WACA is a Spanish news/talk formatted

broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

radio station licensed to

Laurel, Maryland Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C., and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River, in northern Prince George's County. Its population was 30,060 at the 2020 census. Founded as a mill town i ...

, serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It is owned by Alejandro Carrasco, through licensee ACR Media, Inc.

900 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 900 kHz: 900 AM is a Mexican and Canadian clear channel frequency. XEW Mexico City and CKBI Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, share Class A status on 900 kHz. Because 900 kHz is a m ...

is a Canadian and Mexican

clear-channel A clear-channel station is a North American AM broadcasting, AM radio station that has the highest level of protection from Interference (communication), interference from other stations, particularly from nighttime skywave signals. This classifi ...

frequency.

History

From 1965 to the early 1980s, the station (then WLMD) broadcast a succession of formats in English; several

radio personalities A radio personality is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host (North American English), radio presenter (British English) or radio jockey. Radio personali ...

began their careers with the station. Before 1969, WLMD was a MOR (Middle Of The Road) formatted radio station and held to the model created by WMAL and WBAL in Washington and Baltimore, respectively. Its dismal ratings, primarily due to being a relatively low power AM station only broadcasting during the day with a poor coverage area, led to a format change beginning in 1975. The new Progressive Country music format was loved by the small audience it attracted and ratings increased modestly. The station changed its call sign to WILC on December 19, 1985.

ZGS Communications ZGS Communications, also referred to as the ZGS Group or ZGS Broadcasting, was a television and radio station operator in the United States, based in Arlington, Virginia. The company operated 11 stations: 10 television stations and one radio statio ...

, then the owner of

Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...

affiliate

WZDC-CD WZDC-CD (channel 44) is a Class A television station in Washington, D.C., serving as the market's outlet for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. It is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group alongside NBC outlet WRC-TV ...

, purchased WILC in 2002. On March 14, 2011, WILC flipped to a Spanish adult contemporary format as Romantica 900 AM. On February 3, 2014, the station changed formats to

Conservative Talk Conservative talk radio is a talk radio format in the United States and other countries devoted to expressing conservative viewpoints of issues, as opposed to progressive talk radio. The definition of conservative talk is generally broad enough ...

; with a more

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

emphasis. On the same date, Wallis Communications began operating the station under a

local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one corporation, company agrees to operate a radio station, radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it ...

. On November 5, 2014, WILC changed their format back to Spanish adult contemporary, branded as "Romantica 900". From January 1, 2016, WILC was operated by Alejandro Carrasco under a

. The station continued with a Spanish adult contemporary format branded "Radio America 900" to correspond with Carrasco's news-talk WACA, long known as "Radio America 1540". As part of its exit from broadcasting, ZGS sold to Carrasco for $700,000 on January 29, 2018. WILC was ZGS' last remaining broadcast property after selling its television stations to Telemundo in the same month. Carrasco closed on the purchase of WILC on April 10, 2018, and then changed the station's call sign to WCLM on April 25, 2018. At the beginning of 2019, the news/talk programming moved from the

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 ...

1540 AM, which was then leased to a local Catholic broadcaster. With the outright sale of 1540 AM (now WDON) closing in July 2021, the WACA callsign relocated to 900 AM, replacing WCLM, where the station commenced 24/7 broadcasting.

References

External links

{{Laurel, Maryland 1966 establishments in Maryland Laurel, Maryland News and talk radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1966 ACA (AM) ACA (AM)