WLAT

From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

WLAT
Broadcast areaHartford metropolitan area
Frequency910 kHz
BrandingMega 101.7 & 97.5
Programming
FormatSpanish tropical
Ownership
Owner
  • Gois Broadcasting
  • (Gois Broadcasting of Connecticut, LLC)
History
First air date
May 20, 1949; 74 years ago (1949-05-20)[1]
Former call signs
  • WCNW (CP, 1948)[2]
  • WHAY (1948–1965)
  • WRCH (1965–1974)
  • WRCQ (1974–1990)
  • WNEZ (1990–2001)
Call sign meaning
"Latino"
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID1911
ClassB
Power
  • 5,000 watts (day)
  • 2,800 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
41°42′58″N 72°48′38″W / 41.71611°N 72.81056°W / 41.71611; -72.81056
Translator(s)101.7 W269DE (New Britain)
Repeater(s)1480 WKND (Windsor)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
WebsiteOfficial website

WLAT (910 AM, "Mega 101.7 & 97.5") is a radio station licensed to New Britain, Connecticut, and serving the Hartford market. WLAT currently airs a Spanish tropical music format. Owned by Gois Broadcasting, WLAT broadcasts from studios located on Burnside Avenue in East Hartford, while its transmitter array is located behind the Connecticut School of Broadcasting on Birdseye Road in Farmington (also known as "Radio Park"). The station also operates translator W269DE (101.7 FM) in New Britain.

History[edit]

This station originally came on the air May 20, 1949,[1] as WHAY. Its original studios were in New Britain; the transmitter was located at the present location on Birdseye Road in Farmington. The call sign were changed in February 1965 to WRCH,[2] and a few years later, the station adopted a beautiful music format. In 1967, new studios were constructed at the tower site on Birdseye Road. They called the facility "Radio Park". The call sign were changed to WRCQ ("91 Q") on October 23, 1974.[2] After American Radio Systems purchased the station in the late-1980s, the format was changed to rebroadcasting CNN Headline News; the station became WNEZ on January 5, 1990.[4] On March 26, 1997, the station flipped to urban contemporary as "Jamz 910 AM".[5] In 2001, Spanish broadcaster Mega Broadcasting's Alfredo Alonso purchased the station for $750,000, and changed the format to Spanish as "Amor 910" on May 5 of that year. At that time, studios were off Route 6 in Farmington. Mega later moved the studios to 330 Main Street in Hartford. On May 25, 2001, Mega swapped the call letters with their other Hartford area station (1230 AM), with 910 becoming WLAT.[4] The station was purchased by Freedom Communications in 2002. Gois purchased the station in 2008.

Logo before simulcasting on WKND

Translator[edit]

Broadcast translator for WLAT
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W269DE 101.7 FM New Britain, Connecticut 143539 27 D 41°42′58″N 72°48′37″W / 41.71611°N 72.81028°W / 41.71611; -72.81028 (W269DE) LMS

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "WLAT" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. 1999. p. D-79. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "WRCQ (WLAT) history cards". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WLAT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ a b "Call Sign History (WLAT)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  5. ^ "Mega Flips Spanish 'NEZ/Hartford To UC" (PDF). R&R. March 28, 1997. p. 10 – via worldradiohistory.com.

External links[edit]