| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Washington metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 1580kHz |
| Branding | The Bet Washington |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports gambling |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | May 1954; 71 years ago (1954-05) (as WPGC) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | John Fitzgerald Kennedy |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 28638 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 38°52′9″N76°53′47″W / 38.86917°N 76.89639°W /38.86917; -76.89639 |
| Repeater | 106.7 WJFK-FM-HD3 (Manassas) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (via Audacy) |
| Website | www |
WJFK (1580kHz) is acommercialAMradio station broadcasting asports gamblingradio format.Licensed toMorningside, Maryland, and serving theWashington metropolitan area, the station is owned byAudacy, Inc. Theradio studios are inSoutheast DC in theNavy Yard neighborhood. Programming is supplied by the co-ownedBetMGM Network andInfinity Sports Network.
By day, WJFK’s transmitter power is 50,000watts, the maximum for commercial AM stations. Because1580 kHz is a Canadianclear channel frequency, WJFK must greatly reduce power at night to 270 watts, when radio waves travel farther. It has adirectional signal at all times using a four-tower array. Thetransmitter is on Addison Road South (Maryland Route 458) near Walker Mill Road inCapitol Heights, Maryland.[2]
On November 12, 1953, formerFederal Communications Commission (FCC), employee Harry Hayman received aconstruction permit for a radio station inMorningside transmitting with 250wattsdaytime-only on 1580 kilohertz. Thecall sign WPGC, representingPrince George's County, was issued soon afterwards.
In April 1954, WPGCsigned on as a multi-formatted radio station. Maxwell Evans Richmond purchased one half interest in the station from Harry Hayman for $10,000 on November 10, 1954.
On April 14, 1955, WPGC was issued a permit to raise power to 10,000 watts. It also moved its offices from Morningside to a facility inHyattsville, Maryland. It later moved toSoutheast, Washington, D.C., in studios formerly used by WBUZ (95.5). In 1959, the station started simulcasting its programming on 95.5 during the daytime, by then renamed WRNC. That FM station is nowWPGC-FM, which it became after WPGC bought 95.5 outright.
On June 28, 1965, the WPGC-AM-FM were granted a modification of their licenses to move their studios toBladensburg while continuing to identify theircity of license as Morningside. By then, the station playedTop 40 hits with a format similar toWABC andWMCA inNew York City andCKLW inDetroit. WPGC-AM-FM became the most popular Top 40 station in the Washington area, rivaled only by WEAM (1390; nowWZHF). Responding to the black population growth of the Washington area, WPGC began to alternate playing so-called "white" rock records withMotown andsoul music hits.
After Max Richmond died in 1971, his estate received FCC approval on August 7, 1974, to sell the WPGC stations for $5.8 million to First Media Corporation. The transaction was finalized on October 17, 1974.
On April 9, 1979, the FCC granted WPGC a permit to raise power from 10,000 watts to 50,000 watts using adirectional antenna.
After 15 years in the Parkway Building in Bladensburg, the station moved to new state-of-the-art studios overlooking theCapital Beltway inGreenbelt in 1980; the station subsequently relocated to studios in Lanham.
WPGC was finally granted nighttime operation in October 1986, operating with 270 watts. First Media sold all of its properties for $177 million toCook Inlet Radio Partners, a group ofAlaska Natives, in early 1987.
The station switched to a business talk format on October 1, 1988.[3] In 1989, its night power was upgraded to 500 watts directional; the next year, it reverted to 270 watts, though still directional.
Infinity Broadcasting (later merged intoCBS Radio) acquired WPGC-AM-FM from Cook Inlet in June 1994 for $60 million. On January 13, 1995, the station returned to music programming as"Flava 1580", with an allhip-hop music/go-go format.[4] The format was unsuccessful, and ultimately evolved toUrban Gospel in November 1996 as"Heaven 1580".
WPGC dropped the gospel format on October 7, 2008, and began simulcasting WPGC-FM'srhythmic contemporary sound. The simulcast ended on November 10, 2008, when 1580 AM switched to atalk radio format. The station also dropped the WPGC callsign after 54 years, taking on theWHFS call sign that CBS had dropped from what is nowWJZ-FM inBaltimore a week before.
On December 1, 2011, WHFS changed callsigns to WNEW. This came near-simultaneously with the change of 99.1 FM toWNEW-FM.
On October 1, 2012, WNEW 1580 changed its format to a hybrid government news/business news format, branded as "1580 Gov. Biz Radio".[5] This format was dropped on January 28, 2013, when the station joinedCBS Sports Radio as a full-timenetwork affiliate.[6] The station subsequently changed the call sign on January 29 to WJFK, matching call signs with sister stationWJFK-FM "106.7 The Fan."[7]
CBS launched an online portal called "Connecting Vets" in June 2017, consisting of news and podcasts oriented toward militaryveterans. Podcast content was combined with live drive-time news coverage into an Internet stream that also began airing on WJFK on June 5, 2017.[8]
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom.[9] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17.[10][11] (In March 2021, Entercom changed its name to Audacy, Inc.)
Despite the move to a talk format, WJFK continued some local sports coverage as an overflow partner for WJFK-FM. The station was nominally an affiliate of theWashington Nationals Radio Network, although coverage was limited tospring training games since WJFK-FM became the team's flagship.[12] WJFK also carriedD.C. United,Virginia Tech Hokies men's basketball, andGeorgetown Hoyas men's basketball games, which often conflict with WJFK-FM's coverage of the Nationals,Washington Capitals, andWashington Wizards.[13][14][15]
On April 9, 2018, WJFK flipped to a Spanish-language sports talk format as "El Zol Deportes", assuming the branding of its sister stationWLZL (107.9 FM) and shifting its HD simulcast to WLZL-HD2. The station became an affiliate ofESPN Deportes Radio along with a local show from 3-5p.m. hosted by Ray Parker.[16] After ESPN Deportes Radio was discontinued on September 8, 2019, the station became an affiliate ofTUDN Radio.[17]
On June 21, 2021, WJFK flipped to sports gambling, branded as "The Bet Washington", with programming from the co-owned BetQL Network and CBS Sports Radio. With the flip, WJFK shifted its HD simulcast to WJFK-FM-HD3.[18]