WXCT
Encyclopedia
WXCT is a Spanish language
Christian
-oriented radio
station licensed to Southington, Connecticut
and serving the Hartford, Connecticut
area. The station is owned by the Davidson Media Group and broadcasts at 990 kHz with 2.5 kilowatts daytime and 80 watts nighttime from a tower site on Old Turnpike Road in Southington.
. The station was engineered by Hillis Holt, and owned by the Nutmeg Broadcasting Company. Like many other similar daytime-only stations that signed on in suburban areas, WNTY's original format would last for many years past its launch and built a name in their community with programming such as high school sports. The station would add a small amount of nighttime power, enough to cover the developed portion of Southington, in 1988.
WNTY's original format would continue in some form until early 1999 when the death of then-owner Donato F. Sarapo, who had purchased the station from the original owners, led to WNTY being sold to ADD Radio Group for $850,000. Upon ADD Radio's taking ownership of the station, the station would turn its focus from Southington and Bristol and instead to the larger cities of Hartford and New Britain though some Southington/Bristol programming would remain including high school sports and Sunday programming including a Catholic mass service, a Polka show, and ethnic programming.
in Meriden prior to that station becoming a satellite of WDRC
. The format they had operated on WMMW, a Spanish-language format targeted towards younger audiences called La Brava, was installed on WNTY.
La Brava would last until September 15, 2000 when ADD Radio terminated El Principe's lease for reasons including non-payment of rent. In retaliation, El Principe vandalized WNTY's studios and transmitter which kept the station off the air for two weeks. The station would return to the air that October with an automated variety of music plus high school football and the Sunday brokered programming. As well as a Christian music program "Play it Again God" targeted at Christian youth and young adult.
/reggae
hybrid format called Blaze 990, the result of the station entering a brokering deal with Blaze Communications, a company operated by former WNEZ
program director "Dr. Phillip Duncan". Blaze Communications leased the station Monday-Saturday 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. with ADD Radio brokering the balance.
Handicapped against the larger signaled WNEZ, WNTY's hip-hop format became doomed when FM station WZMX
flipped to a hip-hop heavy format. After terminating Duncan's contract in August 2001, the station would dump the reggae half of the format while picking up assorted sports coverage on the weekends alongside Fox News audio on unsold periods (a result of WNTY's patched-together coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks
). Blaze 990 would end with no warning on November 22, 2001 when a board operator deserted the station while attending to a high school football game.
In November 2002, WNTY made broadcast history, when the station served as the master control home station for a live broadcast from a moving train, as the nationally-syndicated Travel World Radio Show with hosts Stephen Pickford and Willem Bagchus did their show live from VIA Rail's world-famous transcontinental Train No.1, "The Canadian", westbound between Edmonton and Hinton,AB. The broadcast was written up in the September 2004 edition of Radio World magazine.
morning program "Anda Pa'l Cara" who moved their show from WPRX to WXCT. The station would expand to 24-hour programming that summer and would enter a resource agreement with CBS affiliate WFSB
which included WXCT being simulcasted on WFSB's SAP channel and WXCT housing its studios alongside WFSB's.
The brokering contract with the Supermax group would be terminated in 2005, at which point WXCT would take the format in-house as Power 990.
.
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...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
-oriented radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station licensed to Southington, Connecticut
Southington, Connecticut
Southington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of Connecticut's 1st congressional district. It is situated about 20 miles southwest of Hartford, about 80 miles northeast of New York City, 105 miles southwest of Boston and 77 miles west of Providence...
and serving the 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...
area. The station is owned by the Davidson Media Group and broadcasts at 990 kHz with 2.5 kilowatts daytime and 80 watts nighttime from a tower site on Old Turnpike Road in Southington.
History (to 1999)
The 990 frequency signed on in 1969 as WNTY, a daytime-only station that targeted Southington and nearby BristolBristol, Connecticut
Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...
. The station was engineered by Hillis Holt, and owned by the Nutmeg Broadcasting Company. Like many other similar daytime-only stations that signed on in suburban areas, WNTY's original format would last for many years past its launch and built a name in their community with programming such as high school sports. The station would add a small amount of nighttime power, enough to cover the developed portion of Southington, in 1988.
WNTY's original format would continue in some form until early 1999 when the death of then-owner Donato F. Sarapo, who had purchased the station from the original owners, led to WNTY being sold to ADD Radio Group for $850,000. Upon ADD Radio's taking ownership of the station, the station would turn its focus from Southington and Bristol and instead to the larger cities of Hartford and New Britain though some Southington/Bristol programming would remain including high school sports and Sunday programming including a Catholic mass service, a Polka show, and ethnic programming.
La Brava 990
In April 1999, WNTY was leased by Hartford-based El Principe Communications, a Hispanic group that previously had owned WMMWWMMW
WMMW is a radio station licensed to serve Meriden, Connecticut. The station is owned by Buckley Broadcasting of Connecticut, LLC. It airs a Talk format...
in Meriden prior to that station becoming a satellite of WDRC
WDRC (AM)
WDRC is a radio station owned by Buckley Broadcasting Corporation. It operates full time with 5,000 Watts of power with studios and transmitters located in Bloomfield, Connecticut....
