WRCA
 | |
| Broadcast area | Boston, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1330 kHz |
| Branding | 1330 WRCA |
| Programming | |
| Format | Ethnic |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | January 30, 1948[1] |
Former call signs | WCRB (1948–1975) WHET (1975–1979) WDLW (1979–1989) |
Call sign meaning | Radio Comedy and the Arts (previous format) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 60695 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 25,000 watts daytime 17,000 watts nighttime |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°17′20.00″N 71°11′21.00″W / 42.2888889°N 71.1891667°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WRCA is a radio station serving the Boston, Massachusetts metro area. It broadcasts on 1330 kHz on the AM radio dial, and broadcasts an ethnic format. The station is licensed to Beasley Media Group, LLC, part of the Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc.[2]
History
The station began operating as WCRB in 1948, owned by Theodore Jones's Charles River Broadcasting. WCRB was originally a community radio station for Waltham before switching to a classical format a few years later. An FM simulcast was added in 1954, which gradually became more prominent than 1330, to the point that the AM station ceased simulcasting WCRB-FM in 1975 (the FM retained the classical format) and became WHET, programming a big-band/adult standards format from 1975 until 1978, and then a short-run as a beautiful music format. Sales led to formats such as country WDLW for most of the 1980s, and then "Showbiz Radio" WRCA (standing for "Radio, Comedy, and Arts") before the station began leasing time to ethnic operators in 1991 (the WRCA callsign was retained), which has remained to this day the operation of the station. The current owners, the Beasley Broadcast Group, took over in 2000 from the ADD Radio Group.
The station's long time transmitter site in Waltham was discontinued in 2007 when WRCA became one of three AM stations to share a rebuilt transmitter facility at the original site of WBOS AM 1600 on Sawmill Brook Parkway in Newton. This site is now used by stations on 1200, 1330 and 1600 kHz. WRCA's city of license changed from Waltham to Watertown in 2007, and power increased to 25,000 watts daytime, 17,000 watts nighttime.
WRCA also broadcast all Northeastern Huskies men's ice hockey games.
References
- ^ Halper, Donna; Wollman, Garrett. "The Eastern Massachusetts Radio Timeline: the 1940s". The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
- ^ FCC Station Ownership database
- "The Boston Radio Dial: WRCA (AM)". The Archives at BostonRadio.org. 2005-03-27. Retrieved January 20, 2006.
External links
- Official website
- WRCA in the FCC AM station database
- WRCA in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
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