| Simulcast ofWGHQ Kingston | |
|---|---|
| |
| Broadcast area | Hudson Valley |
| Frequency | 1420kHz |
| Branding | The Beacon |
| Programming | |
| Format | Conservative Talk |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBNR,WBPM,WGHQ,WHUD,WSPK,WXPK | |
| History | |
First air date | December 22, 1948; 76 years ago (1948-12-22) |
Call sign meaning | "Local News Authority" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 54852 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 41°18′31.34″N73°54′58.5″W / 41.3087056°N 73.916250°W /41.3087056; -73.916250 |
| Translator | 94.3 W232DQ (Peekskill) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | hvbeacon.com |
WLNA (1420AM) is acommercial radio stationlicensed toPeekskill, New York, and serving theHudson Valley. The station is owned byPamal Broadcasting, and branded "The Beacon." Itsimulcasts aconservative talk radio format withsister stationsWBNR inBeacon andWGHQ inKingston. Its studios are onNew York State Route 52 in Beacon.
WLNA is powered at 5,000 watts by day. At night, to protect other stations on1420 AM from interference, it reduces power to 1,000 watts using adirectional antenna with a five-tower array. The station'stransmitter is just north of Peekskill in the Town ofCortlandt, New York. (The day and night patterns use two different arrays of three towers, with only one tower shared by both arrays.)[2] Programming is also heard on one-wattFM translatorW232DQ at 94.3MHz.[3]
Weekdays on "The Beacon" (WLNA, WBNR and WGHQ) begin with a local news and interview show,Hudson Valley Focus with Tom Sipos. The rest of the day,nationally syndicated programs are heard:Brian Kilmeade,Dan Bongino,Charlie Kirk,Joe Pags,Bill O'Reilly,America at Night with Rick Valdés,Red Eye Radio andAmerica in the Morning. Weekends feature specialty shows on travel, golf, cars and guns. Syndicated weekend hosts includeDave Ramsey,Larry Elder,Hugh Hewitt,Mike Gallagher,Rudy Maxa andEric Metaxas.
The Beacon carries live sports includingNew York Rangershockey,New York Knicksbasketball andArmy Black Knights football from nearbyWest Point.
WLNAsigned on the air on December 22, 1948; 76 years ago (December 22, 1948). It was originally adaytimer, with 500 watts of power by day and required to go off the air at night. It used a singletower, located on Radio Terrace in the Town of Cortlandt.[4]
From the 1950s till the 1980s, it was afull servicemiddle of the road AM station with heavy emphasis on local news and community events. A typical broadcast day had local news at the top and bottom of the hour, farm reports, local weather, and recorded or live music in between.
During thePeekskill riots on September 4, 1949, WLNA was requested byState Police and City of Peekskill officials to stay on the air past its 6 p.m. sign off time. It was used to broadcast emergency information to local residents and persons traveling into the area who may have not been aware of the situation. The Riots took place near Van Cortlandtville, about 2 miles west of the station.[5]
In 1951, the station increased power to 1,000 watts. In 1958WLNA-FM 100.7 MHz signed on as a simulcast of the AM station.[6] After sign-off time, WLNA-FM continued on-the-air until about midnight, allowing its programming to be heard in the evening when the AM station was silent. On October 24, 1971, WLNA-FM changed its call letters toWHUD. In 1972 the simulcast ended as FM signal split off and launched abeautiful music format, syndicated fromBonneville International.
Throughout the 1970s, WLNA continued itsfull service format. It switched from its Middle of the Road music toeasy listening.
In 1980, WLNA applied to theFederal Communications Commission for a signal upgrade to 5,000 watts daytime and 1,000 watts night time power. This would entail moving the transmitter site about 1/2-mile south and putting up a five tower directional antenna array. The station owners, Highland Broadcasting, battled the Town of Cortlandt zoning board all the way to theNew York State Supreme Court over a zoning variance for use of the new transmitter site.[7] The Supreme Court sided with the radio station, and construction was finished in late 1981.
Despite the power upgrade, the station's signal was still difficult to hear in parts of its service area. With the decline ofAM radio, more resources were put into its sister FM station WHUD.
Highland Broadcasting sold both WLNA and WHUD to Radio Terrace, Inc., in 1982. Radio Terrace also ownedWROW andWROW-FM inAlbany, New York. Radio Terrace sold WROW-AM-FM to Albany Broadcasting, predecessor ofPamal Broadcasting in December 1993. Pamal acquired WLNA and WHUD in 1997.
On March 24, 2014, WLNA and WBNR introduced the "Real Country" national music format. The stations playedclassic country hits from the 1960s through the 90s. On March 15, 2021, WLNA and WBNR changed their format from classic country to a simulcast of co-ownedclassic hits stationWBPM92.9 FM inSaugerties.[8]
On October 14, 2024, WLNA changed its format again, ending the classic hits simulcast of WBPM. WLNA, WBNR and WGHQ began airing aconservative talk format, branded as "The Beacon".[9] It began airing syndicated talk shows fromWestwood One and carryingABC News Radio for national news updates.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W232DQ | 94.3 FM | Peekskill, New York | 202878 | 1 | D | 41°20′18″N73°53′39″W / 41.33833°N 73.89417°W /41.33833; -73.89417 (W232DQ) | LMS |