| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Washington metro area |
| Frequency | 1120kHz |
| Branding | DMV's BIN 1120 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Black-oriented news |
| Affiliations | Black Information Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WASH,WBIG-FM,WIHT,WMZQ-FM,WWDC | |
| History | |
First air date | 1947 (78 years ago) (1947) |
Former call signs | WBCC (1947–51)[1] |
Call sign meaning | previous studio location in theU Street district |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 48686 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 50,000watts day 3,000 wattscritical hours |
Transmitter coordinates | 38°52′09″N76°53′47″W / 38.86917°N 76.89639°W /38.86917; -76.89639 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | dmv |
WUST (1120AM) is a commercialall-newsradio station licensed to serveWashington, D.C.The station is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc.[3] The station services theWashington metropolitan area as the market affiliate of theBlack Information Network.[4]
The WUST studios are located onRockville Pike in the district suburb ofRockville, Maryland, while the station transmitter resides inCapitol Heights. In addition to a standardanalog transmission, WUST programming is available online viaiHeartRadio. While WUST operates at 50,000watts during the day, the station is required to reduce power duringcritical hours in the early morning—and go off the air during nighttime hours—to protect the signal ofKMOX inSt. Louis, the dominantClass A station on1120 AM.[5]
WUST firstsigned on in 1947 as WBCC, licensed to the Washington, DC, suburb ofBethesda, Maryland, with 250 watts of power, broadcasting in the daytime only.[6] It had been arhythm and blues station. Itscall letters came from its studio location at 1120U Street, NW, later moving to 815 V Street NW, site of today's9:30 Club.
During the 1950s, DJs Lord Fauntleroy Bandy and "Terrible" Thomas popularized R&B music with high school students, weaning them fromTop 40. Part of the appeal of WUST was its location in the red light district of the time.[citation needed]
During late August 1963, the ballroom of the WUST studio served as the operations headquarters for the August 28March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.[7]
On April 6, 2017, WUST filed an application for aFederal Communications Commissionconstruction permit to remain on the air at night with 50 watts. The application was accepted for filing on April 12, 2017.[8]
New World Radio sold WUST toHerndon, Virginia-based Potomac Radio Group for $750,000 on September 18, 2018.[9] On August 31, 2020, WUST switched from ethnic programming to anall news format using programming fromiHeartMedia'sBlack Information Network; several programs from the previous ethnic format were moved online.[10][11][12] iHeartMedia subsequently purchased WUST for $1.2 million.[13]
