WWDJ

Infobox Radio Station
name = WWDJ


area = Boston, Massachusetts
branding = "Radio Luz"
slogan =
airdate = 1934 (as WCOP)
frequency = 1150 (kHz)
format = Spanish Christian
affiliations =
erp = 5,000 watts
class = B
facility_id = 25051
owner = Salem Communications
licensee = Pennsylvania Media Associates, Inc.
website = [http://www.talk1150.com/ www.talk1150.com]
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns = WCOP (1120 kHz, 1934-1940; 1150 kHz, 1940-1977)
WACQ (1977-1981)
WSNY (1981-1/13/1982)
WHUE-AM (1/13/1982-2/21/1985)
WMEX (2/21/1985-8/16/1996)
WROR (8/16/1996-10/21/1996)
WNFT (10/21/1996-7/13/1999)
WAMG (7/13/1999-5/27/2003)
WBPS (5/27/2003-10/31/2003)
WTTT (10/31/2003-7/25/2008)

WWDJ is an AM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts on 1150 kHz. The station is owned by Salem Communications, airs a Spanish Christian teaching and talk format, and goes by the name "Radio Luz."

History

WWDJ first signed on in 1934 under the WCOP call letters (for the studio location, the COPley Plaza Hotel). Originally a daytime station, WCOP got the go-ahead to expand to 24-hour-a-day broadcasting in 1941. A few years later, it became Boston's home of the ABC Radio Network, an affiliation it would keep until the early 1950s. The station adopted a music format in 1956, and became one of the first stations in New England to utilize disk jockeys.

During the late 1960s and most of the 1970s, WCOP was broadcasting a country music format, and was an affiliate of NBC Radio. In 1977, WCOP dropped NBC Radio, and flipped from country to top-40 under the call letters WACQ. The new format lasted only until the station was sold and new owners came in on January 1, 1979. At that time, WACQ and them-sister station WTTK-FM flipped to a partially-simulcast beautiful music station as WHUE-AM-FM. Stints as an all-news station and a soft adult contemporary format under the call letters of WSNY followed. In 1985, the station became an oldies station under the well-known WMEX callsign, after a sale to Greater Media. Although enjoying some moderate success at first, WODS flipped to an oldies format in late 1987, and WMEX never recovered. By 1990, the oldies format was replaced by business talk and later by leased programming in the 1990s.

After a brief stint with the WROR callsign (to hold it until it could be placed on 105.7 FM), the station became WNFT with KidStar. Some time after the network ceased operations, the station was sold to American Radio Systems, who spun it to Mega Communications (after a 1998 merger with CBS/Westinghouse) to comply with FCC and Department of Justice regulations.

After Mega took over, the station became WAMG, with a tropical music format, and within one year added a simulcast with WLLH in Lowell. In 2003, the station was sold to Salem Communications, and temporarily adopted the leased format and call letters of WBPS on 890 (which inherited the WAMG intellectual property) until the sale went through. Later in the year, the station adopted a talk format and WTTT call sign. Originally this primarily consisted of conservative talk hosts from the Salem Radio Network, but in 2006 added Paul Harvey's popular news and commentary segments (which were dropped from WBZ at the conclusion of 2005) and Sean Hannity (whom was previously airing overnights on delayed tape on WTKK). In 2007 the station took on the moniker "Boston's Conservative Talk."

On January 28, 2008, WTTT discontinued the talk format and began stunting with a current Spanish contemporary Christian music format. The station launched a Spanish language Christian teaching/talk format on February 4, 2008. As of 2008, they are the Spanish language flagship station for the Boston Red Sox.

On July 25, 2008, WTTT swapped call signs with sister station WWDJ in Hackensack, New Jersey (which shortly afterwards was renamed to WNYM).

An amusing incident occurred during the station's days as an ARS property. For a time, the station simulcast the hard rock of WAAF (107.3) in Worcester. One day it was noticed that the station was running the rap/top 40 sounds of WJMN (94.5) instead. It turned out that a cleaning crew went into the station and decided to change the radio to a more desired station--and didn't know that they were actually changing what the station was re-broadcasting.

References

*cite web|accessdate=November 4|accessyear=2005
url=http://www.bostonradio.org/stations/25051.html
title=Archives at BostonRadio.org
work=The Boston Radio Dial: WTTT(AM)

External links

* [http://www.talk1150.com Official website]
*amq|WWDJ
*aml|WWDJ
* [http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-980101.html North East Radio Watch detailing the "cleaning crew" incident]