Coordinates: 44°17′31.5″N 69°46′23.76″W / 44.292083°N 69.7732667°W / 44.292083; -69.7732667

WJZN

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WJZN
Broadcast areaKennebec County, Maine
Frequency1400 kHz
Ownership
Owner
WEBB, WMME-FM
History
First air date
February 23, 1932; 92 years ago (1932-02-23)[1]
Former call signs
  • WRDO (1932–1987)
  • WMME (1987–1995)
  • WEZW (1995–1996)
  • WLTI (1996)
  • WEZW (1996–2004)
Call sign meaning
warehoused from the now-WKIM in Munford, Tennessee
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID52604
ClassC
Power1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
44°17′31.5″N 69°46′23.76″W / 44.292083°N 69.7732667°W / 44.292083; -69.7732667
Translator(s)95.9 W240DH (Augusta)
Links
Public license information

WJZN (1400 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Augusta, Maine, United States. The station, established in 1932 as WRDO, is owned by Townsquare Media; it broadcast an alternative rock format simulcast from WCYY in Portland prior to going silent in May 2023. WJZN's programming is also heard on W240DH (95.9 FM) in Augusta.

History

WJZN went on the air February 23, 1932,[1] as WRDO, owned by the Rines family's Congress Square Hotel Company, who also owned WCSH in Portland and WFEA in Manchester, New Hampshire.[3][4]

The Rines family sold WRDO to Ocean Coast Properties, owner of WPOR AM-FM in Portland, for $100,000 in 1974.[5] H&R Corporation bought the station for $225,000 in 1977.[6] By 1978, WRDO had a middle of the road format and was affiliated with the NBC Radio Network.[7] H&R sold WRDO to Sterling Broadcasting Corporation for $260,000 in 1980.[8] Sterling changed the station's format to country music in 1981;[9] the format was simulcast with FM sister station WSCL (92.1 FM).[10] Augusta-Waterville Broadcasters, controlled by the owners of WGHQ and WBPM in Kingston, New York, bought WRDO and WSCL for $425,000 in 1983.[11] By this point, the stations were simulcasting an adult contemporary format; WSCL had also moved to 92.3,[12] and that December changed its call letters to WRDO-FM.[13]

Augusta-Waterville Broadcasters sold WRDO and WRDO-FM to Marcom for $400,000 in 1986.[14] The call letters changed to WMME on March 1, 1987,[15] as the station began simulcasting a contemporary hit radio format with what had become WMME-FM.[16] Target Communications sold WMME and WMME-FM to Tri-Group for $1.4 million in 1988.[17] Pilot Communications bought the stations for $950,000 in 1993.[18] The call letters were changed to WEZW on August 17, 1995,[15] though the station continued to simulcast WMME-FM;[16] it then changed to WLTI on August 30, 1996, before returning to WEZW on September 25.[15]

Pilot's radio stations were acquired by Citadel Broadcasting in 1999 as part of its purchase of parent company Broadcasting Partners Holdings.[19] In January 2003, Citadel ended WEZW's simulcast of WMME-FM and switched the station to an adult standards format, simulcast with sister station WTVL (1490 AM) in Waterville under the "Kool" branding.[20] The call letters were changed to WJZN on October 14, 2004.[15]

Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[21] Townsquare Media acquired Cumulus' Augusta-Waterville stations in 2012.[22] On July 14, 2016, WJZN split from its simulcast with WTVL and launched a classic rock format, branded as "Capital 95.9"; this followed the launch of FM translator W240DH (95.9 FM).[23]

On October 22, 2021, WJZN dropped the classic rock format and began stunting towards a new format to launch on Monday October 25. That day, the station began simulcasting a relaunched version of the alternative rock format from Portland sister station WCYY.[24] WCYY's expansion, which also included WPKQ in North Conway, New Hampshire, coincided with the syndication launch of Toucher and Rich from WBZ-FM in Boston, with the WCYY stations, along with Bangor sister station WEZQ, serving as the program's first affiliates.[24] On May 8, 2023, Townsquare Media filed an STA to take the station silent;[25] it returned to the air on April 29, 2024.[26]

Translator

Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W240DH 95.9 FM Augusta, Maine 141380 250 D 44°17′30.2″N 69°46′25.2″W / 44.291722°N 69.773667°W / 44.291722; -69.773667 (W240DH) LMS

References

  1. ^ a b Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-197. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WJZN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Personal Notes" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 15, 1932. p. 17. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  4. ^ "120 Stations Owned by 42 Interests, Commission's Report to Senate Reveals" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 1, 1932. p. 14. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  5. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 8, 1974. p. 44. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  6. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 19, 1977. p. 121. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  7. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1979 (PDF). 1979. p. C-97. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  8. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 14, 1980. p. 151. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  9. ^ Broadcasting Cablecasting Yearbook 1982 (PDF). 1982. p. C-104. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  10. ^ Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1983 (PDF). 1983. p. B-107. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  11. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 11, 1983. p. 166. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  12. ^ Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1984 (PDF). 1984. p. B-114. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  13. ^ "Call Sign History (WMME-FM)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  14. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 3, 1986. p. 86. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  15. ^ a b c d "Call Sign History (WJZN)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Fybush, Scott. "Maine Radio History, 1971–1996". The Archives at BostonRadio.org. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  17. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 11, 1988. p. 104. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  18. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 11, 1993. pp. 64–5. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  19. ^ Seavey, Deborah Turcotte (November 9, 1999). "8 Maine radio stations bought". Bangor Daily News. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  20. ^ Fybush, Scott (January 27, 2003). "KB Komes Back". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  21. ^ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  22. ^ "Cumulus sells radio stations in Bangor, Augusta, Presque Isle". Bangor Daily News. Associated Press. April 30, 2012. Retrieved August 28, 2016.
  23. ^ Capital 95.9 Launches in Augusta, ME Radioinsight - July 14, 2016
  24. ^ a b Venta, Lance (October 25, 2021). "Townsquare Media Launches WCYY Trimulcast Across Northern New England". RadioInsight. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  25. ^ Venta, Lance (May 14, 2023). "FCC Report 5/14: $15,000 Fine Upheld For LPFM Airing Commercials". RadioInsight. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  26. ^ Stabbert, Martin (May 3, 2024). "Resumption of Operations of an AM Station Application". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
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