WFNC (AM)

Infobox Radio station
name = WFNC


city = Fayetteville, North Carolina
area = Fayetteville metropolitan area
branding = "WFNC News Talk Radio 640"
slogan =
airdate =
frequency = 640 kHz
format = News/Talk
power = 10,000 Watts (Daytime)
1,000 Watts (Nighttime)
erp =
haat =
class = B
facility_id = 8583
coordinates = coord|35|04|46|N|78|55|58|W|type:landmark
callsign_meaning = Fayetteville, North Carolina
former_callsigns =
owner = Cumulus Media
licensee = Cumulus Licensing, LLC
sister_stations = WFVL, WRCQ, WQSM
webcast =
website = [http://www.wfnc640am.com www.wfnc640am.com]
affiliations = CBS News

WFNC is an AM radio station in Fayetteville, North Carolina broadcasting on frequency 640. The station has a conservative talk format and is under ownership of Cumulus Media.

History

Victor Dawson managed Fayetteville's first radio station for his father John Gilbert Dawson [Michael Futch, "Vic Dawson's Vision Changed Fayetteville Radio," "The Fayetteville Observer", December 1, 1995.] . In 1940, WFNC signed on with 250 watts at 1420 AM. On March 29, 1941, the frequency changed to 1450 AM.

WFNC was a Mutual Broadcasting System affiliate.

The frequency changed to 940 AM, and in 1986, to 640 AM. WFNC was the first news/talk station in North Carolina [http://www.geocities.com/rduhistory/wfnc.html, Retrieved on 2008/05/23.] .

Four years after the debut of Rush Limbaugh, Alan Colmes and Dean Edell on WFNC, political commentator Charles Adler replaced Colmes and Edell [Fayetteville Station Switches To More Conservative Format," "The Fayetteville Observer", April 22, 1993] . From 1995 to 2001, WFNC aired Dr. Laura SchlessingerMichael Futch, "WFNC Picks Sean Hannity Over Dr. Laura," "The Fayetteville Observer", February 3, 2002.] . In 1999, Cape Fear Broadcasting announced the sale of its stations to Cumulus. This sale was challenged by Ocean Broadcasting of Wilmington, North Carolina because it would give Cumulus 6 FMs and an AM in Wilmington, and about 55 percent of market revenue [Michael Futch, "For Cumulus, the Wait Continues," "The Fayetteville Observer", September 10, 2000.] . The sale was completed in May 2001Michael Futch, "Radio Host Jordan Resigns," "The Fayetteville Observer", June 16, 2001.] and the station stopped doing daily editorials [Michael Futch, "WFNC Drops Its Daily Editorials," "The Fayetteville Observer", July 8, 2001.] .

In 2000, Neal Boortz replaced Terry Jordan's local talk show as Jordan became engineer for all Cumulus radio stations (though Jordan went to work for "WE-DO Network" the next year) [Michael Futch, "Terry Jordan Relinquishes Morning Slot," "The Fayetteville Observer", September 17, 2000.] . This left only two local talk shows in the daily schedule. Wendy Riddle, who joined the station in 1977, and news director Jeff Thompson co-hosted the morning show. And they took turns as hosts of the station's other local talk show "Sound Off," the longest-running show on the station, having started in 1972 when WFNC still played country music. People still called in and talked about the issues: tax increases, the sheriff's troubles, gadgets that still worked after many years, the local newspaper's policies, and so on [Michael Futch, "WFNC Listeners Can Still 'Sound Off,'" "The Fayetteville Observer", March 18, 2001.] [Michael Futch, "Riddle's Been on the Air 25 Years," "The Fayetteville Observer", April 28, 2002.] .

After Christmas in 2001, Sean Hannity replaced Dr. Laura.

Gilbert Baez of WTVD replaced Riddle late in 2002 on the morning show, though Riddle, who had worked in Fayetteville radio since 1969, kept hosting "Soundoff" for several more months [Michael Futch, "A New Voice Anchors WFNC Morning News," "The Fayetteville Observer", September 15, 2002.] [Author: Michael Futch, "Longtime Radio Host Loses Job," "The Fayetteville Observer", February 8, 2003.] . Thompson, the last of the station's longtime hosts, left in 2003 after 28 years [Michael Futch, "The End of an Era: Jeff Thompson Leaves WFNC," "The Fayetteville Observer", March 6, 2003.] and ended up on WIDU in 2005 [Michael Futch, "Thompson Back on the Air," "The Fayetteville Observer", March 13, 2005.] . Stan Sandler hosted "Soundoff" until that show was replaced with "The WFNC Newsmakers' Hour" in November [Michael Futch, "'Newsmakers Hour' Replaces 'Soundoff' Call-in Show, "The Fayetteville Observer", November 9, 2003.] .

References

External links

* [http://www.wfnc640am.com WFNC Official Site]
*AMQ|WFNC
*AML|WFNC