 | |
| Broadcast area | Tampa Bay Area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 820kHz |
| Branding | The Big 8 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Hot Talk andSports |
| Affiliations | Infinity Sports Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WHBO,WMGG | |
| History | |
First air date | May 29, 1972; 52 years ago (1972-05-29) (as WSST) |
Former call signs | WSST (1972–1985) WRFA (1985–1994) WYTA (4/94-10/94) WNZE (1994–1996) WZTM (1996–2000) WMGG (2000–2009) |
Call sign meaning | TampaBAy |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 51971 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 50,000watts day 1,000 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 27°54′30.00″N82°46′51.00″W / 27.9083333°N 82.7808333°W /27.9083333; -82.7808333 |
| Translator(s) | 96.7 W244EG (Tampa) 98.3 W252DF (Largo) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | newstalkflorida.com |
WWBA (820kHz) is acommercialAMradio station that airs ahot talk andsportsradio format.Licensed toLargo, Florida, it serves theTampa Bay area. The station is currently owned by Genesis Communications of Tampa Bay, LLC, and is operated by NIA Broadcasting under alocal marketing agreement (LMA). Middays, nights and weekends, the station carries theInfinity Sports Network. Weekday mornings and for an hour in the afternoon, it runs thesyndicated and Florida-based "Bubba The Love Sponge Show."
WWBA is one of two 50,000-watt stations in the Tampa Bay area, along withWJBR (1010 AM). By day, WWBA is powered at 50,000 watts, the maximum for commercial AM stations. AsAM 820 is aclear channel frequency reserved forWBAP inFort Worth, Texas, WWBA reduces power to 1,000 watts at night to avoid interference and uses adirectional antenna at all times. WWBA'stransmitter is on 8th Avenue SE in Largo.[2]
WWBA is also heard on twoFM translator stations: 96.7W244EG inTampa and 98.3W252DF in Largo.
The station went on the air as WSST on May 29, 1972, broadcasting on800 kHz.[3] It was adaytimer with 250 watts and required to be off the air at night, to protect clear-channel stationsCKLW inWindsor, Ontario,Canada andXEROK-AM inCiudad Juárez,Mexico. Its first format wasSouthern Gospel music. It later moved to AM 820,[when?] as it sought upgrading its daytime signal while providing local nighttime service.
Over the years, it has carriedChristian radio,country music,talk radio, andsports radio, as well as aSpanish-languageContemporary Hits format, as "La Preciosa 820".
As a talk station, WWBA once aired more locally-produced programming, but later switched tosyndicated conservative talk shows. It was formerly known as "News Talk 820 WWBA".[4] It had beenaffiliated withABC News Radio. WWBA also aired a local midday show by Dan Maduri and had local sports hosts filling the morning hours. The station was also home toThe Morning Magazine with Mark Larsen, which ended in December 2009. Another local talk show, Dan York's "The Tampa Bay Experience", was canceled in July 2009. In May 2019, afternoon host Chris Ingram was let go. The following month, the rest of the station's on-air announcers were terminated.
On September 29, 2008, WWBA moved its talk programming from 1040 AM to 820 AM, after it was announced that the station's owners, Genesis Communications, would be purchasing 820 AM from Mega Communications. The owners transferred the WWBA call sign to 820 when the sale closed.[5]
On February 13, 2017, WWBA became the newflagship station of theBubba the Love Sponge Show afterWBRN-FM dropped the show the previous month due to a format change. In February 2019, the show left WWBA and moved to 1040WHBO.[6] Also in February 2019, owner Genesis Communications turned over management of the station to NIA Broadcasting via anLMA.
In June 2019, 820 WWBA changed toautomated 1970s-1990sclassic country music. The station discontinued local programming.[7] On October 8, 2019, 820 WWBA switched back to a news/talk format. On May 26, 2020, WWBA changed its format from news/talk to hot talk and sports, branded as "The Big 8". The sports programming comes fromCBS Sports Radio,[8] and the hot talk is once again from Bubba The Love Sponge.