WFTD (AM)
Encyclopedia
WFTD AM is a local Atlanta area AM broadcasting
station (licensed to Marietta, Georgia
). The station's programming is in Spanish
consisting of music and talk under the branding of "Radio La Ley 1080 AM". It broadcasts at a frequency of 1080 kHz with 50,000 watt
s of power during the daytime and 30,000 watts during critical hours
using a directional antenna
system. WFTD is classified as a class D AM broadcast station according to the Federal Communications Commission
. WFTD must sign off during nighttime hours at avoid interference to the clear channel stations WTIC
in Hartford, Connecticut
and KRLD in Dallas, Texas
on the same frequency.
on WBIE-FM 101.5 MHz (now WKHX-FM
, and still a country music
station owned by Citadel Broadcasting
). WBIE's original operating frequency was 1050 kHz, with 500 watt
s of non-directional daytime power. In 1965, WBIE moved to 1080 kHz with 10,000 watt
s directional daytime; shortly thereafter WBIE picked up the CBS
Radio affiliation for the Metro Atlanta
area, which it held onto well into the 1970s. Several noted newsmen worked at WBIE early in their careers, including the late Steve Walsh (later at KGO
/ABC News
), and Chris Little (KFI
News Director). The station has had the call signs WCOB in 1978, WEKS in 1985, and WJYA in 1987. WFTD's current call sign has remained with the station since the late 1980s.
From the 1980s through the 1990s, WFTD was the official radio home of Roswell Street Baptist Church and broadcast the weekly sermon of longtime pastor Dr. Nelson L. Price as well as additional RSBC programming. Roswell Street renamed the station as WFTD, which stands for "Waiting For The Day" Jesus Christ returns.
WFTD in July 2007 dropped the regional Mexican-type radio format
and switched formats to carry a Korean language
radio format, branded as "Atlanta Radio Korea", as a result of a leased-time basis
.
On June 9, 2008, WFTD was a victim of a molotov cocktail
bomb when a former employee who had been fired two months earlier walked into the station's studios and left a bomb there. As a result of the bomb, a small fire was sparked, but was quickly extinguished and the man who threw the cocktail suffered severe burns.
By mid-2009, the station was "Atlanta Radio Korea" was simulcasting with WPBS
. The Korean language
programming of "Atlanta Radio Korea" was then heard exclusively on WPBS and dropped from WFTD. WFTD then started carrying Spanish language
music and talk programming under the "Radio La Ley 1080 AM" branding.
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
station (licensed to Marietta, Georgia
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
). The station's programming is in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
consisting of music and talk under the branding of "Radio La Ley 1080 AM". It broadcasts at a frequency of 1080 kHz with 50,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of power during the daytime and 30,000 watts during critical hours
Critical hours
Critical Hours is that time from sunrise to two hours after sunrise, and from two hours before sunset until sunset, local time. During that time, certain American radio stations may be operating with reduced power as a result of Section 73.187 of the Federal Communications Commission's...
using a directional antenna
Directional antenna
A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates greater power in one or more directions allowing for increased performance on transmit and receive and reduced interference from unwanted sources....
system. WFTD is classified as a class D AM broadcast station according to the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
. WFTD must sign off during nighttime hours at avoid interference to the clear channel stations WTIC
WTIC (AM)
WTIC is a 50,000-watt radio station operating out of Hartford, Connecticut, broadcasting news and talk radio. Its signal, located at 1080 kHz, can be picked up throughout southern New England by day and over several states as well as parts of Canada by night...
in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
and KRLD in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
on the same frequency.
History
The station was originally WBIE,a full-service daytimer facility owned by James M. Wilder, who later started a simulcastSimulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on WBIE-FM 101.5 MHz (now WKHX-FM
WKHX-FM
WKHX-FM, known as "Kicks 101.5", is an Atlanta FM radio station that plays country music. Its city of license is Marietta, Georgia. "Kicks" debuted in 1980 after Capital Cities Communications purchased the station. WKHX used to simulcast on AM 590, which is now Radio Disney...
, and still a country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station owned by Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country...
). WBIE's original operating frequency was 1050 kHz, with 500 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of non-directional daytime power. In 1965, WBIE moved to 1080 kHz with 10,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s directional daytime; shortly thereafter WBIE picked up the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
Radio affiliation for the Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta
The Atlanta metropolitan area or metro Atlanta, officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States...
area, which it held onto well into the 1970s. Several noted newsmen worked at WBIE early in their careers, including the late Steve Walsh (later at KGO
KGO (AM)
KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
/ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
), and Chris Little (KFI
KFI
KFI is an AM radio station in Los Angeles, California. It received its license to operate on March 31, 1922 and began operating on April 16, 1922 as one of the United States' first high-powered, "clear-channel" stations...
News Director). The station has had the call signs WCOB in 1978, WEKS in 1985, and WJYA in 1987. WFTD's current call sign has remained with the station since the late 1980s.
From the 1980s through the 1990s, WFTD was the official radio home of Roswell Street Baptist Church and broadcast the weekly sermon of longtime pastor Dr. Nelson L. Price as well as additional RSBC programming. Roswell Street renamed the station as WFTD, which stands for "Waiting For The Day" Jesus Christ returns.
WFTD in July 2007 dropped the regional Mexican-type radio format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
and switched formats to carry a Korean language
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
radio format, branded as "Atlanta Radio Korea", as a result of a leased-time basis
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
.
On June 9, 2008, WFTD was a victim of a molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
bomb when a former employee who had been fired two months earlier walked into the station's studios and left a bomb there. As a result of the bomb, a small fire was sparked, but was quickly extinguished and the man who threw the cocktail suffered severe burns.
By mid-2009, the station was "Atlanta Radio Korea" was simulcasting with WPBS
WPBS (AM)
WPBS is an AM radio station licensed to the city of Conyers, Georgia in the Atlanta, Georgia radio market. The radio station is considered a Class D AM broadcast facility by the Federal Communications Commission operating with 50,000 watts of power during the daytime, and 5,500 Watts during...
. The Korean language
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
programming of "Atlanta Radio Korea" was then heard exclusively on WPBS and dropped from WFTD. WFTD then started carrying Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
music and talk programming under the "Radio La Ley 1080 AM" branding.