 | |
| Broadcast area | Capital District |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1240kHz |
| Branding | WPTR 1240 AM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Full serviceclassic rock andclassic hits |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Area Independent Radio, Inc. |
| History | |
First air date | 1942 (as WSNY) |
Former call signs | WSNY (1942–1975) WWWD (1976–1988) WVKZ (1988–2012) |
Call sign meaning | PaTRoon Broadcasting Company (original owners ofWDCD) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 8726 |
| Class | C |
| Power | 1,000watts unlimited |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°48′37″N73°59′4″W / 42.81028°N 73.98444°W /42.81028; -73.98444 |
| Translator | 97.1 W246DS (Ballston Spa, New York) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WPTR (1240kHz) is acommercialAMradio stationlicensed toSchenectady, New York. The station serves theCapital District ofNew York. The station is currently owned by the Area Independent Radio, Inc. It airs aclassic rock-classic hitsradio format.
Thestudios and offices are located at the Via Port Mall inRotterdam, New York. Thetransmitter is also in Rotterdam, off West Campbell Road, near the mall.[2] WPTR broadcasts at 1,000watts, day and night, using anon-directional antenna.
WPTR also has anFM translator, 97.1MHzW246DS inBallston Spa, New York.
The station is an affiliate of the weekly syndicatedPink Floyd show "Floydian Slip."
WPTR began as long runningmiddle-of-the-road station WSNY in 1942. In 1968, WSNY flipped toTop 40, going into direct competition with more powerful and established stations WPTR (nowWDCD) and WTRY (nowWOFX). The format was initially a success. However, by the early 1970s, FM Top 40 began to take hold in the Albany market as well; by 1973, in addition to WPTR and WTRY, WSNY had to contend with WABY (nowWAMC), WGFM (nowWRVE), and WHSH (nowWPYX). In 1974, WSNY left the air. In 1976, the station returned to the air as WWWD, with kind of a top 40/oldies hybrid format. WWWD began to add vast amounts ofoff-track betting racing to their schedule during the 1980s. In early 1988, the station became WVKZ and partially simulcasted WVKZ-FM (nowWMHH), with their rock based top 40 format. WVKZ drifted through various formats during the 1990s, includingclassic country andtalk, before flipping to oldies in 2004. In February 2009, WVKZ started broadcastingScott Shannon'sTrue Oldies network after broadcasting as "Real Oldies" since 2004.
Ernie Anastos sold his Albany-area stations—WVKZ,WABY,WQAR, andWUAM and its translator W291BY—to Empire Broadcasting Corporation in June 2012 at a purchase price of $1.2 million.[3] The transaction consummated on September 7, 2012. On September 8, 2012 the station adopted the historic WPTR call letters, formerly used on the stations now known as WDCD,WAJZ, and WMHH.[4] On June 7, 2013 WPTR changed their format to sports.[5] On June 27, 2016 WPTR changed their format from sports to a simulcast of business news-formattedWAIX 1160 AM Mechanicville, branded as "Empire News Network".[6] On May 15, 2018, WPTR and its sister AM stations went silent (off the air).[7]
On December 31, 2019 WPTR was sold to Area Independent Radio, Inc., a group led by two retired professors fromUnion College. WPTR currently operates a full time studio located at the Via Port Mall inRotterdam, New York. WPTR officially went back on the air as a classic rock station, featuring music from 60s thru the 90s, as well as featuring the AOR (album-oriented rock) format made popular in the 1970s. The station's format is styled after the era of WPTR's popular DJ 'Boom Boom Branigan' and features some nostalgia, including vintage jingles of the 50s and 60s.Full-service trappings include an apolitical news department,Albany Patroons basketball, and ethnic programming on weekends.[8]
The call letters WPTR were previously assigned to an AM station (later known asWDCD) in Albany, New York.[9]