WSRO

Infobox Radio station
name = WSRO


city = Ashland, Massachusetts
area = MetroWest
branding = "AM 650 WSRO"
slogan = "A sua radio brasileira e portuguesa"
frequency = 650 (kHz)
repeater =
airdate = May 19, 1970 (in Peterborough, New Hampshire)
February 9, 1997 (Ashland)
share =
share as of =
share source =
format = Portuguese
power = 2,500 watts (daytime)
9 watts (nighttime)
erp =
haat =
class = D
facility_id = 52398
coordinates = coord|42|17|17.0|N|71|25|53.0|W|type:landmark
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns = WSCV (1970-81)
WRPT (1981-89)
WMDK (1989-91)
WRPT (1991-99)
WJLT (1999-02)
affiliations =
owner = Alex Langer
licensee = Langer Broadcasting Group, LLC
sister_stations = WBIX
webcast = [http://www.wsro.com/live.html Listen Live]
website = [http://www.wsro.com/ wsro.com]

WSRO (650 AM) is a radio station broadcasting Portuguese programming. Licensed to Ashland, Massachusetts, it serves the MetroWest area. The station is currently owned by Alex Langer.

History

Although the 650 frequency in Ashland has operated since 1997, the license dates back to May 19, 1970, when WSCV in Peterborough, New Hampshire began operations on 1050 kHz.cite web |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/stations/52398 |title=The Boston Radio Dial: WSRO(AM) |accessdate=2008-01-15 |date=2007-02-25 |work=The Archives at BostonRadio.org |publisher=] The station was originally owned by John Lawrence Scott, who had previously hosted children's television programs in Syracuse, New York, and also started up an FM sister station, WSLE 92.1 (now WFEX). [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=WNSA Bidding War Escalates |url=http://www.fybush.com/NERW/2004/040426/nerw.html |work=NorthEast Radio Watch |date=2004-04-26 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ] The station continued to serve Peterborough (later under the call signs of WMDK and WRPT) until 1991, when the station closed down.

In 1995, Alex Langer entered into an agreement to pay the then-owners of the station to return the WRPT license to the Federal Communications Commission in order to upgrade the facilities of his 1060 in Natick, Massachusetts, WBIV (now WBIX). [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=A Big Move? |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-960430.html |work=New England RadioWatch |date=1996-04-30 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ] A few months later, he turned around and purchased WRPT outright, and in 1996 applied to move it to 650 in Ashland, Massachusetts. [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=Langer Rides Again! |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-961127.html |work=New England RadioWatch |date=1996-11-27 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ]

On February 9, 1997, the new WRPT signed on with talk programming from the Talk America network, operating from a transmitter site in Framingham shared with WKOX (where it remains to this day). [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=The Big Get Bigger |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-970228.html |work=North East RadioWatch |date=1997-02-28 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ] Local talk programming was subsequently added to the schedule (such as an afternoon show hosted by Upton Bell [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=FCC Clears CBS/Entercom Deal |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-981023.html |work=North East RadioWatch |date=1998-10-23 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ] ), much of it simulcast on the original WSRO (1470) in Marlborough after Langer bought it in 1998. [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=The FCC Strikes Again |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-980507.html |work=North East RadioWatch |date=1998-05-07 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ] [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=We Will Never Make Fun of Boston Weather Again... |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-990305.html |work=North East RadioWatch |date=1999-03-05 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ]

In October 1999, the station took the WJLT call letters from 1060 as part of a larger format switch that saw the talk format move to the latter frequency as WMEX, with the Contemporary Christian Music that had been on 1060 migrating to 650 [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=The All New All New WMEX?? |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-991015.html |work=North East RadioWatch |date=1999-10-15 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ] ; the switch was completed on-air on January 24, 2000 [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=Welcome Back WMEX, and We Take On LPFM |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-000128.html |work=North East RadioWatch |date=2000-01-28 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ] . However, one year later, the station began mixing talk programming back onto the afternoon schedule, as WMEX was converted to business talk station WBIX. [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=FM Flip-Flop in the Pioneer Valley |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-010108.html |work=North East RadioWatch |date=2001-01-08 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ] The next year, the station switched to a religious talk format, and in December assumed the WSRO callsign from 1470, which was sold to Multicultural Broadcasting and became WAZN in Watertown. [cite news |first=Scott |last=Fybush |title=Vinikoor Plans Another Change |url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-021223.html |work=North East RadioWatch |date=2002-12-23 |accessdate=2008-01-15 ]

WSRO returned to secular talk in February 2003, primarily from the Langer-owned National Radio Network (which operates out of the same facility in Framingham that WSRO broadcasts from); this would gradually evolve into the current Portuguese format.

References

External links

* [http://www.wsro.com/ Official website]
*AMQ|WSRO
*AML|WSRO