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| Broadcast area | Capital District |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1600kHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Defunct |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Iroquois Broadcasting Company, Inc. |
| History | |
First air date | April 18,1962 |
Last air date | May 23,1966 |
Former call signs | WOWE (1966, never used) |
| Technical information | |
| Class | III-D |
| Power | 500watts (daytime only) |
| Links | |
| Website | None |
WXKW was the call sign for two unrelatedAMradio stations in upstateNew York; originally on 850 kHz, with a second incarnation on 1600 kHz in the 1960s.
The WXKW calls were once again issued to an Albany-area radio station on January 9, 1961, this time for a 500-watt daytime only station operating at 1600 kHz inWatervliet, New York, 6 miles north of Albany. This station went through a number of format changes in its short history, to includeeasy listening,middle-of-the-road,R&B andsoul music,old-time radio,ethnic,religious, and evencountry music. The studios were located in the Hendrick Hudson Hotel in downtownTroy, New York, while the transmitter tower was located off 19th Street in Watervliet. That station had a very difficult time becoming financially stable, and late in its history it's said that employee paychecks frequently bounced.
On March 5, 1966, during a period when the owner owed several months of back rent, the landlord cut off the electricity to the station's studio. Later that evening, a fire completely destroyed the facility. The disc jockeys attempted to keep the station on the air by playing records at the transmitter site. It was eventually decided that the staff of WXKW would shut down the station. On May 23, 1966, after one final show on the station, playing music commercial-free, with just breaks forstation identification on the hour and half-hour, the program director went on the air one last time at 10:55 and said, "Due to circumstances beyond our control, WXKW will cease operations at this time." The final songs played on WXKW wereAuld Lang Syne and theNational Anthem, and the chief engineer smashed the main transmitter tube at 11:00 a.m. That ended the second and final chapter of WXKW radio in the Capital District. Its license was deleted on July 22, 1966.[1]