WWRU
Encyclopedia
WWRU is a Korean language
AM radio station licensed to Jersey City, New Jersey
, broadcasting to the New York metropolitan area
on 1660 kHz AM. The station's studios are located in Manhattan
.
AM 1660 launched on 8 December 1995 as WJDM, shortly after the Federal Communications Commission
in the United States
expanded the AM band to include new stations in the range of 1610 to 1700 kilocycle
s. It was the first such expanded band AM station in the U.S. and within two months of sign-on became the New York Radio AAHS
children's network owned & operated affiliate on 2 February 1996. Until other stations were licensed on the frequency and adjacent channels in other parts of the country in subsequent years, WJDM could be heard at night throughout the eastern U.S. and Canada.
When AAHS' parent company, Children's Broadcasting Corporation, discontinued the format in January 1998, the ten CBC-owned stations, including WJDM, began airing Beat Radio
, a club dance music format, every night between 7pm and 7am while a random mix of music was broadcast during the day. On 11 May 1998 the station changed call letters to WBAH. In June 1998, the young Radio Unica network entered into a Limited Marketing Agreement (LMA) with CBC and began airing its own Spanish talk programming, including World Cup Soccer and many New York Yankees
games. Radio Unica announced an agreement to purchase the station in October 1998 and the transaction was completed on 14 January 1999. The call sign changed to WWRU on 15 February 1999.
Multicultural Broadcasting
purchased WWRU in December 2003. The station then leased the time
to Radio Seoul, which had just left WNSW
, 1430 AM in an effort to gain a stronger signal in the market. Sister station WZRC
, which had broadcast in Korean, switched to Chinese language
at the same time.
Later, the brand changed from Radio Seoul to Radio Korea, which it is called today.
The signal can reportedly be heard as far away as the Washington, D.C.
area at night.
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...
AM radio station licensed to Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City, New Jersey
Jersey City is the seat of Hudson County, New Jersey, United States.Part of the New York metropolitan area, Jersey City lies between the Hudson River and Upper New York Bay across from Lower Manhattan and the Hackensack River and Newark Bay...
, broadcasting to the New York metropolitan area
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 1660 kHz AM. The station's studios are located in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
.
AM 1660 launched on 8 December 1995 as WJDM, shortly after 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...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
expanded the AM band to include new stations in the range of 1610 to 1700 kilocycle
Kilocycle
A thousand cycles, of any periodic phenomenon.kilocycle or kilocycles may refer to:* A measurement of usage of reciprocating machines, especially presses...
s. It was the first such expanded band AM station in the U.S. and within two months of sign-on became the New York Radio AAHS
Radio AAHS
Radio AAHS was a radio network managed by the Children's Broadcasting Corporation. Its flagship station was WWTC-AM 1280 in Minneapolis, which broadcast from the former First Federal Bank building at Highway 100 and Excelsior Boulevard in St. Louis Park. At its height in 1996, Radio AAHS had 29...
children's network owned & operated affiliate on 2 February 1996. Until other stations were licensed on the frequency and adjacent channels in other parts of the country in subsequent years, WJDM could be heard at night throughout the eastern U.S. and Canada.
When AAHS' parent company, Children's Broadcasting Corporation, discontinued the format in January 1998, the ten CBC-owned stations, including WJDM, began airing Beat Radio
Beat Radio
Beat Radio originally was an unlicensed radio station in Minneapolis, Minnesota that played dance music. Founded by local radio DJ and programmer, Alan Freed, in 1996, the station served downtown Minneapolis and surrounding neighborhoods and reached into the western, northwestern and southwestern...
, a club dance music format, every night between 7pm and 7am while a random mix of music was broadcast during the day. On 11 May 1998 the station changed call letters to WBAH. In June 1998, the young Radio Unica network entered into a Limited Marketing Agreement (LMA) with CBC and began airing its own Spanish talk programming, including World Cup Soccer and many New York Yankees
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are a professional baseball team based in the The Bronx, New York. They compete in Major League Baseball in the American League's East Division...
games. Radio Unica announced an agreement to purchase the station in October 1998 and the transaction was completed on 14 January 1999. The call sign changed to WWRU on 15 February 1999.
Multicultural Broadcasting
Multicultural Broadcasting
Multicultural Broadcasting is a media company based in New York City founded by Chinese-American businessman Arthur Liu. Multicultural caters mostly to the Asian American community and owns television and radio stations in several of the top markets in multiple languages.-History:This company was...
purchased WWRU in December 2003. The station then leased the time
Brokered programming
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials...
to Radio Seoul, which had just left WNSW
WNSW
WNSW is a radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, serving Northeastern New Jersey and parts of New York City. The station, formerly known by the call letters WNJR, runs an ethnic and brokered format. It is owned by Multicultural Radio Broadcasting, Inc..-Early years:The station signed on in...
, 1430 AM in an effort to gain a stronger signal in the market. Sister station WZRC
WZRC
WZRC, on 1480 kHz, is a radio station owned by Multicultural Radio Broadcasting, Inc. and serves the New York City area by running Cantonese program.-Formation and the early years:...
, which had broadcast in Korean, switched to Chinese language
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
at the same time.
Later, the brand changed from Radio Seoul to Radio Korea, which it is called today.
The signal can reportedly be heard as far away as the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
area at night.