. The format they had operated on WMMW, a Spanish-language format targeted towards younger audiences called La Brava, was installed on WNTY.
La Brava would last until September 15, 2000 when ADD Radio terminated El Principe's lease for reasons including non-payment of rent. In retaliation, El Principe vandalized WNTY's studios and transmitter which kept the station off the air for two weeks. The station would return to the air that October with an automated variety of music plus high school football and the Sunday brokered programming. As well as a Christian music program "Play it Again God" targeted at Christian youth and young adult.
Blaze 990
On October 24, 2000, WNTY fully returned to the air with a hip hopHip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
/reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
hybrid format called Blaze 990, the result of the station entering a brokering deal with Blaze Communications, a company operated by former WNEZ
WLAT
WLAT is a radio station based in Hartford, Connecticut, in the United States. They play Spanish Language Hit Music. Their city of license is New Britain, Connecticut. Owned by Gois Broadcasting, WLAT broadcasts with 4.600 Watts day and 5,400 Watts night from towers located behind the Connecticut...
program director "Dr. Phillip Duncan". Blaze Communications leased the station Monday-Saturday 6:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. with ADD Radio brokering the balance.
Handicapped against the larger signaled WNEZ, WNTY's hip-hop format became doomed when FM station WZMX
WZMX
WZMX, better known as "Hot 93.7" is a Rhythmic Contemporary station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut. The CBS Radio owned outlet broadcasts at 93.7 megahertz. The station's current slogan is Hartford's #1 Station For Hip-Hop and R&B...
flipped to a hip-hop heavy format. After terminating Duncan's contract in August 2001, the station would dump the reggae half of the format while picking up assorted sports coverage on the weekends alongside Fox News audio on unsold periods (a result of WNTY's patched-together coverage of the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
). Blaze 990 would end with no warning on November 22, 2001 when a board operator deserted the station while attending to a high school football game.
Notty 99
After the end of Blaze 990, new general manager Charlie Profit kept the Fox News programming on the station as a time filler while new formats were considered. In February 2002, WNTY would relaunch as a talk radio/Fox News hybrid as Notty 99 , a play on the WNTY calls. Though the station would not rate in the Hartford/New Britain ratings, it built up a small but loyal following.In November 2002, WNTY made broadcast history, when the station served as the master control home station for a live broadcast from a moving train, as the nationally-syndicated Travel World Radio Show with hosts Stephen Pickford and Willem Bagchus did their show live from VIA Rail's world-famous transcontinental Train No.1, "The Canadian", westbound between Edmonton and Hinton,AB. The broadcast was written up in the September 2004 edition of Radio World magazine.
Xact Radio, 990 The X
In April 2003, the 990 frequency would see a big change on paper as the WNTY calls were cast aside after 34 years and replaced by new calls of WXCT, chosen for the new slogan of Xact Radio, 990 The X. This move was done to make the station, beset by being seen as a Southington station and its past format difficulties, look more attractive to new listeners. Nevertheless, some WNTY veterans returned to the air.Supermax 990/Power 990
In April 2004, ADD Radio would sell WXCT to the Davidson Media Group, a group which specializes mostly in leased-time ethnic programming. Though some protest to the sale was given, Davidson would flip WXCT from its talk format to a Spanish-language format on May 4, 2004. The new format, Supermax 990, was programmed by the hosts of WPRXWPRX
WPRX was a radio station licensed to serve Bristol, Connecticut. The station is owned by Nievezquez Productions, Inc. It last aired a Spanish Tropical format....
morning program "Anda Pa'l Cara" who moved their show from WPRX to WXCT. The station would expand to 24-hour programming that summer and would enter a resource agreement with CBS affiliate WFSB
WFSB
'WFSB, channel 3, is a CBS-affiliated television station located in Hartford, Connecticut, USA, owned by the Meredith Corporation. WFSB's studios and offices are located in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, and its broadcast transmitter is based on Talcott Mountain in Avon, Connecticut. Syndicated...
which included WXCT being simulcasted on WFSB's SAP channel and WXCT housing its studios alongside WFSB's.
The brokering contract with the Supermax group would be terminated in 2005, at which point WXCT would take the format in-house as Power 990.
Talkradio 990
In October 2005, Davidson Media would rehire former general manager Charlie Profit and asked him to try to restore the station's former talk format. With several programs from the station taken by other outlets in the market, Profit decided to relaunch the station with a female-targeted talk format. WXCT's programming during this time Profit's own daily show, Wild Women Entrepreneurs (Wild WE), Dr. Laura, Bruce Williams, and Rollye JamesRollye James
Rollye James is an American radio talk show host. She hosted The Rollye James Show nationally and on international shortwave on WWCR from 2000 to 2011...
.