WFNO (1540

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...

) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

AM radio AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transmi ...

station

licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

Gretna, Louisiana Gretna is the second-largest city in, and parish seat of, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Jefferson Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. "Gretna, Louisiana (LA) Detailed Profile" (notes), ''City Data'', 2007, webpage: C-Gretna "Census ...

, and serving the

New Orleans metropolitan area The New Orleans metropolitan area, designated the New Orleans–Metairie metropolitan statistical area by the Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Office of Management and Budget, or simply Greater New Orleans (, ), is a List of United States me ...

. The station is owned by Crocodile Broadcasting and airs a

Spanish-language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

hot adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

is on Industry Street in

Harvey, Louisiana Harvey is a census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. Harvey is on the south side (referred to as the "West Bank") of the Mississippi River, within the New Orleans– Metairie– Kenner metropolitan sta ...

. By day, WFNO broadcasts at 1,000 watts, using a

non-directional antenna In radio communication, an omnidirectional antenna is a class of antenna which radiates equal radio power in all directions perpendicular to an axis (azimuthal directions), with power varying with angle to the axis (elevation angle), declining t ...

. Because

AM 1540 The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1540 kHz: 1540 AM is a United States clear-channel frequency. KXEL Waterloo, Iowa, and ZNS-1 Nassau, Bahamas, share Class A status on 1540 AM. Argentina * LU 28 in General Madariaga, ...

is a clear channel frequency reserved for Class A stations

KXEL KXEL (1540 AM), branded as ''News/Talk 1540'', is a Class A, clear-channel radio station serving the Waterloo and Cedar Rapids metropolitan areas with a All-news radio/Talk radio format. KXEL is one of two FCC Class 1-A stations in Iowa, th ...

Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 67,314, making it the List of cities in Iowa, eighth-most populous city in the st ...

, and

ZNS-1 ZNS-1 (branded as ''Radio Bahamas'') is the oldest broadcast station in the Bahamas. It has a news–talk format, and broadcasts on 1540 kHz and 104.5 MHz in Nassau, with a repeater in Freeport on 107.7 MHz. It is under ownership of the Broa ...

Nassau, Bahamas Nassau ( ) is the capital and largest city of The Bahamas. It is on the island of New Providence, which had a population of 246,329 in 2010, or just over 70% of the entire population of The Bahamas. As of April 2023, the preliminary results of ...

, WFNO is a

daytimer A clear-channel station is a North American AM radio station that has the highest level of protection from interference from other stations, particularly from nighttime skywave signals. This classification exists to ensure the viability of cross ...

, required to be off the air at night to avoid interference, when radio waves travel farther. Programming is also heard on a 250 watt

FM translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

.Radio-Locator.com/K248BB
/ref> 97.5 K248BB can be heard around the clock, unlike the AM station.

FM translator

WFNO relays its programming to an

. This provides the ability to broadcast WFNO programming around the clock, in

high fidelity High fidelity (hi-fi or, rarely, HiFi) is the high-quality reproduction of sound. It is popular with audiophiles and home audio enthusiasts. Ideally, high-fidelity equipment has inaudible noise and distortion, and a flat (neutral, uncolored) ...

stereophonic Stereophonic sound, commonly shortened to stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configurat ...

sound. An unusual twist is that the translator's

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

begins with a "K" while the main station's call letters, WFNO, begin with a "W". The

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

is the dividing line in most cases between K and W call signs. Because the river twists through the middle of Louisiana, the K-W dividing line is not clearly defined in the state.

History

As KGLA, the station was a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

station prior to its flip to Spanish-language programming in the 1970s. They are also New Orleans' first and oldest Spanish outlet. Initially called , it served as a much-needed link for the growing Hispanic community. The founders of KGLA's Spanish-language programming were Luis Alberto Carrillo of Costa Rica and Julio Guichard, from Cuba. Guichard is no longer involved with the station but has maintained local media presence. Carrillo moved out of New Orleans several years ago, to elevate and expand in Los Angeles, California. The station has remained faithfully committed to serve the New Orleanian community's interests even while successfully transforming itself into a viable enterprise. It was acquired by a family consortium in the 1980s headed by entrepreneur Ernesto Schweikert. KGLA has been awarded all sorts of accolades after its prompt recovery from

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

, reportedly using a small gasoline-powered generator to broadcast emergency messages for those who had no other means of communications in the first few days following the storm. KGLA swapped call signs and formats with sister station WFNO on August 1, 2019.

References

External links

* * Radio stations in New Orleans Radio stations established in 1969 Spanish-language radio stations in Louisiana 1969 establishments in Louisiana Daytime-only radio stations in Louisiana Gretna, Louisiana Mass media in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana {{Louisiana-radio-station-stub