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For the Fibre Channel storage networking technology, see World Wide Node Name.
"WRBD" redirects here. For for the television station, see WRBD-LP.
WWNN
Broadcast areaSouth Florida (Broward/Miami/Palm Beach area)
Frequency1470 kHz
BrandingOldies 95.3/96.9
Programming
FormatTalk/Oldies
Ownership
Owner
  • Vic Canales
  • (Vic Canales Media Group, LLC)
History
First air date
April 4, 1959 (1959-04-04)
Former call signs
WPOM (1959–1963)
WRBD (1963–1997)
Call sign meaning
W Winner's News Network
Technical information
Facility ID73930
ClassB
Power30,000 watts day
2,500 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
26°10′46.00″N 80°13′15.00″W / 26.1794444°N 80.2208333°W / 26.1794444; -80.2208333
Translator(s)See § Translators
Links
WebcastListen live
Websiteoldiessouthflorida.com

WWNN (1470 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a brokered talk/oldies format, whereby clients pay for airtime for long-form programming. Licensed to Pompano Beach, Florida, United States, the station serves the Fort Lauderdale area. Although the station's day power is thirty kilowatts, it is very directional away from Miami stations on 1450 and 1490. The station is owned by Vic Canales, through licensee Vic Canales Media Group, LLC. Its studios are in Boca Raton and the transmitter is in Tamarac.

History

WPOM

WPOM was established at 1470 kHz with a construction permit to Gold Coast Broadcasters in 1958. The daytime-only station signed on April 4, 1959.[1] Almardon, Inc., acquired WPOM in 1961.[2]

WRBD

In May 1963, WPOM became WRBD ("Radio Broward")[3] with studios on Rock Island Road in Tamarac. Four months later,[4] WRBD became the first radio station in Broward County oriented to the local Black community,[5] featuring south Florida radio legends like Joe Fisher, "The Crown Prince" and "The Mad Hatter".[6] WRBD's Radio Broward designation turned into "Rockin' Big Daddy" as the format changed.[4][7] A similarly formatted FM sister station, the primarily automated WRBD-FM 102.7, launched in December 1969;[4] it became WCKO in 1971 and remained Black-oriented throughout the 1970s. The pair were charter affiliates of the Mutual Black Network in 1972.[8]

Rose Broadcasting acquired WRBD and WCKO for $2 million in 1978. The new owners flipped the disco-formatted FM to rock as "K-102" the next year, to reduce overlap between the two stations' target markets.[9]

Rose owned the two stations until their acquisition by Sconnix Broadcasting in 1985, a $7 million deal.[10] Sconnix replaced WCKO's rock format with adult contemporary as WMXJ that March.[11] In 1986, an investor group led by John Ruffin, a Black supermarket executive, acquired the AM station from Sconnix for $2 million; the sellers retained WMXJ.[12][5] WRBD thus became the first Black-owned radio station in South Florida.[7] The split resolved a culture clash between the mostly Black AM staff and the white FM staff, much of which Sconnix had imported from other markets the year prior;[11] Ruffin renovated the neglected studios.[2] By 1991, however, facing financial difficulties and heavy competition from FM stations, WRBD had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[6]

James Thomas ("James T") and Jerry Rushin bought the station from Ruffin in 1992.[7]

WWNN

Further information: WTPA (AM)
Logo as "WNN"

In 1997, citing competition from FM stations that were obtaining higher ratings,[13] WRBD's ownership, including Rushin, sold the station to Howard Goldsmith, owner of WSBR (740 AM) and WWNN (980 AM). Rushin then went on to become the general manager of WEDR (99.1 FM). James T had been a DJ on WRBD early in his career. The health talk and motivational programming of WWNN, established as the "Winner's News Network" in 1987, moved from the 980 signal to 1470 AM; 980 became a primarily Haitian ethnic station as WHSR. Beasley Broadcast Group of Naples acquired Goldsmith's three broadcasting outlets in 2000 for $18 million.[14]

WWNN retained the "WNN" name and branded as "Your Health and Wealth Network" until early 2019, when it changed its imaging to "WWNN, South Florida's Talk".

