WPVD

WPVD (1450 AM) is a radio station licensed to West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States. The station is owned by Hall Communications and currently simulcasts country sister station WCTK ("Cat Country 98.1"). The station was established in 1956 as WWRI.

WPVD
CityWest Warwick, Rhode Island
Broadcast areaProvidence, Rhode Island
Frequency1450 kHz
BrandingCat Country 98.1
Slogan"Southern New England's Country"
Programming
FormatCountry (WCTK simulcast)
Ownership
OwnerHall Communications, Inc.
Sister stationsWNBH, WCTK
History
First air dateAugust 15, 1956[1]
Former call signsWWRI (1956–1969)
WSVP (1969–1973)
WKRI (1973–1995)
WHIM (1995–1998)
WDYZ (1998–2000)
WHRC (2000–2001)
WWRI (2001–2002)
WLKW (2002–2017)
Call sign meaningProViDence
also the IATA code for T. F. Green Airport
Technical information
Facility ID15959
ClassC
Power1,000 watts (unlimited)
Transmitter coordinates41°41′42″N 71°31′26″W
Translator(s)105.5 W288EE (West Warwick) (soon)
Links
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.wctk.com

History

WWRI

The AM 1450 frequency was a longtime home to WWRI, later WKRI, a community station serving the West Warwick area. WWRI began broadcasting August 15, 1956. WWRI was initially headquartered at 1501 Main St. in West Warwick. Its first licensee and president was W. Paul Oury.[2] On October 8, 1957, WWRI was sold to Melvin Green's Grelin Broadcasting.[3] The next change of ownership occurred on February 8, 1969 when RSVP Inc. bought WWRI. By this time, WWRI was an ABC radio affiliate.[4]

WSVP

Around 1970, the station was bought by MediAmerica Broadcasting, the company that owned WYRE (a daytimer on 810 kHz) that put a listenable signal into both Baltimore and Washington, D.C. with just 500 watts. They changed the calls to WSVP - the call letters standing for "The Suburban Voice of Providence;" although that slogan was rarely, if ever used on the air.

Owner Ernie Tannen installed Jim Hooker, later to become a successful radio sales trainer, as the general manager. He hired Bill Hennes, then programming WNHC in New Haven, Connecticut, as a consultant in hopes of competing for Providence ad dollars. He put in place a Drake-like format using Johnny Mann jingles, however the station had to be oldies based since there were already two established hit-music stations in greater Providence along with several other stations that bled in from outside the market. The station failed to make a dent in WPRO's dominance, but since they sounded big they attracted listeners. The 1,000-watt daytime signal made the station listenable in Providence, but in those days they had to reduce power to 250 watts at night which limited it to just Kent County after dark.

The station was one of the launching pads for air talent in the northeast. During its brief lifespan an all-star team went through there, including Buzz Brindle, Jack Casey, Dick Downes (using Bob Lawrence), G. Michael McKay, Dusty Brooks, Paul Payton, Bill Donovan, Jim Edwards and Charlie Stone.

Famous disc jockeys from Boston's WRKO sometimes volunteered their time to developing WSVP's air talent, by traveling long distances from their homes in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, offer their major-market talent and consulting to the small station, which was also considered a training ground for RKO General Top 40 stations.

WKRI

WSVP wouldn't last long as on December 1, 1972, RSVP sold WSVP to Consolidated Communications, Inc. which changed the call sign to WKRI.[5] WKRI was sold again around 1977 to Algonquin Broadcasting Company.[6] Rainbow Broadcasting bought WKRI on October 5, 1979.[7] Rainbow Broadcasting moved WKRI out of its longtime home of 1501 Main St. in West Warwick to its new location of 1585 Centerville Road in the same town.[8] WKRI's next change of ownership came on February 16, 1984 when it was bought by WKRI Broadcasting Inc.[9] Under WKRI Broadcasting's ownership, WKRI increased its nighttime power to 1,000 watts.[10]

WKRI Broadcasting sold WKRI to DBH Broadcasting on June 3, 1986.[11] 1989 would bring another change of ownership: Atlantic Broadcasting System Inc. purchased WKRI on July 3, 1989.[12] Atlantic Broadcasting became American Independent Radio which then became DBH Broadcasting again. This was partially owned by Richard Bouchard, who also owned WNRI in Woonsocket; WKRI and WNRI would be sister stations from 1986 until 1995. WKRI was sold to Providence Broadcasting in 1995 for $200,000. The station's weekend Spanish-language programming moved to WPMZ (1110 AM) in East Providence, the former WHIM, while WHIM's call sign and country music programming moved to 1450.[13]

Radio Disney

Hibernia of Rhode Island bought WHIM in 1997[14] and affiliated it with Radio Disney that December.[15] In March 1998, the call letters were changed to WDYZ;[16] in January 2000, the station changed to WHRC.[17] Hibernia sold its stations, including WHRC, to ABC/Disney in 2000.[18]

WWRI (again), WLKW, WPVD
Logo for WLKW/WPVD as ESPN 1450 Providence, used from 2009 to 2019.

