WGIN
Encyclopedia
WGIN is a radio station in Rochester, New Hampshire
with a Sports radio
from ESPN Radio
simulcasting WMYF
. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications
.
daytimer, the station boosted power to 5,000 watts in 1954 and added night service, with the same power, in 1967. WWNH was an easy listening
station by 1971; that year, the station began an affiliation with CBS Radio
. It became a contemporary station in 1974. An FM sister station, WWNH-FM (96.7 FM; now WQSO
) was added October 21, 1979.
Strafford Broadcasting Corporation sold WWNH to Salmanson Communications Partners in 1987; by then, the station had a country music
format. Salmanson later changed the call letters to WKOS (matching the WKOS-FM call letters adopted by 96.7 in 1987) and the format to adult standards
, via the AM Only service from Transtar Radio Networks (now America's Best Music
from Dial Global
). (The WWNH
call letters are now assigned to 1340 AM in Madbury
.) Another sale, this time to Bear Broadcasting Company, followed in 1990; Bear again changed the station's call letters and format, this time to WZNN and all-news, largely via a simulcast of CNN Headline News. In 1994, WZNN was again sold, this time to Precision Media, owner of WMYF (1540 AM, now WXEX
) and WERZ
(107.1 FM); Precision reverted the station to standards in 1995, a format it also ran on WMYF. However, although WZNN and WMYF simulcast a local morning show, the station could not air the Stardust
programming WMYF aired the remainder of the day, as WZNN's signal overlapped with that network's Lakes Region
affiliate, WASR
; as a result, the station rejoined AM Only.
Precision Media sold its stations in the market to American Radio Systems in 1997. ARS soon applied to transition WZNN to an expanded band allocation on 1700 kHz, with proposed call letters WAYU. It then sold WZNN and WAYU, along with its other Seacoast properties, to Capstar Broadcasting in the midst of a merger with CBS Radio
. Capstar converted WZNN and WMYF to the WGIR simulcast (an arrangement billed on-air as the "Action News Network") that September, with 930 taking its current WGIN callsign soon afterward. (The standards format would later be revived, under the WMYF
callsign, on 1380 AM.) Along with the WGIR simulcast came an affiliation with NBC Radio
, which was subsequently phased out by Westwood One
in favor of CNN Radio. A few months later, Capstar merged with fellow Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst subsidiary Chancellor Media to form AMFM Broadcasting, which itself announced a merger with Clear Channel Communications several months afterward. In the meantime, plans for WAYU were abandoned, and its construction permit
was canceled on December 22, 2000. The station picked up Fox News Radio
in the mid-2000s after Clear Channel signed a larger agreement with the service.
sports director Charlie Sherman. Most other weekday programming consists of syndicated programming, including The Glenn Beck Program, The Rush Limbaugh Show
, The Sean Hannity Show
, The Savage Nation
, The Alan Colmes Show
, and Coast to Coast AM
. Weekend programming consisted of lifestyle and business programming (including The Kim Komando Show
and Paul Parent Garden Club), as well as best-of editions of weekday programming and the weekend editions of Coast to Coast AM.
Much of the programming heard on WGIN was also heard on WQSO; however, that station aired Imus in the Morning
in lieu of The Charlie Sherman Show, and WQSO replaces a Sunday morning financial talk show with infomercial
s and a local public affairs
program. (Another WQSO-produced program, New Hampshire Perspective, was originally heard only on WQSO and WGIN, but was subsequently added to the WGIR lineup.) Additionally, WGIN simulcasts WGIR's New Hampshire Fisher Cats
minor league
baseball broadcasts, whereas WQSO is an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox
Radio Network; conversely, all three stations serve as co-flagships of the Wildcat Sports Network. In March 2011 WGIN switched to a simulcast of Portsmouth
based WMYF
Rochester, New Hampshire
Rochester is a city in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 29,752. The city includes the villages of East Rochester and Gonic. Rochester is home to Skyhaven Airport and the annual Rochester Fair....
with a Sports radio
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
from ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
simulcasting WMYF
WMYF
WMYF is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA, the station serves the Portsmouth area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications and features programing from ESPN Radio....
. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
.
