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Coordinates: 41°32′12″N 73°1′52″W / 41.53667°N 73.03111°W / 41.53667; -73.03111
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| translator = {{Radio Relay|97.7|W249DY|Waterbury}}
| translator = {{Radio Relay|97.7|W249DY|Waterbury}}
| airdate = [[1934 in radio|1934]]<ref name="cttl" />
| airdate = [[1934 in radio|1934]]<ref name="cttl" />
| format = [[Full-service radio|Full service]] ([[Talk radio|news/talk]]; [[classic hits]])
| format = [[Full-service radio|Full service]] ([[Talk radio|news-talk]]; [[classic hits]])
| power = 5,000 [[watt]]s (day)<br>1,000 watts (night)
| power = 5,000 [[watt]]s (day)<br>1,000 watts (night)
| class = B
| class = B
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
| facility_id = 71102
| facility_id = 71102
| coordinates = {{coord|41|32|12|N|73|1|52|W}}
| coordinates = {{coord|41|32|12|N|73|1|52|W|display=inline, title}}
| callsign_meaning = Waterbury
| callsign_meaning = Waterbury
| former_callsigns =
| former_callsigns =

Revision as of 18:20, 31 August 2023

WATR
Frequency1320 kHz
Branding97.7 WATR
Programming
FormatFull service (news-talk; classic hits)
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • Kurt Jackson and David Webster
  • (WATR Radio, LLC)
WWCO, WARE, WRYM
History
First air date
1934[1]
Call sign meaning
Waterbury
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID71102
ClassB
Power5,000 watts (day)
1,000 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
41°32′12″N 73°1′52″W / 41.53667°N 73.03111°W / 41.53667; -73.03111
Translator(s)97.7 W249DY (Waterbury)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitewww.watr.com

WATR (1320 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Waterbury, Connecticut and the Naugatuck Valley. The station is owned by WATR, Inc. It airs a full-service format featuring news/talk, as well as classic hits.[3] It was until May 2022 the oldest privately owned station in the state of Connecticut, never having been sold outside the family of its founder, Harold Thomas (1902–1968).

The station is host to "Tom Chute & You," the weekday morning drive program hosted by general manager and program director Thomas J. Chute with news director Christopher M. Fortier, veteran regional journalist, anchoring news reports through the noon hour. It is the fourth-longest continuously running morning drive radio program in Connecticut, having debuted on January 2, 1986. Chute will retire after his final program on Sept. 29, 2023. Fortier succeeds him as general manager and program director on Sept. 16, 2023 and takes the helm of the AM drive program on Monday, Oct. 2, 2023.

Barbara Hart Davitt, who marked 59 years at the station on November 22, 2022, hosts "Coffee Break" at 9:30 a.m. four days a week. Debuting in the mid-1960s, it is one of the longest-running radio shows in the U.S. Davitt in 2018 was the first Waterbury-area radio personality inducted into the Connecticut Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

"Talk of the Town," WATR's flagship talk show since 1972, airs from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. with a focus on local and state issues. The program has been hosted by veteran journalist and broadcaster Bud Wilkinson since July 17, 2023. Previous hosts include Thomas Hill III, Steven Noxon, Larry Rifkin, Ed Flynn, James Senich and Jay Clark. Fortier serves as the program's executive producer.

The station, as of January 14, 2023, is an ABC News Radio affiliate.

Weekend programming highlights include the Sunday morning "Carosello Italiano," hosted by Joe Costa and featuring music and news from the Italian community, and the Sunday night "Music Museum" hosted by long-time Connecticut broadcaster Jay Crawford.

The station was also host to the popular "Polish Eagle Show," originated in 1934 on WATR by bandleader Victor Zembruski (1912–1976). His widow, Sophie Zembruski (1918–2010),[4] hosted the show from 1976 to 2008, at which time the couple's daughter, Loretta Hoxie, took over hosting duties. "The Zembruski Family Polka Hour," hosted by Nathaniel Zembruski, succeeded Hoxie shortly after she retired in 2013. Zembruski, at age 17, decided to end the show as his junior year of high school concluded. Its finale aired on May 31, 2020.

The station also maintains a decades-long tradition of broadcasting play-by-play of local high school football and basketball. In 2018, WATR joined the University of Connecticut sports radio network. The first UConn Huskies football game was broadcast August 28, 2018.

WATR once had sister FM and television stations: WATR-FM, established in 1961, now WWYZ, and WATR-TV, established in 1953, later WTXX and now WCCT-TV.

It was announced on February 24, 2020, that the station was up for sale.[5] A partnership between WWCO owner David Webster and WARE owner Kurt Jackson purchased the station and translator W249DY effective August 24, 2022, for $320,000.[6]

The station has been assigned the WATR call letters by the Federal Communications Commission since it was initially licensed in 1934.[1][7]

Translator

Broadcast translator for WATR
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W249DY 97.7 FM Waterbury, Connecticut 203226 250 D 41°33′47.00″N 72°50′42.00″W / 41.5630556°N 72.8450000°W / 41.5630556; -72.8450000 (W249DY) LMS

References

  1. ^ a b Collins, Michael. "Time Line For Connecticut Broadcasting". Connecticut Broadcaster's Association.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WATR". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Winter 2008 Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  4. ^ "Host of Polka Radio Program Dies". Republican-American.
  5. ^ "WATR Up For Sale". Republican-American.
  6. ^ "Station Sales Week of 5/20". May 20, 2022.
  7. ^ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=WATR&oldid=1173168082"