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| Broadcast area | Wilmington metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1290kHz |
| Branding | Fox Sports 1290 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | Fox Sports Radio Baltimore Orioles Radio Network Baltimore Ravens Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WILM (AM),WDOV,WDSD,WRDX | |
| History | |
First air date | April 21, 1947; 78 years ago (1947-04-21) (as WTUX) |
Former call signs | WTUX (1947–1978) WJBR (1978–2003) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 14373 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 2,500watts days 32 watts nights |
| Repeater | 92.9 WRDX-HD2 (Smyrna) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | foxsports1290am.iheart.com |
WWTX (1290kHz) is acommercialAMradio stationlicensed toWilmington, Delaware. It airs asports radioformat, with most programming fromFox Sports Radio. The studios are on McKee Road inDover.
WWTX is aClass D radio station. It transmits 2,500watts daytime, using anon-directional antenna. To protect other stations from interference, at night it reduces power to 32 watts. Thetransmitter is on East 7th Street in Wilmington, nearBrandywine Creek.[2] Programming is also heard on theHD Radiodigital subchannel ofsister station 92.9WRDX.
WWTX carries most of theFox Sports Radio national line up, includingDan Patrick andColin Cowherd in middays. It serves as theflagship station forUniversity of DelawareFightin' Blue Hens Women's Basketball and also broadcasts localhigh school football andhigh school basketball games. It carriesBaltimore Oriolesbaseball andBaltimore Ravensfootball games.[3]
The high school football season schedule begins with the DFRC Kickoff Classic and concludes with the DIAA State Championship each year. In the summer, Fox Sports 1290, along with partner station WDOV simulcast the DFRC Blue-Gold All*Star Game benefiting Delawareans with intellectual disabilities.[4] Included in WWTX high school baseball coverage are the semifinal and championship games of the DIAA State Tournament. Matt Janus, the 2014 NSSA Delaware Sportscaster of the Year winner, handles play-by-play duties for Blue Hens Women's Basketball on 1290 AM. 2011 NSSA Delaware Sportswriter of the Year, Jon Buzby, and Marty Sheehan team up for high school sports broadcasts.
The stationsigned on the air in 1949.[5] Its originalcall sign was WTUX. It started out as adaytimer, powered at 500 watts and required to go off the air at sunset. It was owned by Port Frere Broadcasting with studios at 1496 Market Street in Wilmington.[failed verification]
In 1976, the Reynolds Family, who owned successful FM station WJBR, acquired WTUX, to combine with 99.5 MHz.[6] At first, WTUX continued itsMiddle of the Road (MOR) format, with adult popular music, news and sports. But a few years later, management decided to make 1290 AM asimulcast of WJBR-FM, with both stations playingbeautiful music. They aired quarter-hour sweeps of mostly soft instrumental music, with someBroadway andHollywoodshow tunes.
Over time, WJBR 1290 was given permission to increase its power to 2,500 watts and add nighttime service at 32 watts. In 1985, WJBR-AM-FM were sold to CRB Broadcasting, which later was acquired by Capstar Broadcasting. Capstar was later folded intoClear Channel Communications, the forerunner to today's iHeartMedia. Meanwhile, WJBR-FM was sold to theNextMedia Group for $32.4 million.[7]
In 2003, WJBR changed its callsign to WWTX. It became a Fox Sports Radionetwork affiliate. In September 2014 WWTX rebranded as "Fox Sports 1290" after 11 years as "1290 The Ticket".
WTUX 1949. 1290. 500D. Port Frere Bcstg Co. Inc. 1326 Market St.(PDF page 38).
39°44′3″N75°31′44″W / 39.73417°N 75.52889°W /39.73417; -75.52889