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| Broadcast area | Savannah metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 1290kHz |
| Branding | NewsRadio 97.7 and 1290 AM WTKS |
| Programming | |
| Format | Conservative talk |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | October 15, 1929 (1929-10-15) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "Talks" |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 8589 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | 32°5′21.7″N81°8′45.4″W / 32.089361°N 81.145944°W /32.089361; -81.145944 |
| Translator | 97.7 W249BS (Savannah) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | newsradio1290wtks.iheart.com |
WTKS (1290AM, "NewsRadio 97.7 and AM 1290") is a commercialradio station licensed toSavannah, Georgia, United States, and serving theSavannah metropolitan area. Owned byiHeartMedia, it features aconservative talk format, with studios and transmitter located inGarden City, Georgia (with a Savannah address).[3] WTKS is also simulcast on low-powerFM translator, W249BS (97.7 FM).
The station signed on the air on October 15, 1929. Its call sign was WTOC and it was the first broadcasting station in the Savannah area.[4] It was an enterprise of the civic group Junior Board of Trade that was the forerunner of the SavannahJaycees. WTOC broadcast on 1260kilocycles with 500watts day and night,non-directional. Later, the power increased to 1,000 watts daytime, and later to 5,000 watts days and 1,000 watts at night. With theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) nationwide frequency shift in 1941, the station moved to 1290 kHz. Shortly thereafter, a fourtower array was built in Garden City, and power increased to 5,000 watts at night using adirectional antenna.
WTOC ("Welcome To Our City"), was owned for many years by the Knight family, with William T. Knight serving as president of the Savannah Broadcasting Company. It was aCBS RadioNetwork affiliate, carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports,soap operas,game shows andbig band broadcasts during theGolden Age of Radio. One of its rivals,WSAV, was a network affiliate ofNBC Radio.
WTOC added an FM station in 1946.[5] It first broadcast at 97.3 MHz, later moving to 94.1 MHz (todayWQBT). In 1954,WTOC-TV (channel 11) came on the air. Because WTOC radio was a longtime CBS affiliate, WTOC-TV also carriedCBS TV programming and news.
As network programming shifted to television in the 1950s, WTOC became afull servicemiddle of the road (MOR) music station. WTOC aired many features, both network and local, as well as having significant news programming. It was not until the mid-1970s that WTOC became much more contemporary with its programming. For a while, the station called its sound "The Love Rock," primarily playing what would today be calledadult contemporary music. WTOC usedTM's "Sound Of Chicago" jingle package, which had been created for WMAQ.
In the 1960s and early 1970s, WTOC-FM used BPI'sbeautiful music format. In the mid-1970s, it switched to BPI'scountry music format, and became "Country 94".
In 1979, the Knights sold WTOC radio and television to theAmerican Family Life Assurance Company fromColumbus, Georgia. American Family spun the radio stations off to Bluegrass Broadcasting ofLexington, Kentucky. Bluegrass built a large studio-office complex adjacent to the AM transmitter site on Alfred Street, and renamed the AM WWSA (Working With Savannah) and the FM became WCHY-FM. In 1987, the AM switched to the WCHY call letters. It flipped toclassic country music, using the "Great American Country" syndicated service, while the FM continued with contemporary country.[6]
WCHY (AM) and WCHY-FM were sold by Roth Broadcasting in 1995, to WP Radio. When WP Radio decided to leave broadcasting, it sold the stations to Patterson Broadcasting.[7] In May 1998, WCHY switched to achildren's/contemporary hit radio format, becoming theRadio Disney affiliate in Savannah.
In 2000, the station was acquired byClear Channel Communications, a forerunner to current owner iHeartMedia. Clear Channel flipped the station's format totalk radio. TheFederal Communications Commission assigned the station the WTKS call letters on January 25, 2002.[1]
On March 28, 2011, Clear Channel purchased an FM translator for WTKS, allowing the station to be heard on 97.7 FM as well as 1290 AM.[8]
Scott Ryfun hosts the station's local morning program; the remainder of the schedule consists of nationally-syndicated conservative talk shows, mostly fromPremiere Networks.[9]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W249BS | 97.7FM | Savannah, Georgia | 151866 | 250 | 143.4 m (470 ft) | D | 32°3′26.6″N81°8′46.7″W / 32.057389°N 81.146306°W /32.057389; -81.146306 | LMS |