 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Racine andKenosha Counties |
| Frequency | 1400kHz |
| Branding | Local News, Timeless Hits |
| Programming | |
| Format | Full serviceoldies |
| Network | CBS News Radio |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Civic Media, Inc. |
| WAUK | |
| History | |
First air date | December 1926; 98 years ago (1926-12) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Racine Journal News (founder of station; name ofRacine Journal Times before 1932 merger with theTimes-Call) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 41437 |
| Class | C |
| Power | 1,000watts unlimited |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°42′38.07″N87°49′49.28″W / 42.7105750°N 87.8303556°W /42.7105750; -87.8303556 |
| Translator(s) |
|
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | wrjn |
WRJN (1400AM) is afull serviceoldiesradio station inRacine, Wisconsin, servingRacine andKenosha Counties. The station is owned by Civic Media, Inc., along withsister stationWAUK inMilwaukee. WRJN features live sports includingGreen Bay Packersfootball,Milwaukee Brewersbaseball andUniversity of WisconsinBadgers games. WRJN's studios andtransmittertower are on Victory Avenue at 17th Street in Racine.[2]
WRJN is aClass C station powered at 1,000watts, using anon-directional antenna. Programming is also heard on twoFM translators:W260CV at 99.9MHz in Racine andW251BU at 98.1 MHz in Kenosha.
WRJN dates back to the first decade of commercial radio broadcasting. Itsigned on the air in December 1926. The station was originally issued thecall sign WLBG, but quickly changed to WRRS.[3] On April 28, 1928, the station became WRJN, which stood for its then-owner, theRacine Journal News, a daily newspaper. By the 1930s, it was broadcasting on 1370 kHz at 100 watts, a fraction of its current power, with studios in the Hotel Racine.[4] With theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) enacted in 1941, WRJN moved to its current dial position at1400 AM.
In August 1948, it added asister station. WRJN-FM came on the air at 100.7 MHz. For its first few decades, it largelysimulcast WRJN 1400 AM.[5] (That station is nowWKKV-FM, owned byiHeartMedia, Inc.) In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, WRJN aired amiddle of the roadradio format featuring popular adult music, news and sports. It was anaffiliate of theABC Information Radio Network.
By the 1980s, most listeners tuned into the FM dial for music. As an AM station, WRJN gradually added more talk shows and reduced its music programming. From the late 1980s until 2014, WRJN carried atalk radio format using a combination of local andsyndicated talk programs. The station was the Milwaukee-area affiliate for shows hosted byLionel,Bill O'Reilly andMike Gallagher. It added programs fromAlan Colmes,Ed Schultz,Leslie Marshall and carriedCoast to Coast AM withArt Bell overnight. WRJN continued to be affiliated with ABC Radio and airedPaul Harvey's commentaries several times each weekday.
In its later years, it effectively serving as a "last resort" station for shows not picked up in the Milwaukeeradio market by the dominant talk stations,WTMJ andWISN. For a period in the mid-1990s, WRJN would simulcast sister station 92.1WEZY'seasy listening format during the overnight hours.
On June 25, 2014, Bliss Communications announced that it would sell WRJN and WEZY, along with sister stationsWBKV andWBWI-FM inWest Bend, to David Magnum's Magnum Communications, Inc. Bliss had owned WRJN and WEZY since 1997.[6] The sale, at a price of $2.25 million, was consummated on October 31, 2014.
On December 1, 2014, WRJN dropped all syndicated programming from the lineup and replaced it with a mixture of local talk, sports, andclassic hits,oldies andadult contemporary music. It used the new positioner "Your Radio Friend". It was a similar format to sister stationWPDR in Portage.[7] The music format shifted to 1960s and 1970s oldies after sister stationWVTY adopted anadult hits format in May 2015.
In the fall of 2016, twoFM translators were added: 99.9 W260CV in Racine, and 98.1 W251BU in Kenosha.
Civic Media purchased WRJN from Magnum Media in 2023, as part of a $3.65 million deal that also included stations inLa Crosse andChippewa Falls; Magnum would retain WVTY.[8] On June 5, 2023, WRJN changed its format from classic hits, oldies and middle of the road music toprogressive talk.[9] It featured a line up of hosts shared with co-owned 540WAUK in Milwaukee. Most hours began with an update fromCBS News Radio.
On May 14, 2024, WRJN returned to full service oldies programming. It plays hits from the 1960s and 1970s with localDJs and newscasters, along with national and world news from CBS. Civic Media's brand of progressive talk continues on WAUK.[10]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W251BU | 98.1 FM | Kenosha, Wisconsin | 152103 | 250 | D | 42°36′32.1″N87°50′36.3″W / 42.608917°N 87.843417°W /42.608917; -87.843417 (W251BU) | LMS |
| W260CV | 99.9 FM | Racine, Wisconsin | 157055 | 250 | D | 42°42′38.1″N87°49′49.3″W / 42.710583°N 87.830361°W /42.710583; -87.830361 (W260CV) | LMS |