WJTO
Encyclopedia
WJTO 730 AM is an Adult Standards
/Oldies
station licensed to Bath, Maine
. WJTO is owned by Bob Bittner Broadcasting and is a sister station to Cambridge, Massachusetts
' WJIB
.
In the 60's and 70's, WJTO, with studios located in downtown Bath, gave several Portland
stations real competition. In 1971, the modern two-story building was constructed at the transmitter site (the current site owned by Bittner), and all was well until the late '70s when FM came into fashion. WJTO did have a powerful FM (WJTO-FM), which later became WIGY-FM and WKRH-FM; all three incarnations co-owned with WJTO. With listenership drifting to FM, the original AM station was getting less attention, drifting through several ownership changes until both stations went into bankruptcy around 1990. Off the air for 11 months, the FM was finally sold to a Rhode Island broadcaster (which still owns it, with call letters changed to WBCI
).
, and WKBR in Manchester, New Hampshire
.) WJTO was a complete purchase: not just the station license, but also the equipment and real estate of 12 acres (48,562.3 m²), located on an ocean inlet. Later in 2003 and 2004, Bittner made two adjoining land and house purchases, creating a full residence 600' from the station, all situated on 220 acre (0.8903092 km²) in West Bath, Maine
. Bittner uses the premises as a summer residence and keeps an extensive music collection for both stations at WJTO. On display at WJTO is much radio memorabilia, including many classic playlists from WABC (AM)
during its "MusicRadio 77" days in the 1970s.
With Bittner's purchase in 1997, WJTO switched from talk to beautiful music with less than stellar results. Slowly, Bittner morphed it to an adult standards
station with a lot of '50s/'60s oldies pop mixed in; in recent years, WJTO has had an audience equivalent to the prosperity days of the 1960s and 1970s.
Similar to Bittner's Boston
station WJIB, WJTO does not air any commercials, but is big on local public service announcements, including fund-raising spots aimed at keeping the station on the air. WJTO's first fundraising drive in 2008 raised $29,676.11 from 657 different listeners (including a radio fan from Goshen, New York
who actually hunted down Bob and the station after hearing it on vacation) over an eleven-week period that summer.http://www.wjto.com
WJTO puts out a 1000-watt daytime signal and can be heard as far away as Provincetown, Massachusetts
and Nova Scotia
, with a daytime city-grade signal into Portland. (It also airs at night, but the signal doesn't get far with only six watts.)
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...
/Oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
station licensed to Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
. WJTO is owned by Bob Bittner Broadcasting and is a sister station to Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
' WJIB
WJIB
WJIB is a radio station based in Cambridge, Massachusetts that specializes in Adult Standards and 1950s & 1960s pop music. It is owned by Bob Bittner Broadcasting, with a sister station: WJTO at Bath, Maine...
.
History
WJTO began broadcasting in September 1957 (as WMMS) under original owner Winslow Porter Sr. Call letters were changed around 1960 to WJTO ("Where Jets Take Off", a reference to nearby Brunswick Naval Air Station).In the 60's and 70's, WJTO, with studios located in downtown Bath, gave several Portland
Portland, Maine
Portland is the largest city in Maine and is the county seat of Cumberland County. The 2010 city population was 66,194, growing 3 percent since the census of 2000...
stations real competition. In 1971, the modern two-story building was constructed at the transmitter site (the current site owned by Bittner), and all was well until the late '70s when FM came into fashion. WJTO did have a powerful FM (WJTO-FM), which later became WIGY-FM and WKRH-FM; all three incarnations co-owned with WJTO. With listenership drifting to FM, the original AM station was getting less attention, drifting through several ownership changes until both stations went into bankruptcy around 1990. Off the air for 11 months, the FM was finally sold to a Rhode Island broadcaster (which still owns it, with call letters changed to WBCI
WBCI
WBCI is a radio station licensed to Bath, Maine, USA, the station serves the Augusta-Waterville, Lewiston-Auburn, Portland area. The station is currently owned by Blount Communications.-History:...
).
Bob Bittner
Bob Bittner bought WJTO in March 1997, as the fourth station under his ownership. (In 1996-7, he sold two of his other stations, WNEB in Worcester, MassachusettsWorcester, Massachusetts
Worcester is a city and the county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, as of the 2010 Census the city's population is 181,045, making it the second largest city in New England after Boston....
, and WKBR in Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester, New Hampshire
Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
.) WJTO was a complete purchase: not just the station license, but also the equipment and real estate of 12 acres (48,562.3 m²), located on an ocean inlet. Later in 2003 and 2004, Bittner made two adjoining land and house purchases, creating a full residence 600' from the station, all situated on 220 acre (0.8903092 km²) in West Bath, Maine
West Bath, Maine
West Bath is a town in Sagadahoc County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,798 at the 2000 census. A sub-locality of West Bath is Winnegance...
. Bittner uses the premises as a summer residence and keeps an extensive music collection for both stations at WJTO. On display at WJTO is much radio memorabilia, including many classic playlists from WABC (AM)
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
during its "MusicRadio 77" days in the 1970s.
With Bittner's purchase in 1997, WJTO switched from talk to beautiful music with less than stellar results. Slowly, Bittner morphed it to an 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...
station with a lot of '50s/'60s oldies pop mixed in; in recent years, WJTO has had an audience equivalent to the prosperity days of the 1960s and 1970s.
Similar to Bittner's Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
station WJIB, WJTO does not air any commercials, but is big on local public service announcements, including fund-raising spots aimed at keeping the station on the air. WJTO's first fundraising drive in 2008 raised $29,676.11 from 657 different listeners (including a radio fan from Goshen, New York
Goshen (village), New York
Goshen is a village in and the county seat of Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 5,676 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport,...
who actually hunted down Bob and the station after hearing it on vacation) over an eleven-week period that summer.http://www.wjto.com
WJTO puts out a 1000-watt daytime signal and can be heard as far away as Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
and Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, with a daytime city-grade signal into Portland. (It also airs at night, but the signal doesn't get far with only six watts.)