Saturday, March 13, 2010

The Sister Station

Yes, there was a WKRZ-AM at one time. 

When a new company bought WBRE AM and FM, the FM became KRZ, as noted a few months ago.

AM 1340 was handicapped by a weak signal, and being the poor sister of the big FM.

Here's where my memory gets fuzzy.  I remember two AM formats-- standards and oldies.  I'm not sure of the station's format when this sticker came out.  I'm leaning toward standards because of the heart on the first line.  The heart was a frequent symbol used by "Music of Your Life" stations.

I nearly wound up working there in the early 80's, during a flirtation with a news heavy format.

More fuzziness...  there were a few sales along the way.  It eventually came under the control of the company that had WILK-AM.  At the time, you couldn't have two AM stations in the same town, so the weaker 1340 was sold again.

Something tells me 1340 had a religious format for a while.

It broadcast the NY Mets.

It had a little bit of everything.

The station was off the air for quite a while because the land where the tower stood in Kingston was sold.  A new tower site was found near the VA hospital in Plains Township.

1340 now is called "The Game."  It's a four station simulcast, broadcasting FOX Sports Radio.

Current call letters:  WYCK.  The web site Radio Locator says it runs at 810 watts 24/7, and that's not bad, on paper.  I was driving south on Interstate 81 a few weeks ago, and the signal dropped out around Dorrance.

 If I remember right, it was 1000 day/250 night back in the Kingston tower days.  A former co-worker, who once worked for WBRE Radio, said the night time signal didn't reach Franklin St. in Wilkes-Barre.