WOAI (AM)

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WOAI (1200 AM) is a San Antonio, Texas, news/talk formatted radio station operating with 50,000 Watts non-directional day and night from a transmitter site near Marion, Texas. Current owner and operator San Antonio based Clear Channel Communications acquired the station in 1975 which founded the now worldwide owner of radio stations. WOAI-AM is also the flagship station for Clear Channel radio.

WOAI, a Fox News Radio affiliate, is consistently the highest rated AM news/talk formatted radio station in Texas^{[citation needed]}. WOAI's local news operation, features radio newsman Bob Guthrie, Stan Kelly, who is best known as the public address announcer for several area sports teams and broadcast news veteran Jim Forsyth.

WOAI is also the flagship station for the San Antonio Spurs radio network. Other sports programming includes University of Texas Football and the Dallas Cowboys radio network.^[1]

WOAI radio and former sister station WOAI-TV heavily cross promote each other by sharing staff and resources such as news and weather reporters and sports commentators.

WOAI is known as the "50,000 Watt Blowtorch" of South Texas{fact], because of its unlimited FCC clear channel classification. Like the handful of other clear channel AM stations (not to be confused with WOAI's parent company Clear Channel Communications), WOAI can be heard all over North and Central America after sunset. In the daytime WOAI covers most of central and south Texas.

[edit] History

WOAI first signed on the air in 1922 on 1190 kHz in San Antonio with only 500 Watts. Over the next several years WOAI was issued permits by the FCC to move the transmitter site and increase its power from 500 to 1000, 2000, 5000 and finally 50,000 Watts in 1930. In the 1930s WOAI's programming evolved from musical performances to news and agricultural information breaks in between soap operas.

WOAI Radio and Television are among the few stations west of the Mississippi River whose call sign begins with "W." This designation was "grandfathered" when the federal government issued regulations requiring radio stations west of the Mississippi River to start with "K," and stations east of the Mississippi to begin with "W."

In 1941, WOAI was moved to clear channel 1200 kHz. This meant that WOAI was the only high power non-directional station that could be licensed on its frequency (1200 kHz) in the United States. In fact, from the 1950s through the 1980s, it was the only station licensed to 1200 KHz in the United States. This was part of an early federal emergency plan similar to today's EAS system.

Over the years WOAI's news operation developed into a well respected institution with listeners and broadcasters.

In 1949, WOAI-TV came on the air on San Antonio's TV channel 4. Co-owned WOAI radio began a shift back to music programming as the soap operas transitioned to television.

In 1975, San Antonio businessmen L. Lowry Mays and BJ "Red" McCombs founded Clear Channel Communications by acquiring the WOAI radio from AVCO Broadcasting after already acquiring easy listening KEEZ 97.3 FM (now KAJA) in 1972. The TV station was sold to United Stations which later changed the call sign to KMOL-TV.

In the late 70's, 1200 WOAI phased out music programming. In 1979, KEEZ became WOAI-FM (not the original WOAI-FM) until the birth of Country Music station KAJA-FM "KJ*97" in 1981.

Through the 1980s, WOAI-AM relied more on its newsroom and focused on local and national news, local talk shows and agricultural reports. WOAI also began including sports telecasts especially after acquiring the radio contract for all San Antonio Spurs NBA games.

In 1998, San Antonio based Clear Channel Communications acquired the parent company of Premiere Radio Networks, syndicator of national talk shows such as Rush Limbaugh, Dr. Laura, Jim Rome Show and Coast to Coast AM. Rush and Laura had already been airing in San Antonio on market competitor, KTSA. These two shows were then moved to WOAI shortly after the acquisition. Dr. Laura has since been moved off of WOAI and the Jim Rome Show is now heard on WOAI sister station KTKR 760 kHz in San Antonio. WOAI news anchor Bob Guthrie celebrated 50 years on the radio station in 2006.

WOAI's daily national talk show programming is now effectively the Clear Channel slate of hosts: Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, and Coast to Coast AM. Joe Pagliarulo is the host of The Joe Pags Show, which runs weekdays during afternoon drive beginning at 5pm(CT).

In 2001, Clear Channel Communications acquired KMOL-TV San Antonio from Chris-Craft Industries. In December 2002, Clear Channel was granted a permit from the FCC to change the TV station's legal call sign back WOAI-TV.

[edit] Studios

6222 N.W. Interstate 10, San Antonio, TX 78201

The WOAI radio studios consists of a control room, talk show studio, news anchor booth, traffic center, and newsroom. WOAI shares studio facility with sister stations KAJA, KTKR, KXXM, KQXT, KRPT and KZEP.

[edit] Programming

[edit] Shows

Weekdays

• San Antonio's First News with Charlie Parker

• The Glenn Beck Program

• Rush Limbaugh

• Sean Hannity

• Joe Pagliarulo ("Joe Pags" for short)

• Dennis Miller

• Coast to Coast AM

[edit] Sports

• San Antonio Spurs Basketball
• Dallas Cowboys Football
• University of Texas Football

[edit] Personnel

[edit] News

Anchors

• Charlie Parker
• Bob Guthrie
• Stan Kelly
• Charity McCurdy
• Cari Laque
• Bob Branson

News Reporters

• Jim Forsyth (News Director)
• Michael Main (Managing Editor)
• Michael Board
• Bud Little
• Austin York
• Berit Mason

Sports Team

• Walter Pasacrita (Sports Director)
• Don Harris (Also WOAI-TV sports anchor)

[edit] Management

• George King (Operations Manager)
• Peter Bolger (Program Director)
• Jim Forsyth (News Director)

[edit] Former Staff

• Jay Howard
• Jack Riccardi
• Chris Duel
• Carl Wiglesworth
• Bill McReynolds
• Henry Guerra
• George Jennings
• Pat Rogers
• John Rooke
• Alan Dale
• Paul Ihander
• Steve Soliz
• Eliza Sonneland
• Ed Chandler
• Michael Snell
• Jenna Rush (traffic)
• Lauri Pearson (traffic)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• WOAI Radio
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WOAI
• Radio Locator Information on WOAI
• Query Arbitron's AM station database for WOAI

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