_logo.png){kind=logo} | |
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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Washington Metropolitan Area |
| Frequency | 570kHz |
| Branding | 570 The Answer |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Conservative talk radio |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | January 2, 1946; 79 years ago (1946-01-02) |
Former call signs | |
Call sign meaning | loosely taken from the former WRC (980 AM), nowWTEM |
| Technical information[3] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 11846 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | 39°8′3.4″N77°18′12.9″W / 39.134278°N 77.303583°W /39.134278; -77.303583 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | am570theanswer |
WWRC (570AM) – brandedAM 570 The Answer – is acommercialconservative talk radio stationlicensed to serveBethesda, Maryland. Owned by theSalem Media Group, the station services theWashington metro area and is the market affiliate for theSalem Radio Network andThe Sean Hannity Show. The WWRC studios are located inArlington, while the station transmitter resides in nearbyGermantown. In addition to a standardanalog transmission, WWRC is available online.
Despite the similar lookingcall sign, WWRC is a name-only descendant of the former WRC (980 AM)—nowWTEM—and is not related to the currentWRC-TV.
On January 2, 1946, the station first signed on as WQQW.[4] It was powered at 1,000 watts and was owned by WQQW, Incorporated. Only two years later, an FM station also signed on, simulcasting the AM station's programming, which was mostlyclassical music. In 1951, thecall letters of both stations were changed to WGMS – Washington's Good Music Station.
In January 1958,RKO Teleradio Pictures purchased WGMS and WGMS-FM.[5] RKO, which had been one of the Big Five Studios of the Hollywoodstudio system, had been branching out into the broadcasting industry, also buyingWOR in New York City andKHJ in Los Angeles. KHJ, WOR's FM station and several other RKO stations around the country had switched to aTop 40 radio format, which proved quite successful.
To encourage unique programming on the FM band, in 1967 the FCC prohibited AM-FM pairs in large markets (population over 100,000) from simulcasting each other for more than 12 hours per day.[6] WGMS and several other classical stations, includingWQXR New York andKFAC Los Angeles, obtained exemptions from the rule in 1972. Not only could these stations not afford to produce an additional 12 hours of programming daily, but their music needed to stay on AM as their older audiences often did not have FM radios in their cars. WGMS in particular found itself under threat of an immediate format change if it did not receive the waiver.[7]
A proposal in the 1970s to convert WGMS to a Top 40 sound upset many of its influential listeners, some of them in theSenate andHouse of Representatives.
By the 1990s, even though ratings were still good, the classical audience was aging, and there were reports that WGMS's owners were again considering switching to a more youthful format. WGMS was sold to Washington, D.C.venture capitalists Steven and Mitchell Rales.
On May 24, 1992, at 3:30 p.m., the station switched toall sports, with the call letters changing toWTEM, signifying the word "team".[8] Chancellor Broadcasting purchased the station in August 1996. Chancellor Broadcasting purchased Capstar Broadcasting in 1999, resulting in a combined entity known as AMFM Inc. In 2000, AMFM Inc. merged with Clear Channel Communications, today known asiHeartMedia.[9]
On March 9, 1998, Chancellor swapped two of its Washington-area AM stations.WTEM moved to 980 kHz, while WWRC moved from 980. On April 9, 2001, WGAY (1260 AM) changed calls to WWRC, assuming the business talk format, while WWRC changed their calls to WTNT—standing for the explosive "TNT"—and with the slogan "Dynamite Talk" (which was dropped in 2005).[10] The station aired a variety ofconservative talk programs, including local hostsMichael Graham andPaul Berry, andsyndicated shows hosted byG. Gordon Liddy,Bill Bennett,Monica Crowley,Mike Gallagher,Mancow,Glenn Beck, along withDon Imus,Jim Bohannon andCoast to Coast AM.
Washington Redskins ownerDaniel Snyder'sRed Zebra Broadcasting purchased WTNT, WTEM, and WWRC from Clear Channel in June 2008. Snyder pledged no format changes in the short term to either WTEM or WWRC, which by this time ran conservative andprogressive talk formats respectively.[11]
On September 15, 2008, the conservative-leaning WTNT was branded as "McCain 570" while progressive talk WWRC was likewise dubbed "Obama 1260". The temporary branding lasted throughout the2008 presidential election.[12] On November 10, 2008, WTNT was renamed "Freedom 570", and eventually retook the "570 WTNT" brand early in 2010. Meanwhile, WWRC was sold toSalem Communications to become an outlet for theSalem Radio Network's conservative talk radio format.
On September 20, 2010, WTNT returned to an all-sports format, and was rebranded as "SportsTalk 570", a partial throwback to WTEM's former "SportsTalk 980" nickname and logo. On October 18, the station changed its call sign to WSPZ, signifying "Sports". Red Zebra sold off the 730 kHz facility toMetro Radio, which picked up WTNT's call letters and previous conservative talk format.[13]
As "SportsTalk 570", WSPZ was theflagship station forSB Nation Radio's morning show hosted byWTEM afternoon personalitySteve Czaban, and airingESPN Radio programming the rest of the day. It ran as an all-network complement to the all-local WTEM. WSPZ was also the Washington-area affiliate forUniversity of Virginia football and basketball. SomeBaltimore Orioles games which WTEM was unable to air were carried by WSPZ.
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Red Zebra Broadcasting began selling off its radio properties in 2017.Salem Media Group bought WSPZ, along with the land underneath its transmitter, on May 19, 2017.[14] Salem's AM 570, LLC took control of the station on September 16, 2017, with a simulcast of WWRC's conservative talk programming. After engineering work at the transmitter was completed, WWRC's intellectual unit—the talk format, "Answer" branding, and callsign—moved to 570 AM on November 20. After a brief move to WTEM, University of Virginia broadcasts returned to WWRC under Salem's ownership due to WTEM's commitments toUniversity of Maryland sports.[15][16]
Dating back to its time on 1260 AM, WWRC's programming was repeated onWRCW, 1250 AM inWarrenton, Virginia; the simulcast ended when Salem closed WRCW in April 2025.[17]
TheSalem Radio Network provides most of the station's weekday programming, with shows hosted byHugh Hewitt (morning drive),Mike Gallagher (late mornings),Dennis Prager (middays),Jay Sekulow (evenings),Larry Elder (evenings),Eric Metaxas andSebastian Gorka (late nights) andDan Proft (overnights). Other national weekday programming includesThe Sean Hannity Show in late afternoons (viaPremiere Networks) andThis Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal in early mornings (viaCompass Media Networks). Weekend programming also includes syndicated shows hosted byJohn Catsimatidis,Rudy Maxa andFrank Gaffney.