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WATR (1320 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve
Waterbury, Connecticut Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...
, and the Naugatuck Valley. The station is owned by WATR Radio, LLC. It airs a full-service format featuring news–talk, as well as classic and modern hits from the internet radio station, WOW Radio. It was until May 2022 the oldest privately owned station in the state of
Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
, never having been sold outside the family of its founder, Harold Thomas (1902–1968).


History

The station has been assigned the WATR call letters by the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
since it was initially licensed in 1934. WATR once had sister television and FM stations: WATR-TV (now
WCCT-TV WCCT-TV (channel 20), branded on-air as CW 20, is a television station licensed to Waterbury, Connecticut, United States, serving the Hartford–New Haven market as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Hartford-licensed ...
), established in 1953, and WATR-FM (now
WWYZ WWYZ (92.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Waterbury, Connecticut, and serving the Waterbury, Hartford and New Haven areas. It is owned by iHeartMedia, and airs a country music radio format. WWYZ's ...
), established in 1961. The station was also home to the "Polish Eagle Show", originated in 1934 on WATR by bandleader Victor Zembruski (1912–1976). His widow, Sophie Zembruski (1918–2010), hosted the show from 1976 to 2008, at which time the couple's daughter, Loretta Hoxie, took over hosting duties. "The Zembruski Family Polka Hour", hosted by Nathaniel Zembruski, succeeded Hoxie shortly after she retired in 2013. Zembruski, at age 17, decided to end the show as his junior year of high school concluded. Its finale aired on May 31, 2020. The station also maintains a decades-long tradition of broadcasting play-by-play of local high school football and basketball. WATR was a member of the
University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...
sports radio network from 2018 to 2023. It was announced on February 24, 2020, that the station was up for sale. A partnership between WWCO owner David Webster and
WARE WARE (1250 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to Ware, Massachusetts, United States, the station serves the Springfield radio market. The station is currently owned by Success Signal Broadcasting ...
owner Kurt Jackson purchased the station and translator W249DY effective August 24, 2022, for $320,000.


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External links

* ( Guide to reading History Cards) ;FM Translator * * {{Authority control 1934 establishments in Connecticut Classic hits radio stations in the United States Full service radio stations in the United States News and talk radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1934 ATR