WUST
| File:WUST NewWorld logo.png | |
| Broadcast area | Washington metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1120 kHz |
| Branding | Black Information Network |
| Programming | |
| Format | All News (Black Information Network) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Potomac Radio Group |
| WCRW | |
| History | |
First air date | 1947 |
Former call signs | WBCC (1947–1951)[1] |
Call sign meaning | W U STreet, a past station studio location |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 48686 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 50,000 watts daytime only 3,000 watts critical hours |
| Links | |
| Website | http://www.wust1120.com/ |
WUST (1120 kHz) is a AM radio station licensed to Washington, DC. It is owned by the Potomac Radio Group and is an affiliate of the Black Information Network, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, Inc.[2] It carries an all news radio format with reports and features geared to the African-American community.
WUST operates at 50,000 watts during the day, the maximum power for AM stations. It uses a directional antenna. WUST is a daytimer, required to reduce power during critical hours in the early morning and go off the air during the night to protect the signal of KMOX in St. Louis, which is the dominant Class A station on 1120 AM. The transmitter is off Addison Road South in Capitol Heights, Maryland.[3]
History
WUST first signed on in 1947 as WBCC, licensed to the Washington, DC suburb of Bethesda, Maryland with 250 watts of power, broadcasting in the daytime only.[4] It had been a rhythm and blues station. Its call letters came from its studio location at 1120 U Street, NW, later moving to 815 V Street NW, site of today's 9:30 Club.
During the 1950s, DJs Lord Fauntleroy Bandy and "Terrible" Thomas popularized R&B music with high school students, weaning them from Top 40. Part of the appeal of WUST was its location in the red light district of the time.[citation needed]
During late August 1963, the ballroom of the WUST studio served as the operations headquarters for the August 28 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.[5]
On April 6, 2017, WUST filed an application for a Federal Communications Commission construction permit to remain on the air at night with 50 watts. The application was accepted for filing on April 12, 2017.[6]
New World Radio sold WUST to Herndon, Virginia-based Potomac Radio Group for $750,000 on September 18, 2018.[7] On August 31, 2020, WUST switched from ethnic programming to an all news format using programming from the Black Information Network.[8]
References
- ^ "FCC History Cards for WUST".
- ^ InsideRadio.com "BIN Expands to Washington-Baltimore-Philadelphia"
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WUST
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1948, page 140
- ^ Euchner, Charles, "Nobody Turn Me Around: A People's History of the 1963 March on Washington", 2010.
- ^ "Application for Construction Permit for Commercial Broadcast Station". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. April 12, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ "CDBS File No. BAL-20180918ABA". FCC CDBS.
- ^ InsideRadio.com "BIN Expands to Washington-Baltimore-Philly"
External links
- Official Website
- Facility details for Facility ID WUST ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- 1959 Broadcasting Yearbook, pages B-127 (ad), B-165 (listing) Example of station listing and industry ad for station
- Historical 1969 photo of building exterior from John in Montana
- Historical 1986 photos of building exterior from Kinorama on Flickr
- FCC History Cards for WUST
38°52′09″N 76°53′47″W / 38.86917°N 76.89639°W
  | This article about a radio station in Washington, D.C. is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |