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WGFT (1330 AM) – branded ''ESPN 94.7'' – is a commercial daytime-only
Sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...
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 ...
licensed to
Campbell, Ohio Campbell (; ) is a city in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 7,852 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located directly southeast of Youngstown, Ohio, Youngstown, it is a suburb i ...
. The Station is an ESPN Radio Affiliate and airs other various sports play by play events from other networks. WGFT also
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
s over Girard
translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
W234CH (94.7 FM). The WGFT studios are located in Liberty
Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...
, while the transmitter for WGFT resides on Blaine Avenue in Youngstown's Hazelton neighborhood; W234CH's transmitter is located on Sunset Drive in Youngstown's Pleasant Grove neighborhood. In addition to a standard
analog transmission Analog transmission is a transmission method of conveying information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that information. It could be the transfer of an analog signal, using an an ...
, WGFT is available online.


History

Prior to 1990, this station was the original home of WHOT, one of the first
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 ...
stations in the country. Originally a daytime-only station that signed on October 16, 1955, licensed to the town of
Campbell, Ohio Campbell (; ) is a city in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 7,852 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located directly southeast of Youngstown, Ohio, Youngstown, it is a suburb i ...
, WHOT was founded by Myron Jones and Bill Fleckinstein, who first signed on WJET in
Erie, Pennsylvania Erie is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, fifth-most populous city in Pennsylvania and the most populous in Northwestern Pen ...
on the 1570 frequency as a daytimer. After upgrading WJET to a full-time signal on the 1400 kHz frequency in 1955, Jones and Fleckinstein used the now-opened 1570 frequency to establish WHOT in the Youngstown suburb of
Campbell, Ohio Campbell (; ) is a city in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 7,852 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located directly southeast of Youngstown, Ohio, Youngstown, it is a suburb i ...
as a 250 watt non-directional daytime-only station. At the time, the station had to sign off at nighttime in order to protect clear channel XERF in
Ciudad Acuña , also known simply as Acuña, (originally Garza Galán, later Villa Acuña) is a city located in the Mexican state of Coahuila, at and a mean height above sea level of . It stands on the Rio Grande (locally known as the Río Bravo), which mark ...
, and for a period WHOT was the only daytimer in the Youngstown market. Despite the technical limitations, WHOT rose to the top of the local ratings in the Youngstown area. Longtime broadcaster
Dick Biondi Richard Orlando Biondi (September 13, 1932 – June 26, 2023) was an American Top 40 and oldies disc jockey. Calling himself The Wild I-tralian, he was one of the original "screamers," known for his screaming delivery as well as wild antics on a ...
was the afternoon host on WHOT at this time, while Al DeJulio and "Boots" Bell hosted rival local TV teen dance music programs; DeJulio hosted "45 Hop" on
WXTV WXTV-DT (channel 41) is a television station licensed to Paterson, New Jersey, United States, serving as the Univision outlet for the New York City area. It is one of two flagship stations of the Spanish-language network (the other being WLT ...
(Channel 45) while Bell hosted "Dance Party" on
WYTV WYTV (channel 33) is a television station in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, affiliated with ABC and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Vaughan Media, LLC, which maintains joint sales and shared services agreements (JSA/SSA) with Nexstar Media Grou ...
(Channel 33). In 1963, WHOT moved to the 1330 frequency as a full-time operation, continuing with the top 40 format; the 1570 frequency was reallocated to
Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Mahoning River, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown, Ohio, Y ...
and another station, WTCL, was established in 1971. After moving the format to WHOT-FM (101.1) in 1984, WHOT was sold off to WVBR, Inc. on February 16, 1990 for $290,000; concurrently, WHOT, Inc. acquired WFMJ (1390 AM) from The Vindicator Publishing Company for $230,000 that April 23. A second incarnation of WHOT on the AM dial was launched on the former WFMJ that May 28, at the same time, this station temporarily switched call letters to WFNV, then switched again to WYWR on October 8. By July 6, 1992, the station changed its call sign to WZKC, then to WASN on November 15, 1993, and swapped callsigns with WGFT on December 1, 2003. The station switched from a gospel music format to a
talk/personality 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 w ...
format in December 2007. The WGFT calls refer to the station's former gospel music format ("The Gift"), which now resides on sister station WASN AM 1500. It was a full-time station until around 2000, when its night power was voluntarily relinquished. However, their web streaming now operates on a 24-hour basis, along with sister station (and fellow daytimer) WGFT. In addition to
Don Imus John Donald Imus Jr. ( ; July 23, 1940 – December 27, 2019), also known as Imus, was an American radio personality, television show host, recording artist, and author. His radio show '' Imus in the Morning'' was aired on various stations and di ...
,
Laura Ingraham Laura Anne Ingraham (; born June 19, 1963) is an American conservative television presenter. Gale Biography In Context. She has been the host of '' The Ingraham Angle'' on Fox News Channel since October 2017, and is the editor-in-chief of Li ...
,
Dave Ramsey David Lawrence Ramsey III (born September 3, 1960) is an American radio personality who offers financial advice. He is the founder and CEO of Ramsey Solutions and a co-host of '' The Ramsey Show'', a nationally syndicated radio program. He ...
,
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 featured a local daily talk radio show hosted by Louie Free. Free's show originated on sister station WASN until January 1, 2010, when WASN changed from a Hispanic and gospel music format to carry urban-oriented news/talk programming; Free moved to WYCL and WHTX the following year. WGFT changed its format to classic hits early in 2012. In February 2013, WGFT and sister station WASN were taken off the air due to on-going technical reasons with a plan to return to the air by February 2014. In June 2013, an application was filed with the Federal Communications Commission for WGFT to be rebroadcast on 94.3 FM owned by Helen M. Bednarczyk, wife of WGFT and WASN general manager Ted "Skip" Bednarczyk. In February 2014, WGFT and WASN were sold by Bernard Radio LLC to Y-Town Radio Broadcasting, LLC, which operates W232AI 93.7. The sale, at a price of $16,501, was consummated on August 1, 2014. On May 11, 2014, at 10 am, after broadcasting only the sound of a ticking clock for three days, WGFT launched an
urban adult contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...
format being simulcast on Niles FM W232AI 93.7, as ''Star 93.7'', launching with 5,000 songs in a row commercial-free. The first song on Star was ''
Black or White "Black or White" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on November 11, 1991, as the first single from Jackson's eighth studio album, '' Dangerous'' (1991). Jackson wrote, composed, and produced the track with rec ...
'' by
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
. WGFT flipped to
sports radio Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sport, sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-low comed ...
on April 7, 2025, as an
ESPN Radio ESPN Radio, which is alternatively branded platform-agnostically as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the banner "SportsRadio ESPN". The netw ...
affiliate.


FM translator


References


External links

*
FCC History Cards for WGFT (WHOT)
;FM translator * * {{Daytime-only radio stations in Ohio GFT Radio stations established in 1955 Urban adult contemporary radio stations in the United States 1955 establishments in Ohio GFT