WTJZ (AM)
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WTJZ (1110
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 a
commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...
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 ...
licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...
to
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...
, United States, and serving
Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond, and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's Point near whe ...
. The station is owned and operated by Delmarva Educational Association. Branded as "Praise 104.9", it airs an
urban gospel Urban/contemporary gospel, also known as urban gospel music, urban gospel pop, or just simply urban gospel, is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genr ...
radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
. WTJZ is a
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 ...
station, which operates with a power at 50,000
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
s, the maximum allowed for U.S. AM stations.
1110 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1110 kHz: 1110 AM is a U.S. clear-channel frequency as defined by the Federal Communications Commission. KFAB Omaha and WBT Charlotte share Class A status on this frequency. Argenti ...
is a clear channel frequency, with protected nighttime coverage for Class A stations WBT Charlotte and
KFAB KFAB (1110 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Omaha, Nebraska, with studios and offices on Underwood Avenue in Omaha. It broadcasts a news/talk format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. KFAB is a Class A clear channel station, operat ...
Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...
, so WTJZ must go off the air at night. Programming is carried around the clock on two
FM translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...
s: W285FM in
Hampton Hampton may refer to: Places Australia *Hampton bioregion, an IBRA biogeographic region in Western Australia * Hampton, New South Wales *Hampton, Queensland, a town in the Toowoomba Region * Hampton, Victoria ** Hampton railway station, Melbour ...
on 104.9 MHz, and W223CT in
Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...
on 92.5 MHz.


History

On May 25, 1966, James River Broadcasting Corporation applied to 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 ...
to start a new radio station licensed to Norfolk on 1110 kHz. It would be a
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 ...
, transmitting with 50,000 watts. ( Guide to reading History Cards) It was not granted until 1972 because it competed with applications for two daytime-only stations at
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and
Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...
. It would be nearly four more years before the station began broadcasting as WZAM on April 6, 1976. The original owner was the Benns family, which also started WMYK (94.1 FM) in
Elizabeth City, North Carolina Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, Pasquotank county, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and most populous city of Pasqu ...
. The two stations shared some programming—the AM simulcast the FM in drive time, essentially as a promotional tool. When the pair offered to pay listeners for recording listenership in their
Arbitron Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...
diaries in 1981, the ratings agency responded by delisting WZAM, WMYK, and a Benns-owned station in
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, that conducted the same practice from the ratings books; it was the first time Arbitron had delisted stations from ratings surveys in two years. After being rock stations since their launch, the Benns flipped both stations to
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...
in 1984, citing "disastrous" ratings. In 1988, the station was acquired by Nova Broadcasting, which retained the gospel format but sought to give it "FM standards" and be more competitive. The shareholders in Nova, Steven Brisker and Randy Gurekis, split ways in 1989, with Brisker retaining WZAM and WCTG in
Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is List of municipalities in South Carolina, the second-mo ...
. The FCC fined WZAM $7,900 in 1991 for a litany of technical violations, most notably broadcasting after sunset and causing interference to other stations on the frequency. J4 Broadcasting Company acquired WZAM in 1994; at that time, it was not broadcasting. However, the station had briefly returned to air in mid-1994 with gospel after a two-year absence. WZAM became WCKO in 1995 and adopted a classic oldies format syndicated from another station also owned by John Thomas, WCIN in
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
. By the time it was sold to Metropolitan Radio Group in 1998, however, WZAM was off the air again. In 2004, the call sign was changed to WYRM when the station was sold to Word Broadcasting Network of
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
. Word retained the station until 2014, when it changed the call sign to WKQA and sold it to Booth-Cobb Media. Under Booth-Cobb, the station was known as "Freedom 1110" and mixed conservative talk and religious programming. The station went silent on March 27, 2022, after its four-tower array southeast of Smithfield was dismantled to make way for redevelopment of the site. Booth-Cobb applied for Special Temporary Authority for WKQA to use a 100-watt longwire antenna located at the site of
WHKT WHKT (1010 AM broadcasting, AM) was a radio station licensed to Portsmouth, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads. The station was owned by Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting Corporation. History Although the station's initial application for a con ...
(1010 AM), and to sell itself to the Delmarva Educational Association, a non-profit entity affiliated with WHKT's owner, for $10,000. In August 2022, WTJZ on 1650 AM dropped its religious format,"The John Fredericks Media Network Announces Launch of New AM Radio Talker in Hampton Roads, VA"
by WJFN 100.5 FM, August 4, 2022 (wjfnradio.com)
which resulted in the transfer of the primary source for the "Praise 104.9" format to WKQA. The sale to Delmarva Educational Association was consummated on August 10, 2022. On November 2, 2022, WKQA's call sign was changed to WTJZ, derived from "Tidewater Jazz", which had been adopted at AM 1270 in 1979.


References


External links


Praise radio

FCC History Cards for WTJZ
(covering 1966-1981 as WZAM) * * * * {{Daytime-only radio stations in Virginia 1976 establishments in Virginia Radio stations established in 1976 TJZ TJZ TJZ Urban gospel radio stations in the United States