WSID

For the Australian racetrack, see Western Sydney International Dragway.

WSID was a radio station that served the substantial African-American community in Baltimore, Maryland. It advertised itself as "Baltimore's #1 black station". It was founded by Sidney Tinsley (thus the call letters) as an AM station in 1947; a new owner in 1949 changed format to cater to African-American listeners. Its frequency was originally 1570, but to increase its signal strength (the power permitted by the FCC being different on different frequencies) it moved in the 1950s to 1010. In the 1960s, sister station WSID-FM signed on the air on 92.3, simulcasting WSID-AM. Pauline Wells Lewis hosted a gospel music program, which constituted its morning programming six days a week. In the afternoon and evening it programmed R&B, including a lot of Motown music, then in its heyday. Afternoon host was Fat Daddy (Paul Johnson). In 1968, the FM station abandoned the black programming and changed its call letters to WLPL-FM, but the AM station continued the black programming until 1983. The AM frequency is currently used by WOLB, but it has no connection with WSID other than the frequency.