WARK (1490

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 an AM

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

located in

Hagerstown, Maryland Hagerstown is a city in Washington County, Maryland, United States, and its county seat. The population was 43,527 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Hagerstown ranks as Maryland's List of municipalities in Maryland, sixth-most popu ...

, in the

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, it features a

news/talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews ...

format Format may refer to: Printing and visual media * Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements * Paper formats, or paper size standards * Newspaper format, the size of the paper page Computing * File format, particular way that informatio ...

including syndicated shows with Imus, Mike Gallagher,

Sean Hannity Sean Patrick Hannity (born December 30, 1961) is an American conservative television presenter, broadcaster and writer. He hosts ''The Sean Hannity Show'', a radio syndication, nationally syndicated talk radio show, has hosted a Hannity, sel ...

, and

Mark Levin Mark Reed Levin (; born September 21, 1957) is an American broadcast news analyst, columnist, lawyer, political commentator, radio personality, and writer. He is the host of syndicated radio show '' The Mark Levin Show'', as well as '' Life, ...

. The station also carries sporting events for the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

, and

Maryland Terrapins The Maryland Terrapins, commonly referred to as the Terps, consist of 19 men's and women's college sports in the United States, varsity intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, College Park in National Collegiate ...

Ownership

WARK is owned by Manning Broadcasting, Inc. WARK broadcasts an FM translator (W255CP) on 98.9 MHz (250 watts @ 341 feet on the WARK tower). WARK is also simulcast on WWEG HD4.

History

During the 1960s and 1970s, while owned by Washington DC–based Rau Radio, WARK was a primary source for top 40 music in Hagerstown. Around 1977, WARK adjusted its format to "Adult Rock" (an early form of the "adult contemporary" format) and took on the 15ARK moniker. This lasted until February 1981, when they became Skyline Radio, a mixed talk/music format. It failed within three months; the station was again playing Adult Rock on 15ARK as of May 1981, and made a last foray into a broader Top 40 format with "The Ark" in early/mid-1982. In August 1982, the station changed format again to the

Music of Your Life Music of Your Life is an American syndicated music radio format featuring adult standards music. First created by recording executive Al Ham in 1978, the format achieved popularity in the 1980s among AM radio stations in the United States and Ca ...

syndicated format. This lasted until sometime in the early 1990s, when they became a full-time talk radio station. In October 1982, Rau Radio sold WARK to Manning Broadcasting; in 2005, the station was acquired by

Nassau Broadcasting Partners Nassau Broadcasting Partners LP was a company based in Princeton, New Jersey that owned radio stations in New England and the Mid-Atlantic United States. Nassau's stations, which included both AM and FM frequencies, were located in Maryland, New J ...

. After Nassau went into

chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wh ...

, WARK and WWEG, along with WAFY in

Frederick Frederick may refer to: People * Frederick (given name), the name Given name Nobility = Anhalt-Harzgerode = * Frederick, Prince of Anhalt-Harzgerode (1613–1670) = Austria = * Frederick I, Duke of Austria (Babenberg), Duke of Austria fro ...

, were purchased by Manning Broadcasting in May 2012, with the sale being completed on November 1, 2012, at a price of $6.4 million. Manning's repurchase of WARK and WWEG followed a lawsuit against Nassau over missed payments.

References

External links

* * ARK News and talk radio stations in the United States 1947 establishments in Maryland Hagerstown, Maryland {{Maryland-radio-station-stub