History
WGIN signed on in 1947 as WWNH, owned by Strafford Broadcasting Corporation. Initially a 1,000 wattWatt
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:...
daytimer, the station boosted power to 5,000 watts in 1954 and added night service, with the same power, in 1967. WWNH was an easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
station by 1971; that year, the station began an affiliation with CBS Radio
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
. It became a contemporary station in 1974. An FM sister station, WWNH-FM (96.7 FM; now WQSO
WQSO
WQSO is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk format. Licensed to Rochester, New Hampshire, USA, the station serves the Rochester-Portsmouth area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications. The biggest local programming is the station's morning show, the New Hampshire...
) was added October 21, 1979.
Strafford Broadcasting Corporation sold WWNH to Salmanson Communications Partners in 1987; by then, the station had 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...
format. Salmanson later changed the call letters to WKOS (matching the WKOS-FM call letters adopted by 96.7 in 1987) and the format to adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
, via the AM Only service from Transtar Radio Networks (now America's Best Music
America's Best Music
America's Best Music is the on-air branding of an adult standards 24-hour radio network, known internally as Adult Standards and formerly known as AM Only, currently owned by Dial Global. It was one of the original Westwood One's Transtar networks...
from Dial Global
Dial Global
Dial Global is a radio syndication company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triton Media Group and is a sister company to Townsquare Media, both of which are owned by Oaktree Capital Management....
). (The WWNH
WWNH
WWNH is an American radio station authorized to serve the community of Madbury, New Hampshire, United States. WWNH broadcast a contemporary Christian music format to the Dover, New Hampshire, area...
call letters are now assigned to 1340 AM in Madbury
Madbury, New Hampshire
Madbury is a town in Strafford County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,771 at the 2010 census.-History:Madbury was originally a part of Dover called Barbadoes, after the West Indies island of Barbados with which settlers conducted trade, sending wood and lumber in exchange for...
.) Another sale, this time to Bear Broadcasting Company, followed in 1990; Bear again changed the station's call letters and format, this time to WZNN and all-news, largely via a simulcast of CNN Headline News. In 1994, WZNN was again sold, this time to Precision Media, owner of WMYF (1540 AM, now WXEX
WXEX
WXEX is a radio station broadcasting a '60s & '70s rock 'n' roll plus Motown music format. It is licensed to Exeter, New Hampshire, USA, and covers the New Hampshire Seacoast region...
) and WERZ
WERZ
WERZ is a radio station located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, located at 107.1 on the FM dial. On air it is presented as 107.1 WERZ.The station was formerly known as WKXR-FM. In March 1982 the call letters were changed to WERZ, with the slogan "Z107...the continuous music FM". The format also...
(107.1 FM); Precision reverted the station to standards in 1995, a format it also ran on WMYF. However, although WZNN and WMYF simulcast a local morning show, the station could not air the Stardust
Timeless (radio network)
Timeless was a 24-hour satellite music service of Citadel Media . It has distributed a mix of soft oldies and adult standards to radio stations around the USA...
programming WMYF aired the remainder of the day, as WZNN's signal overlapped with that network's Lakes Region
Lakes Region (New Hampshire)
The Lakes Region of New Hampshire is the mid-state region surrounding Lake Winnipesaukee, Winnisquam Lake, Squam Lake, and Newfound Lake.The area is a popular tourist destination in the summer time, with the activity peaking during the annual Motorcycle Week and races at Loudon's New Hampshire...
affiliate, WASR
WASR (AM)
WASR is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, USA. The station is currently owned by Winnipesaukee Network, Inc. and features programing from AP Radio, Westwood One, Talk Radio Network, and Fox Sports Radio.At one time, WASR was an adult standards...
; as a result, the station rejoined AM Only.
Precision Media sold its stations in the market to American Radio Systems in 1997. ARS soon applied to transition WZNN to an expanded band allocation on 1700 kHz, with proposed call letters WAYU. It then sold WZNN and WAYU, along with its other Seacoast properties, to Capstar Broadcasting in the midst of a merger with CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
. Capstar converted WZNN and WMYF to the WGIR simulcast (an arrangement billed on-air as the "Action News Network") that September, with 930 taking its current WGIN callsign soon afterward. (The standards format would later be revived, under the WMYF
WMYF
WMYF is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA, the station serves the Portsmouth area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications and features programing from ESPN Radio....
callsign, on 1380 AM.) Along with the WGIR simulcast came an affiliation with NBC Radio
NBC Red Network
The NBC Red Network was one of the two original radio networks of the National Broadcasting Company. After NBC was required to divest itself of its Blue Network , the Red Network continued as the NBC Radio Network.It, along with the Blue Network, were the first two commercial radio networks in the...