South Florida's MoneyTalk Network

Co-owned WSBR (740 AM) and WHSR concurrently ceased operations at midnight on December 1, 2019, in order to allow for the sale of the associated transmitter site for both stations to Parkland, Florida for $7,100,000; the city had announced plans in September 2019 to develop a 36-acre park on the land.[15] WWNN absorbed WSBR's imaging, becoming "South Florida's MoneyTalk Network", and much of its programming; it also began broadcasting over its two translators in Boca Raton and Lauderdale Lakes.[16][17]

Oldies 95.3/96.9

On February 2, 2022, Beasley sold WWNN and its two translators to Marco Broadcasting.[18] The sale was consummated on April 1, 2022, at a price of $1.25 million. On May 25, 2022, Marco sold WWNN and its two translators to Vic Canales Media Group.[19] On July 5, 2022, the station added oldies music as "Oldies 95.3/96.9", with music from The True Oldies Channel.[20] The sale to Vic Canales Media Group was consummated on August 19, 2022, at a price of $1.45 million.

Translators

In January 2017, WWNN began simulcasting on W237BD, a translator at 95.3 FM covering Boca Raton, Coral Springs and Parkland. When WSBR closed, WWNN began broadcasting over its former translators: W280DU (103.9 FM), which covers a similar area, and W245BC (96.9 FM), which is licensed to Lauderdale Lakes and adds coverage in east-central and northwestern Broward County.

Broadcast translator for WWNN
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W237BD 95.3 FM Boca Raton, Florida 138667 250 151 m (495 ft) D LMS
W245BC 96.9 FM Lauderdale Lakes, Florida 138625 250 118 m (387 ft) D LMS

References

  1. ^ "FCC Approved; Pompano Beach Station Goes On Air". Fort Lauderdale News. April 5, 1959. p. 3-B. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  2. ^ a b FCC History Cards for WWNN
  3. ^ "WRBD, 1470 on your dial". Fort Lauderdale News. June 7, 1963. p. 7D. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c "A Radio Station With 'Soul'". Palm Beach Post-Times. October 25, 1970. p. F4. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Hill-Morgan, Valerie (May 22, 1988). "5,000 watts of Black power". Fort Lauderdale News. pp. 1F, 5F. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Due, Tananarive (October 18, 1991). "Radio Soul: WRBD radio, in Chapter 11, challenges black community to help". Miami Herald. pp. 1E, 2E. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  7. ^ a b c King, Jonathon (April 9, 1997). "The sound of silence: Radio station WRBD tunes out after 30 years". Sun-Sentinel. pp. 1A, 6A. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  8. ^ Calta, Louis (April 29, 1972). "Mutual To Begin News For Blacks". New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  9. ^ Cherry, Alan (May 4, 1979). "Radio stations switch formats so listeners won't switch dial". Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel. pp. TV 12, 13. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  10. ^ "Glades Twin Plaza Signs Five Tenants". Palm Beach Post. March 10, 1985. p. B13. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Thornton, Linda (March 7, 1985). "WCKO puts 'Magic' in the air with new format". Miami Herald. p. 5D. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  12. ^ Demarest, Lynn (March 5, 1986). "Group of black investors buys station WRBD". Miami Herald. p. 6BR. Retrieved November 6, 2020.
  13. ^ Rusnak, Jeff (April 3, 1997). "Changes at WRBD". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. p. 3E. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  14. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. January 10, 2000. p. 84. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  15. ^ "The Week In Parkland Government: September 9–13". ParklandNews.net. September 9, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019. 24.38 acres located at 8400 Nob Hill Board on the northeast corner of Hillsboro Boulevard and Nob Hill Road. Purchase price $7,100,000 using available reserves for capital. This purchase would allow for the development of a future park consisting of 36 total acres.
  16. ^ Carmona, Sergio (November 14, 2019). "'Shalom South Florida' radio show's move will 'provide broader reach'". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  17. ^ Venta, Lance (December 1, 2019). "$7.1 Million Land Sale Leads To Sign-Off Of Two South Florida AMs". RadioInsight.com. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  18. ^ "Beasley Sells South Florida AM". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  19. ^ "Vic Canales Media Group Acquires WWNN". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
  20. ^ "Oldies Comes To Fort Lauderdale". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
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