WPTF

WPTF

City of license	Raleigh, North Carolina
Broadcast area	Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill Research Triangle
Branding	NewsRadio680
Slogan	Need to know radio
Frequency	680 (kHz)
First air date	1924
Format	Talk radio
Power	50,000 watts
Class	B
Facility ID	21630
Transmitter coordinates	35°47′38″N 78°45′41″W
Callsign meaning	We Protect The Family (named for the slogan of the station's original owners, Durham Life Insurance Company)
Owner	Curtis Media Group
Sister stations	WKIX-AM, WKIX-FM, WQDR-FM, WBBB, WYMY, WWPL, WQDR (AM), WCLY
Website	www.wptf.com

WPTF, NewsRadio 680, is a talk radio station serving the Triangle area of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The station is owned by Curtis Media Group. Its call letters date back to the former longtime owner of the station, Durham Life Insurance Company, whose motto was "We Protect The Family."

Programs on WPTF include national talk show hosts Dave Ramsey, Mark Levin, Phil Hendrie, and programs such as The Mutual Fund Show with Adam Bold. In addition, the station also hosts local programming with Brian Freeman, Scott Fitzgerald, Tom Kearney, and afternoon host Bill LuMaye.

From 1977 to 1991, WPTF was sister station to WPTF-TV, the longtime NBC affiliate in the Triangle. That station is now WRDC, "MyRDC," an affiliate of MyNetworkTV.

WPTF is the second-most powerful station in North Carolina, as a 50,000-watt class B station. Its signal is non-directional during the day, providing at least grade B coverage as far west as Charlotte, as far east as Wilmington and as far north as the Roanoke suburbs. Its nighttime directional signal can be picked up well south into the Bahamas and other parts of the Caribbean and can supposedly be picked up in Venezuela. However, it is somewhat spotty in parts of Virginia, only 50 miles north.

Early history

WPTF was originally called WFBQ, and was the second radio station in Raleigh (N. C. State had the first, WLAC, but it did not last), going on the air September 22, 1924 at 1190 AM, broadcasting at 50 watts. The station was owned and operated by the Wynne Radio Company, owned by William A. Wynne, and the offices and broadcasting facilities were located in the Boone Building next to the Wake County Courthouse. After a year of successful operation^{[citation needed]}, the station had its call letters changed to WRCO, for Wynne Radio Company. On August 19, 1926 the station was authorized to increase its power to 100 watts. Being a more powerful station, they moved their operations to the Sir Walter Hotel. The following year the power was increased to 250 watts. They signed on the air each morning at sunrise and signed off the air at sunset each day. Early in 1927 the station requested from the government 500 watts of power. In June of that year they received word that their request would not be granted, however, they were given authority to move to 1380 on the dial, along with unlimited time on the air^{[citation needed]}.

In 1927, The Durham Life Insurance Company purchased WRCO outright from the Wynne Company and the station's call letters were altered to WPTF. The new owners were given a permit to increase their power to 500 watts and to move to 720 on the dial. New equipment was purchased and the operations were moved to the basement of the old Durham Life building.

Things moved rather rapidly for the new owners. On November 16, 1927, WPTF moved to 550 kilocycles, remaining there until November 1, 1928, when it changed to 680. In 1928, the station was granted another increase in power, this time to 1,000 watts, but was required to sign off at sunset.

Although many attempts were made over the next several years, it wasn't until 1933 that the station increased its power to 5,000 watts. With this authority, WPTF purchased new equipment and moved to Cary, North Carolina, on US Highway 1.

In June, 1940, WPTF was given authority to operate unlimited hours and a month later was granted a construction permit to install new transmitter equipment and increase its power to 50,000 watts.

Almost a year later on a late spring evening, listeners heard these words from the announcer on duty: "Ladies and Gentlemen, there will be a few moments of silence while engineers switch from WPTF's 5,000 watts transmitter unit and begin operation for the first time with its new 50,000 watts transmitter." Thus on May 24, 1941, WPTF began a new era in broadcasting.^{[citation needed]}

As of 1948, WPTF was an affiliate of NBC Radio. WPTF-FM signed on at 94.5 in 1949 using the tallest of the AM station's three towers off N.C. Highway 54, near the present-day Interstate 40. The FM station later moved to 94.7. Both stations operated from 410 South Salisbury street in Downtown Raleigh. The tower used by WPTF-FM when it signed on is currently used by WKIX-FM.^{[citation needed]}

Bart Ritner went to work at WPTF in 1966, staying for 39 years. He hosted the morning show "Ask Your Neighbor", with people giving advice or recipes. His most popular show was "Open Line", an hour-long call-in-show started in 1966 and expanded to two hours in 1973. Don Curtis, whose company later bought the station called the show "one of the nation's first daily two-way talk programs".

By the 1970s, the AM station offered a "full service format with news, talk, and adult contemporary music," and the FM was playing classical music before switching to album rock and the call letters WQDR-FM in 1973.

