WGL (AM)

Infobox Radio Station
name = WGL (AM)


area = Fort Wayne, Indiana
branding = 102.9 FM & 1250 AM The River
slogan =
airdate = 1921
frequency = 1250 (kHz)
format = Adult Standards
erp = 2300 watts (daytime)
1000 watts (nighttime)
class = B
owner = Summit City Radio Group
former_callsigns = WCWK (1921-1928)
callsign_meaning = "What God Loves"
"(original:)" World's Greatest Loudspeaker (Magnavox)

WGL is an AM radio station located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The station operates on the AM radio frequency of 1250 kHz.

The station is the longest-running radio station in the city of Fort Wayne. Chester Keen and Lauer Auto founded what was originally called WCWK back in 1921. Keen bought the Lauer interests in WCWK around 1925. That same year, WOWO was established by the Main Auto Supply Co., with studios above Main Auto's downtown factory.

In 1928, Keen sold off WCWK to WOWO owner Fred Zieg, and the call letter were changed to WGL (What God Loves), taking a callsign previously used by the current WADO in New York City. WOWO and WGL were owned by the Zieg family until WOWO's sale to Westinghouse in 1936. Westinghouse sold WGL to Farnsworth in 1945 and subsequently it was purchased by Fort Wayne newspapers.

Programming

WGL is known for being the first station in Fort Wayne to carry a talk format and one of the initial stations to carry The Rush Limbaugh Show, which moved to WOWO in 1996. In February, 1998, WGL changed its' format to sports; most of its programming came from "One-On-One Sports" (now "Sporting News Radio.") As a result, they dropped G. Gordon Liddy, Tom Leykis, Art Bell, and local host Rusty Humphries. Between September, 1998 and August, 2000, WGL aired ESPN Radio, claiming it from rival WOWO. By August, 2000, ESPN's affiliation moved to rival WONO, WOWO's sister station. At this point, the format returned to talk, featuring the programs of such hosts as Liddy, Bill O'Reilly, and Jim Rome. Several years later, the format "again" switched to sports talk under the Fox Sports 1250 banner, with the notable exception of Dave Macy's morning program, which covered news, politics, and culture as well as sports.

WGL was sold (along with the other Kovas Communications stations) to Travis Broadcasting Corp. in December, 2001, for $7.5 million. WGL was purchased, along with its sister stations by Summit City Radio Group in July, 2004. Currently, it broadcasts adult standards, having picked up the format in 2003. WGL aired the syndicated Adult Standards (America's Best Music) format from Dial Global until April 2007, when the station went to a standards/soft AC hybrid with a combination of local DJs and local automation. The station has since returned to airing the Dial Global format with a local morning show.

WGL's programming is simulcast full-time on WGL-FM 102.9-FM.

External links