| Broadcast area | Ulster County -Hudson Valley |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1490kHz |
| Branding | Radio Kingston |
| Programming | |
| Format | Community radio |
| Affiliations | CBS News Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Radio Kingston Corp. |
| History | |
First air date | December 16, 1939; 86 years ago (1939-12-16) |
Call sign meaning | Kingston, New York |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 10782 |
| Class | C |
| Power | 1,000watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°56′11″N74°0′30″W / 41.93639°N 74.00833°W /41.93639; -74.00833 |
| Translator | 107.9 W300DU (Kingston) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | RadioKingston.org |
WKNY (1490kHz; "Radio Kingston") is anAMradio station inKingston, New York, servingUlster County. It broadcasts at a power of 1,000watts from a single tower located off Albany Avenue.[2] The studios and offices are located on Broadway in Kingston. WKNY is owned and operated by not-for-profit charitable licensee Radio Kingston Corp.[3]
On March 26, 2019, a 250–wattFM translator was added, 107.9MHzW300DU.[4] Listeners can choose either AM or FM to hear WKNY.
WKNY airs a non-commercialfull serviceradio format, featuringadult contemporary music, news and information in AM and PMdrive times, with talk and specialty music shows the rest of the day, includingoldies,jazz and other genres. Programs aimed at the Irish, Italian, German and Polish communities are heard Sundays.
Warren Lawrence hosts the weekday morning show along with the Saturday afternoon oldies show and Sunday afternoon Garage Sale program. Hank Gross provides local news. Jimmy Buff is the late afternoon DJ, while Frank Auringer hosts early evenings. Adam Alberts helms Saturday mornings, in addition to production for live sporting events on the station. Antonio Flores-Lobos and Mariel Fiori are the late morning hosts of the Spanish-English show, "La Voz."
Dan Reinhard provides sports reports for WKNY, with sports updates on the weekday morning drive show, as well as hosting Monday Night SportTalk, and play-by-play broadcasts ofKingston High Schoolfootball andbasketball. Most hours begin with world and national news fromCBS News Radio.
On December 16, 1939, WKNY firstsigned on.[5] The inaugural program was broadcast at 8:15 PM from the auditorium of Kingston High School before an audience of approximately 100 people. Major C.J. Heiselman was unable to attend WKNY's opening ceremonies but a recorded message from him was broadcast over the air. The musical program was rendered by Roger Baer's Orchestra, the Vocal Rhythm Boys of Saugerties and vocal solos by Miss Lynne Clark.[6][7]
Following the musical program in the High School, the program continued with musical selections from the new WKNY studios in the Governor Clinton Hotel.[8] The following morning the services in the Fair Street Reformed Church were broadcast on the air and the station was expected to have a formal dedication in January 1940.
TheFCC first licensed WKNY to begin full operations on January 17, 1940.[8] At first, WKNY broadcast at 1500kilocycles, at a power of 100 watts. In March 1940, the station received permission to increase power to 250 watts.[8]
In 1941, after the enactment of theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA), WKNY moved one spot down the dial toAM 1490[9][8]
The station was first owned by John R. McKenna and his family, under the name Kingston Broadcasting Company. The first program director was Ezra McIntosh and the first manager was Leon Bernard[10]
In 1940, John McKenna held the position of President of Kingston Broadcasting.[11]
In July 1943, Benjamin F. Feiner, Jr. stepped down as President of Kingston Broadcasting.[12]
In 1944, WKNY moved its studios and offices to the Community Theatre Building at 601 Broadway,[8]
In March 1944, transfer of control of Kingston Broadcasting went from a group consisting of Benjamin F Feiner, Jr., Morris S. Novik, and Louis J. Furman to a new group consisting of Myer Weisenthal, Charles C Swaringer, John J. Laux, Richard Teitlebaum, Louis Berkman, Louis J. Furman, and Morris S. Novik.[8]
In 1954, the Kingston Broadcasting Company put a TV station on the air,WKNY-TV.[13] It started on Channel 66 and later moved to Channel 21. While it waslicensed to Kingston, its studios and tower were inPoughkeepsie. WKNY-TV carried programming from the four TV networks at the time,CBS,NBC,ABC and theDuMont. It served as the only television station betweenNew York City andAlbany. But in the 1950s, few people had TV sets that could receiveUHF channels, above 13. And the advertising base in the sparsely populated Hudson Valley was small. WKNY-TV only lasted two years, suspending operations in 1956.
In the 1960s and 1970s, WKNY was aTop 40 station. It aired thesyndicated countdown show "American Top 40 withCasey Kasem" on Saturdays from 8am-noon. By the 1980s, WKNY evolved to afull-service adult contemporary format, when it was in competition with Walter C. Maxwell'sAM 920WGHQ.
In 1971, the station moved to 212 Fair Street in a house formerly owned by Mayor Raymond Garraghan.[8][14]
In 1986, WKNY moved into its present studio and offices at 718 Broadway.
Noted former personalities include "Morning Mayor" Ward Todd, who enjoyed a high ratings in the era when AM radio captured a large wake-up audience. WKNY also airedNew York Yankees baseball for many years before the games shifted tocountry music stationFM 94.3WKXP, when it was co-owned with WKNY.
In 2002,Cumulus Media, a major owner of radio stations across the U.S., acquired WKNY.[15]
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in whichCumulus Media would swap its stations inDubuque, Iowa, andPoughkeepsie, New York, including WKNY, toTownsquare Media in exchange for Peak Broadcasting'sFresno, California, stations. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition ofDial Global. Townsquare, Peak, and Dial Global were all controlled byOaktree Capital Management.[16][17] The transaction was consummated effective November 14, 2013.
On August 2, 2017, a newnon-profit organization, The Radio Kingston Corporation, announced an agreement with Townsquare to purchase WKNY and move it to non-commercial status. Thirty–year broadcast veteran Jimmy Buff, former program director and morning host for 100.1WDST inWoodstock, New York, was named executive director of Radio Kingston. On October 31, 2017, the sale between Radio Kingston Corp and Townsquare was completed at a price of $500,000.