Ritner moved to news in 1980. He was the only reporter at a 1982 hostage incident at Central Prison, helping to negotiate and end the standoff. Ritner returned to "Open Line" in 1986 and moved it from evenings to afternoons.

WPTF-TV, a nine-year-old station previously called WRDU-TV when Durham Life bought it, joined the two radio stations at their Highwoods Boulevard studios on the north end of Raleigh.

In 1991, Durham Life sold its broadcasting stations. Don Curtis, who bought all of WQDR, had a "controlling interest" in WPTF.

Recent developments

WPTF had served as the flagship station for the NC State Wolfpack sports network for more than 40 years until Wolfpack Sports Marketing announced it had signed a ten-year deal to move its flagship to Capitol Broadcasting Company's WRAL-FM. NC State athletic officials cited their desire to be on an FM signal with a multi-year contract and the ability to collect more local advertising revenue, conditions that Curtis Media was unwilling to provide. Some Wolfpack fans around the East Coast were unhappy with the move because it cut the audience of Wolfpack sports, especially at night, because of the reduced power.

After the September 2008 death of Jack Boston, Scott Fitzgerald took over North Carolina Morning News (5:30-9:00am).

As of September 15 of 2008, WPTF began streaming Rush Limbaugh as well as the rest of their local and syndicated line up.

Parent Company Curtis Media announced in August, 2009 the acquisiiton of The North Carolina News Network from Capitol Broadcasting Company of Raleigh.

On November 2, 2009, Curtis Media President Phil Zachary said Limbaugh would be leaving WPTF December 31, 2009, after more than 20 years. The show moved to Clear Channel Communications new news talk station, WRDU, which is now up against WPTF.

In December 2009, Brian Freeman, program director of sister station WSJS in Winston-Salem, took over the same duties at WPTF and became the host of North Carolina's Morning News. Scott Fitzgerald moved to 9 to 11 am as host of his own show and as the host of North Carolina's Evening News from 5 to 7 pm.

The loss of long-time staples Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity has proved challenging for WPTF. Following the move of the conservative programs to "Rush Radio," WPTF's ratings were significantly impacted. In the Winter book, WPTF dropped to a 2.6 rating. That was down from a 6.2 in the Fall book.

Starting with the 2011 Daytona 500, WPTF began airing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series racing.

Hurricane Coverage

WPTF has historically provided hurricane coverage to residents of the Carolinas. WPTF first provided reports of Hurricane Hazel and has covered most major storms ever since.

Because of WPTF's directional nighttime signal, the station assisted the residents of Charleston, South Carolina after Hurricane Hugo hit the state in 1989. Most of coastal South Carolina, including the city of Charleston was without power, so local radio stations were knocked off the air. WPTF broadcast emergency information and even won several awards from the state of South Carolina for their assistance.

In 1996, WPTF provided coverage of Hurricane Fran even though the station was without power for nearly a week. The station and transmitter site ran on generator power, allowing residents in the Triangle and beyond to call in for storm and damage information and find out where to get needed supplies, such as ice, water, and food.

WPTF on-air staff

WPTF has a storied history developing ultra-conservative personalities. Many of these on-air figures go on to larger markets, or become long-time Raleigh-Durham favorites. Below are some of a few.

• Jerry Agar (2000–2005)
• Wally Ausley (1928-1994, deceased)
• Mike Blackman (1972–2009)
• John Wesley Brett (1988-1995)
• Jim DeFontes (1999–2004)
• Don Curtis (1991–Present owner, operator)
• Jimmy Dean
• Gary Dornburg ( -1998, deceased)
• Mike Edwards ( -1999)
• Bob Farrington
• Charlie Gaddy
• Randy Gupton (1998–2003)
• Hap Hansen
• Bob Hazen (2001–2005)
• Marva Hinton (2002–2006)
• Johnny Hood (1970–2001)
• Bob Inskeep
• Patrick Johnson(2007–2010)
• Tom Kearney ( -Present)
• Mitch Kokai (1999–2002)
• Bill LuMaye (2005–2009)
• Donna Mason ( -2003)
• Paul Michaels (2000–Present)
• Kevin Miller (2002–2007)
• Maury O'Dell (1975–2003)
• Mike Raley (1975–Present)
• Kathy Reid
• Tony Riggsbee (1977–2004)
• Bart Ritner (1966–2004)
• Ralph Shaw (2001–2003)
• David Sherrill
• Brian Shrader (2001–2003)
• Larry Stone
• Dick Storck
• Jeremy Thompson(1997–2005)
• Bryce Wilson (1995–Present*)

External links

• Station website
• WPTF history on RDU Radio Waves
• Recording of "WPTF: The First 50 Years" (1974)
• Query the FCC's AM station database for WPTF
• Radio-Locator Information on WPTF
• Query Arbitron's AM station database for WPTF