, which was subsequently phased out by Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
in favor of CNN Radio. A few months later, Capstar merged with fellow Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst subsidiary Chancellor Media to form AMFM Broadcasting, which itself announced a merger with Clear Channel Communications several months afterward. In the meantime, plans for WAYU were abandoned, and its construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
was canceled on December 22, 2000. The station picked up Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio is an American radio network programmed by Fox News Channel.- History :In 2003, Fox News began syndicating one minute radio updates to radio stations via syndication service Westwood One. On June 1, 2005, Fox News Radio employed 60 people and provided five minute newscasts at the top...
in the mid-2000s after Clear Channel signed a larger agreement with the service.
Programming
As a WGIR simulcast, WGIN carries a WGIR-produced morning show hosted by former WMUR-TVWMUR-TV
WMUR-TV is the ABC-affiliated television station for the state of New Hampshire that is licensed to Manchester. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 9 from a transmitter on the south peak of Mount Uncanoonuc in Goffstown. Owned by Hearst Television, the station has studios...
sports director Charlie Sherman. Most other weekday programming consists of syndicated programming, including The Glenn Beck Program, The Rush Limbaugh Show
The Rush Limbaugh Show
The Rush Limbaugh Show is an American talk radio show hosted by Rush Limbaugh on Premiere Radio Networks...
, The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show
The Sean Hannity Show is a talk radio show hosted by Sean Hannity on Citadel Media and Premiere Radio Networks. The program is broadcast live every weekday, 3 p.m. to 6 p.m...
, The Savage Nation
The Savage Nation
The Savage Nation is an American radio show hosted by conservative commentator Michael Savage on Talk Radio Network. His show is heard by 8-10 million listeners a week and syndicated across the U.S. in over 300 markets, making it the 3rd most listened to radio show in the country...
, The Alan Colmes Show
The Alan Colmes Show
The Alan Colmes Show is a nationally-syndicated American radio show hosted by commentator Alan Colmes on Fox News Radio.The show is aired on weeknights from 10:00 p.m.-1:00 a.m. from Fox's New York City studios...
, and Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
. Weekend programming consisted of lifestyle and business programming (including The Kim Komando Show
The Kim Komando Show
The Kim Komando Show is a commercial talk radio program focusing on personal computers, the use of the Internet, and the complexities of consumer electronics....
and Paul Parent Garden Club), as well as best-of editions of weekday programming and the weekend editions of Coast to Coast AM.
Much of the programming heard on WGIN was also heard on WQSO; however, that station aired Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Cumulus Media Networks , and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network....
in lieu of The Charlie Sherman Show, and WQSO replaces a Sunday morning financial talk show with infomercial
Infomercial
Infomercials are direct response television commercials which generally include a phone number or website. There are long-form infomercials, which are typically between 15 and 30 minutes in length, and short-form infomercials, which are typically 30 seconds to 120 seconds in length. Infomercials...
s and a local public affairs
Public affairs
Public affairs may refer to:* Public administration* Public affairs * Public affairs * PublicAffairs, a USA publishing company* Public Affairs , a Czech political party...
program. (Another WQSO-produced program, New Hampshire Perspective, was originally heard only on WQSO and WGIN, but was subsequently added to the WGIR lineup.) Additionally, WGIN simulcasts WGIR's New Hampshire Fisher Cats
New Hampshire Fisher Cats
The New Hampshire Fisher Cats are a minor league baseball team based in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays major-league club....
minor league
Minor league
Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities. This term is used in North America with regard to several organizations competing in...
baseball broadcasts, whereas WQSO is an affiliate of the Boston Red Sox
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...
Radio Network; conversely, all three stations serve as co-flagships of the Wildcat Sports Network. In March 2011 WGIN switched to a simulcast of Portsmouth
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire in the United States. It is the largest city but only the fourth-largest community in the county, with a population of 21,233 at the 2010 census...
based WMYF
WMYF
WMYF is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, USA, the station serves the Portsmouth area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications and features programing from ESPN Radio....