WSEN

WSEN-FM

City of license	Baldwinsville, New York
Broadcast area	Central New York
Branding	FM: "92.1 WSEN" AM: "Oldies 1050"
Slogan	FM: "The Greatest Hits"
Frequency	FM: 92.1 MHz AM: 1050 kHz
First air date	1959 (AM) 1967 (FM)
Format	FM: Adult hits AM: Oldies
ERP	FM: 25,000 watts AM: 2,500 watts (day), 19 watts (night)
HAAT	FM: 91 meters
Class	FM: B1 AM: D
Facility ID	FM: 7716 AM: 7712
Callsign meaning	W SENeca (after the Seneca River, which flows through Baldwinsville, WSEN's city of license)
Owner	Leatherstocking Media Group
Website	wsenfm.com (FM) oldiesradio1050.com (AM)

WSEN is the call sign of a pair of radio stations serving the Syracuse, New York metropolitan area. The two stations simulcast each other for much of the 2000s, but as of 2011, the FM station carries an adult hits format focusing on the 1980s and 1990s, while the AM station carries classic hits and oldies stretching from the 1950s through the 1970s. The WSEN-AM/FM combo is licensed to the Syracuse suburb of Baldwinsville, where the stations' transmitters are also located.

The two stations broadcast on the FM dial at 92.1 Megahertz, and on the AM dial at 1050 kilohertz. The duo is owned by Jim Johnson's Leatherstocking Media Group.

History

WSEN-AM (250 w. 1050 KC) began operations on February 25, 1959 and was licensed by Century Radio Corp. Originally a current hits station it changed to Country in 1962 and was the first country station "north of the Mason-Dixon line." In 1967 sister station WSEN-FM began operations as a full-time country outlet, thus complimenting the AM. Century Radio sold the stations in 1974 and flipped to its current format in 1986.

WSEN was owned by Buckley Broadcasting during much of the 2000s, until being sold in 2008 to its current ownership.

In April 2008, WSEN split its format: the 1970s music will continue to air on WSEN as part of a new classic hits format, while the 1960s music will be moved to WFBL, to become a new "real oldies" station with 1950s music added into the playlist. WFBL's oldies format moved to WSEN-AM in October 2009.

WSEN-FM further shifted to adult hits in fall 2011, with its core playlist moving to 1980s and 1990s music. WSEN-AM, in turn, will shift to the classic hits era of the 1960s and 1970s, and the 1950s oldies music will, as a result, be removed from the Syracuse airwaves.[1]

Programming and personalities

WSEN has been transitioning from a station that had local jocks 24 hours a day as recently as 2008, to one that relies heavily on automation, syndication, and voice tracking, a trend mirrored by many stations in the United States. As of 2009, only morning host Gary Dunes and afternoon man John Carucci were live and local, though a local midday host has since been added to the schedule.

Gary Dunes

Main article: Gary Dunes

Gary Dunes is the host of Gary Dunes and the Morning Crew, which airs during morning drive Monday through Friday.

Other on-air staff

Actor and veteran disc jockey Bob Brown currently hosts middays. Brown was added upon Johnson's takeover of the station in 2010; Buckley had voicetracked the shift from Hartford from 2009 up until that point. John Carucci is the afternoon drive personality, and the syndicated Tom Kent show airs from 7-midnight. Overnights are automated.

Syndicated programs

Syndicated programs heard on WSEN include SuperGold with Mike Harvey, Tom Kent's Ultimate Party, American Gold with Dick Bartley, American Top 40 with Casey Kasem, The 70s with Steve Goddard, Goddard's Gold, Dick Clark Presents Rewind with Gary Bryan, Back to the 70's and American Hit List with M.G. Kelly, Beatle Brunch with Joe Johnson, The Beatle Years with Bob Malik and Hot Rod Radio with Wings Kalahan. (see the station's web site for more detailed information).

External links

• 92.1 WSEN Website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WSEN
• Radio-Locator information on WSEN
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WSEN
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WSEN
• Radio-Locator Information on WSEN
• Query Arbitron's AM station database for WSEN