WTAD (930 AM) is a commercial

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

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ) is a city in Adams County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Mississippi River, the population was 39,463 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 40,633 in 2010. The Quincy, Illinois, mic ...

and owned by STARadio Corporation. WTAD broadcasts 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 w ...

format. It carries a variety of local programming, as well as nationally syndicated shows such as

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 ...

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, ...

, and ''

Coast to Coast AM ''Coast to Coast AM'' is an American late-night radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics. Most frequently the topics relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was hosted by creator Art Bell from its inception in 198 ...

''.

History

WTAD was first licensed on July 20, 1923, to Robert E. Compton and First Presbyterian Church in

Carthage, Illinois Carthage is a city in and the county seat of Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Its population was 2,490 as of the 2020 census. Carthage is best known for being the site of the 1844 murder of Joseph Smith, who founded the Latter Day Saint ...

. The call sign was randomly assigned from a sequential roster of available call letters. The station was deleted on December 18, 1923, then relicensed on July 8, 1925, to Robert E. Compton in Carthage, broadcasting on 1270 kHz, with a power of 50 watts.History Cards for WTAD
fcc.gov. Retrieved August 3, 2018. In December 1926, the license was transferred to the Illinois Stock Medicine Broadcasting Corporation, and the station was moved to Quincy, Illinois, with its power increased to 500 watts. Following the establishment of the

Federal Radio Commission The Federal Radio Commission (FRC) was a government agency that regulated United States radio communication from its creation in 1927 until 1934, when it was succeeded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FRC was established by ...

(FRC), stations were initially issued a series of temporary authorizations starting on May 3, 1927. In addition, they were informed that if they wanted to continue operating, they needed to file a formal license application by January 15, 1928, as the first step in determining whether they met the new "public interest, convenience, or necessity" standard. On May 25, 1928, the FRC issued

General Order 32 The Federal Radio Commission's (FRC) General Order 32, dated May 25, 1928, notified 164 of the over 600 existing U.S. radio stations that their applications for continued operation would be denied unless they showed that they met the FRC's "public ...

, which notified 164 stations, including WTAD, that "From an examination of your application for future license it does not find that public interest, convenience, or necessity would be served by granting it.""Appendix F (2): Letter to and list of stations included in General Order No. 32, issued May 25, 1928"
''Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928 to September 30, 1928'', pages 146-149. However, the station successfully convinced the commission that it should remain licensed. On November 11, 1928, the FRC implemented a major reallocation of station transmitting frequencies, as part of a reorganization resulting from its implementation of

General Order 40 The Federal Radio Commission's (FRC) General Order 40, dated August 30, 1928, described the standards for a sweeping reorganization of radio broadcasting in the United States. This order grouped the AM radio band transmitting frequencies into thre ...

. WTAD's frequency was changed to 1440 kHz, sharing time on the frequency with WMBD in Peoria. In 1935, the station's frequency was changed to 900 kHz, running 500 watts during daytime hours only. In 1936, the station's power was increased to 1,000 watts. In 1941, nighttime operations were added, running 1,000 watts with a directional array, and the station's frequency was changed to 930 kHz. By 1941, the station had become an affiliate of the

CBS Radio Network CBS News Radio, formerly known as CBS Radio News and historically known as the CBS Radio Network, is a radio network that provides news to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by Paramount Global. It ...

.
1941 Yearbook Number
',

Broadcasting 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), ...

, 1941. p. 118. Retrieved August 3, 2018. In 1944, the station was sold to Lee Broadcasting for $487,500.WTAD is Acquired by Lee Syndicate
, ''

'', November 27, 1944. p. 64. Retrieved August 3, 2018. In 1952, the station's daytime power was increased to 5,000 watts. In the 1970s and 1980s, the station aired a MOR format.
Broadcasting Cablecasting Yearbook 1985
', Broadcasting Cablecasting, 1985. p. B-86. Retrieved August 3, 2018. By 1986, news-talk programming was added.
Broadcasting Cablecasting Yearbook 1986
', Broadcasting Cablecasting, 1986. p. B-91. Retrieved August 3, 2018. In December 1986, the station was sold to Eastern Broadcasting, along with 99.5 WQCY, for $1.1 million. In 1989, Eastern Broadcasting was purchased by TMZ Broadcasting (later known as Tele-Media Broadcasting).Citadel Communications Corp (Form: 424B4, Received: 07/01/1998 13:23:18

Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market (; National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the U.S. by volume, and ranked second on the list ...

, July 7, 1998. Retrieved August 4, 2018. In Spring 1994, the station's format was changed from

soft AC 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, ...

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...

. In the fall of 1994, the station's format changed from full service/oldies to an all-talk format. In 1997, Tele-Media was purchased by

Citadel A citadel is the most fortified area of a town or city. It may be a castle, fortress, or fortified center. The term is a diminutive of ''city'', meaning "little city", because it is a smaller part of the city of which it is the defensive core. ...

. In 1997, the station's programming began to be simulcast on 106.7 WBRJ in

Mount Sterling, Illinois Mount Sterling is a city in and the county seat of Brown County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,006 at the 2020 census. Foodservice distributor Dot Foods is based in Mount Sterling. History Mount Sterling was organized in 1854. ...

. In 1998, the station was sold to STARadio Corporation. In 1999, the station's simulcast ended, after 106.7 was sold and switched to an oldies format as WLRT "Golden 106.7".Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 16 No. 20. May 19, 1999. p. 2. Retrieved August 4, 2018.

References

External links

WTAD's website

FCC History Cards for WTAD
(covering 1923, 1925-1979) {{coord, 39, 53, 31, N, 91, 25, 25, W, type:landmark_region:US, display=title TAD News and talk radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1923 1923 establishments in Illinois Radio stations disestablished in 1923 Radio stations established in 1925 1925 establishments in Illinois