After Disney acquired WICE (550 AM, now WSJW) in April 2001 and moved Radio Disney there, it sold WHRC to Hall Communications;[19] that June, the station began simulcasting urban oldies with New Bedford sister station WNBH[20] and returned to its original WWRI call sign.[21][22]

In July 2002, WWRI's call sign was changed to WLKW;[23] the following month, WLKW and WNBH changed to an adult standards format.[24] WLKW was an affiliate of the Pawsox Radio Network until 2009. The stations switched to ESPN Radio on February 2, 2009.[25] The call sign changed to WPVD on September 6, 2017.[26] After 10 years as a full-time ESPN Radio affiliate, WPVD switched to a simulcast of sister station WCTK, "Cat Country 98.1," on February 1, 2019. Also at that time, WNBH switched to a classic hits format and re-launched as "Big 101.3," referring to its FM translator station, W267CY, on February 11, 2019.[27] The station is also carried on the HD2 sub-channel of WCTK.[28]

Translator
Broadcast translators of WPVD
Call signFrequency
(MHz)		City of licenseFacility
ID		ERP
(W)		ClassTransmitter coordinatesFCC info
W288EE105.5West Warwick, Rhode Island202750250D41°41′38.00″N 71°31′26.00″WFCC

After originally filing on January 31, 2018 for a construction permit (CP) to sign-on a 78-watt FM Translator on 107.5 MHz[29] but amending their CP request to 107.1 MHz at 15 watts[30] and, later, 10 watts[31] (because WSJW also selected 107.5 MHz as the frequency in their FM Translator application[32] but their signal was much larger so Hall Communications decided to amend their CP to a different frequency), Townsquare Media New Bedford License, LLC filed a Petition to Deny[33] against the amendment to the CP request (most likely out of concern for the potential for "co-channel interference" with WFHN in nearby Fairhaven, Massachusetts) and later to 1 watt at 107.1 MHz[34] (only to also have that amended CP challenged[35]), the FM translator application for WPVD was amended to 106.9 MHz (at 2 watts) on February 19, 2019. On May 6, 2019, the FCC granted this FM translator application a 3-year CP (because there were no objections to the CP being amended to 106.9 MHz[36]), in spite of the likely heavy "adjacent-channel shortspacing" with WMJX in nearby Boston that this new 2-watt FM translator may encounter; this translator was granted the callsign W295DJ.[37] On October 2, 2019, the FCC granted Hall Communications permission to have the FM translator application for WPVD amended to 105.5 MHz (at 250 watts, the maximum for FM translator stations), meaning that this FM translator will be short-spaced on the frequency with WQGN-FM in Groton, Connecticut; the callsign of this translator was changed to W288EE to reflect its amendment to 105.5 MHz.[38]

History of WLKW callsign

WLKW was first assigned in the Providence market to 990 AM, which last was WALE. The calls stood for "50 kilowatts", as L is the Roman numeral for 50 and KW is the abbreviation for kilowatt(s). The W signifies that the call is east of the Mississippi River. WLKW began broadcasting April 12, 1961 and was primarily known as an easy listening station. In the 1960s, WLKW-FM (101.5, now WWBB) was added to the fold and became the main station, with the AM becoming an afterthought. The WLKW call sign has also been used in the market by 790 AM (now WPRV) and 550 AM (now WSJW).

In 2011, Cross Country Communications (which, like Hall Communications, is owned by the Rowbotham family) began sharing the WLKW calls on an FM station in Lakewood, New York.

References
  1. 1995 Providence Journal Almanac, p. 250
  2. 1957 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-233
  3. 1958 Broadcasting Yearbook, page A-362
  4. 1970 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-178.
  5. 1974 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-186
  6. 1978 Broadcasting Yearbook, page C-193.
  7. 1981 Broadcasting Yearbook, page C-207
  8. 1982 Broadcasting Yearbook, page C-210
  9. 1985 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-238.
  10. 1986 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-249
  11. 1987 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-252
  12. 1990 Broadcasting Yearbook, page B-273
  13. Scott Fybush's North East Radio Watch: February 8, 1996
  14. Fybush, Scott (November 6, 1997). "So Long, Parenteau". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  15. Fybush, Scott (January 8, 1998). "Ian Taylor, RIP". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  16. Fybush, Scott (March 26, 1998). "New CHR on the Cape". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  17. Fybush, Scott (January 28, 2000). "Welcome Back WMEX, and We Take On LPFM". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  18. Fybush, Scott (July 14, 2000). "Saga Swallows Ithaca; We Go To Ohio". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  19. Fybush, Scott (April 16, 2001). "Clear Channel Buys Two in Maine". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  20. Fybush, Scott (June 25, 2001). "Millennium Buys Big in NJ". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  21. Fybush, Scott (May 14, 2001). "Greater Media Buys in New Jersey". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  22. "Media Bureau Call Sign Actions" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. July 5, 2001. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  23. Fybush, Scott (July 15, 2002). "Clear Channel Faces Hearings on Augusta Purchase". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  24. Fybush, Scott (August 12, 2002). "CING Goes Country". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  25. Fybush, Scott (February 9, 2009). "Cumulus' Turn for Job Cuts". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  26. "Call Sign History (WPVD)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  27. Venta, Lance (11 February 2019). "Big 101.3 Brings Classic Hits To New Bedford". RadioInsight. Retrieved 11 February 2019.
  28. Fybush, Scott (4 February 2019). "NorthEast Radio Watch 2/4/2019: Controversy Swirls Around Silent AM". Fybush.com. Retrieved 6 February 2019.(subscription required)
  29. FCCdata.org
  30. FCCdata.org
  31. FCCdata.org
  32. FCCdata.org
  33. fcc.gov
  34. FCCdata.org
  35. fcc.gov
  36. fcc.gov
  37. FCCdata.org
  38. FCCdata.org
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