WJAG

WJAG

File:WJAG logo.gif
Norfolk, Nebraska
Frequency	780 kHz
Branding	Newstalk 780
Programming
Format	News Talk Information
Affiliations	Fox News Radio, Premiere Radio Networks, Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Wjag, Inc.
History
First air date	September 13, 1922
Technical information
Facility ID	73121
Class	D
ERP	1,000 watts (daytime only)
Transmitter coordinates	42°1′54.00″N 97°29′47.00″W
Links
Website	wjag.com

WJAG (780 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Norfolk, Nebraska, USA. The station is currently owned by Wjag, Inc. and features programing from Fox News Radio, Premiere Radio Networks and Westwood One. WJAG operates during daylight hours only, in order to protect the nighttime signal of WBBM-AM 780 in Chicago. In July 2008, WJAG became one of a handful of AM Stations to operate a co-located FM translator. K290AT at 105.9FM carries WJAG's programming 24 hours a day, including overnight hours after the AM closes down. The nationally syndicated ESPN Radio Network fills much of the overnight airtime.

WJAG is the sister station to Norfolk's KEXL-FM.

WJAG was licensed on July 27, 1922, but didn't officially go on the air until September. At 12:15 p.m. on September 13, 1922, WJAG broadcast its first program: a news and farm market report. The station's initial power was 100 watts, and its first broadcasts consisted of three afternoon news and market reports: at 12:15, 3:30 and 5:30. The three reports were termed a "temporary schedule until enough (listener) cards come in indicating changes should be made."

WJAG was founded by the publisher of the Norfolk Daily News. The station's original slogan was "The Voice of the Norfolk Daily News." The newspaper's city editor in 1922, Karl Stefan, anchored the station's first news report and served as chief announcer until his election to Congress in 1935.

WJAG's first studio consisted of a single room in the building that housed the newspaper. Early programming consisted of performances by community choral groups, barbershop quartets and polka bands. The station's first remote broadcast was prompted by a performance by a 67-member choir. The choir was too large to fit in the one-room studio, and the station was able to obtain use of the automobile showroom at the neighboring Buick dealer. A wire was run across the street to carry audio of the choir's performance from the dealership to the studio.

The station did not begin to sell commercial spots until after its fifth year of operation.

External links

• Template:AMQ
• Template:AML
• WJAG in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• "Early Nebraska Radio" by Mark Smith and Tony Wortmann