WZUM (AM)

WZUM
Braddock, Pennsylvania;
Broadcast area	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Frequency	1550 kHz
Branding	The Pittsburgh Jazz Channel
Programming
Format	Jazz (WZUM-FM simulcast)
Ownership
Owner	Edward DeHart and Stephen Zelenko; (AM Guys, LLC);
History
First air date	1947 (as WLOA)
Former call signs	WLOA (1947-1982); WHYW (1982-1983); WJLY (1983-1988); WCXJ (1988-2000); WURP (2000-2007); WLFP (2007-2013)
Call sign meaning	"Zoom"; a tribute to the former WZUM 1590 Carnegie
Technical information
Facility ID	68903
Class	D
Power	1,000 watts (day); 4 watts (night)
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	wyzr.org

WZUM is a jazz radio station serving the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, market. The station broadcasts on 1550 kHz with a power of 1,000 watts daytime (4 watts at night) from studios located at 4736 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh, and is licensed to Braddock, Pennsylvania.

Programming

Before changing to urban oldies as WZUM, most of 1550's programming was provided by the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network.

WZUM is the "Flagship Station" of the Woodland Hills Wolverine Football Network. A.W. Gusky Productions produces the broadcasts of Woodland Hills High School football on the station. All of the games are live on WZUM as well as at www.1550wzum.com. Live and archived Woodland Hills High School football broadcasts are available at www.msasports.net.

History

WZUM is the former sister station to WRRK, starting out as WLOA AM and FM. The AM station went through various formats and owners, frequently featuring urban music, before settling in on its current format in 2013.

As WURP, the station featured "hot talk" hosts such as The Young Turks, G. Gordon Liddy, Don and Mike, Sporting News Radio, and weekend programming from Air America Radio. WURP also aired the locally produced "UnShow with Jeff Schneider".

ICBC Holdings sold the station to BusinessTalkRadio.net in March 2007, and as WLFP, it aired shows from the Lifestyle TalkRadio Network until its sale in May 2013.

AM Guys LLC purchased the station for $14,515 from a SEC receiver appointed to operate it and other assets of the Business Talk Radio Network. AM Guys, headed by Edward DeHart and Stephen Zalenko, had leased the studio and its equipment to Business Talk Radio, and performed sales duties for the company on a contract basis. The purchase was consummated on June 18, 2013.

On June 26, 2013, the station changed its call sign to WZUM (formerly at 1590 AM in Carnegie, Pennsylvania). On July 4, 2013, the station relaunched with an urban oldies format developed by veteran Pittsburgh radio programmer Clarke Ingram.^[1]

On April 2, 2016 WZUM changed their format to a simulcast of jazz-formatted WYZR 88.1 FM Bethany, West Virginia.