took WDZK, along withWDDZ inPawtucket, Rhode Island, off the air on September 30, 2010, and put the stations up for sale.[6] That November, it was sold to Blount Communications.[7]
The call sign changed to WSDK on February 15, 2011.[5] On March 19, the station resumed broadcasting with aChristian talk and teaching format.[8]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W237EO | 95.3 FM | Bloomfield, Connecticut | 140073 | 36 | 80 m (262 ft) | D | 41°47′48.4″N72°47′48.3″W / 41.796778°N 72.796750°W /41.796778; -72.796750 (W237EO) | LMS |