| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | New Orleans metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 1350kHz |
| Branding | The Bet New Orleans |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Sports gambling |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | April 1, 1925; 100 years ago (1925-04-01) |
Former call signs | WSMB (1925–2006) |
Call sign meaning | WWL (sister station) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 72959 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 29°55′29.74″N90°2′4.25″W / 29.9249278°N 90.0345139°W /29.9249278; -90.0345139 |
| Translator | 92.9 W225CZ (New Orleans) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (via Audacy) |
| Website | www |
WWWL (1350AM, "The Bet New Orleans") is a commercial radio station inNew Orleans, Louisiana. Owned byAudacy, Inc., it broadcasts asports gambling format. The station's studios are located at the400 Poydras Tower inDowntown New Orleans. Itstransmitter site is inAlgiers, near the city limits ofGretna andTerrytown. The station operates at 5,000 watts during the day and 480 watts at night, using anon-directional antenna.[2] The station is simulcast on FM translator station W225CZ (92.9 FM).
This station carried thecall sign WSMB from its founding until 2006. Itsigned on the airwaves April 1, 1925, as New Orleans' first professional radio station, a joint commercial venture by the localSaenger Theatre and theMaison Blanchedepartment store. Programming was provided by the Saenger, allowing Maison Blanche to sell radio sets in the store so customers could hear the station's programming. For most of its early history, the studios were located on the thirteenth floor of the Maison Blanche Building onCanal Street, a few blocks from the theater. By the 1930s, WSMB was anaffiliate of theNBC Red Network, carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows andbig band broadcasts during theGolden Age of Radio.[3]
As network programming shifted to TV in the 1960s, WSMB moved to afull service format ofmiddle of the road music (MOR), news and talk. WSMB found success in the ratings, primarily on the strength of morningdrive time personalities Roy Roberts and Jeff Hugg, known asNut and Jeff, and midday political talk show host, Keith Rush. Musically, the station in the 1960s was a mix of pop standards and the softer sounds ofrock and roll. In the 1970s, WSMB moved to a moreadult contemporary music sound. The station played moderate amounts of music during morning and afternoon drive times while being music intensive and leaning towardoldies overnights and weekends.
By 1980, as music listening shifted to FM, WSMB's ratings had dropped. The station gradually cut back on music through the early 1980s. By 1985, WSMB was strictly news and talk, using theABC Radio Information Network and its Talk Radio service.[4] Moving to all talk still did not bring ratings up. In 1988, WSMB was sold to Winton Communications, which kept the talk format in place but could not improve the ratings.
In 1996, WSMB was bought by theSinclair Broadcast Group, which also owned the news-talk powerhouse 870WWL. Sinclair turned WSMB into asister station of WWL, running talk programs that were not available on AM 870, and adding WWL's newsgathering expertise. In 1999, Sinclair sold its New Orleans radio stations to Entercom. WWWL began broadcasting sporting events that were bumped from WWL due to scheduling conflicts, including basketball and football fromLSU andTulane University. The station was the radio home of theNew Orleans Brass minor league hockey team from 1997 to 2002 and has sometimes been a local radio outlet for national broadcasts ofNFL football.
With all the sporting events on WSMB's schedule, it became anall-sports station between 1999 and 2001. Programming at that time includedsyndicated shows fromESPN Radio and an afternoon show hosted by local sports commentator Kaare Johnson. Other local personalities heard on the station included sports trainer Mackie Shilstone. There was a period where most programming consisted of psychological call-in shows, featuring hosts such asDr. Laura and Dr.Joy Browne. From 2005 until November 2006, the station carried aprogressive talk radio format as an affiliate ofAir America Radio.The Food Show withTom Fitzmorris remained on the air through all these format changes. It is the longest-running talk show of any kind in New Orleans, airing weekdays since July 18, 1988, and now heard on WWL-FM HD2 or in podcast format.
The station's previous studios adjacent to theLouisiana Superdome were destroyed in August 2005 byHurricane Katrina. Its frequency, as well as all other operational Entercom and Clear Channel frequencies, was used tosimulcast the programming produced by theUnited Radio Broadcasters of New Orleans with the staff of sister stationWWL. Normal programming was resumed on December 19, 2005.
The WSMB call letters were relinquished in November 2006, when the programming was switched to repeats of shows originated on WWL, becoming "WWWL - WWL On Demand". The WSMB call sign was picked up by another Entercom station located inMemphis (which becameWMFS in 2009).
On June 30, 2008,ESPN Radio returned to AM 1350, as WWWL became a full-time affiliate.[5] On October 14, 2013, WWWL re-branded as3WL: Sports, Food & Fun; the format would continue to primarily feature sports programming, switching toNBC Sports Radio and featuring a morning show withT-Bob Hebert and Kristian Garic, but with an afternoon lineup featuring lifestyle programming such asTom Fitzmorris'The Food Show, andJohn "Spud" McConnell moving from WWL midday to host afternoon drive.[6]
On February 9, 2017, WWWL began running announcements redirecting 3WL listeners toWWL-FM-HD2, where the format would be moving full-time. The next day at noon, WWWL flipped tourban adult contemporary as "Hot 103.7", using new FM translator W279DF to enable its signal to be heard with FM quality. The first song on "Hot" was "Rude Boy" byRihanna. The new format competes with market-leadingWYLD-FM andKMEZ with a younger skewing take on the format, focusing solely onR&B hits from the 1990s through today, as opposed to theplaylists of its two competitors, who include songs from the 1970s and 1980s.[7][8]
On February 14, 2018, WWWL flipped to anurban oldies format, but maintained theHot branding and on-air staff. The station now focuses primarily on classic R&B from the 1970s and 1980s.[9] On April 11, 2018, WWWL's FM translator W279DF was replaced by W225CZ, which operates from a taller antenna at 92.9 FM. At the same time, the station re-branded accordingly asHot 92.9.[10]
On June 28, 2021, WWWL/W225CZ flipped tosports gambling, branded as "The Bet New Orleans". The previous urban oldies format and "Hot" branding continued to air onWLMG-HD2.[11]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W225CZ | 92.9FM | New Orleans, Louisiana | 148534 | 250 | D | 29°55′12.7″N90°1′28.3″W / 29.920194°N 90.024528°W /29.920194; -90.024528 (W225CZ) | LMS |
