WANT is an
FMFM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
radio stationRadio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to
Lebanon, TennesseeLebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
, and broadcasting to the eastern half of the
Nashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, market on a frequency of 98.9 mHz. Most of WANT's broadcast day is simulcast over 1490
AMAmplitude modulation is a technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting information via a radio carrier wave. AM works by varying the strength of the transmitted signal in relation to the information being sent...
WCORWCOR is an AM radio station broadcasting in the eastern portion of the Nashville, Tennessee market with a power of 1,000 watts.In its early years, WCOR functioned as a community-oriented station aimed primarily at residents of Wilson County, Tennessee....
, with some exceptions.
Programming
WANT is primarily focused on serving its community of Lebanon and
Wilson County. It can be classified as a
full-service radio stationThe full service radio format consists of a wide range of programming. Mostly found on the AM band, the format can be found on a handful of FM stations...
, mostly featuring
country musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, but regularly scheduling programs featuring oldies music, funk music, talk shows, and sporting events. Local news, weather,
obituariesAn obituary is a news article that reports the recent death of a person, typically along with an account of the person's life and information about the upcoming funeral. In large cities and larger newspapers, obituaries are written only for people considered significant...
, and traffic reports regularly appear on weekdays.
Local deejays anchor morning and afternoon drive times with shows that feature country music, trivia, news, weather, and traffic reports. In addition, a long-running local talk show ("Coleman & Company") takes one hour of programming each weekday morning (7am to 8am). The show features interviews with local newsmakers and promotes community events. On Saturday nights, the station plays funk & classic R&B music, hosted by "Fantastic Fred Anthony", a longtime fixture of the station. Sunday nights now feature an oldies music show. In addition to Lebanon High School football and basketball, the station is an affiliate of the
Tennessee TitansThe Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
radio network. WANT also broadcasts selected intercollegiate sporting events featuring teams associated with Lebanon's
Cumberland UniversityCumberland University is a private university in Lebanon, Tennessee, United States. It was founded in 1842, though the current campus buildings were constructed between 1892 and 1896.-History:...
.
At times when no local programming is offered (such as middays, overnights, and weekends), the station takes programming from the "
Real CountryReal Country is a 24-hour radio format produced by Cumulus Media Networks. Real Country, originally one of the Satellite Music Network stations, is marketed at the 18 to 54 demographic in rural areas of the United States...
" network offered by Citadel Media. When the station is playing country music (whether locally-originated or from the "Real Country" network), it carries the "Real Country FM 98.9" branding. During other programming blocks, it is simply branded as "FM 98.9 WANT". The WCOR simulcast is seldom acknowledged, except in the station's legal identifications.
History
After operating under a construction permit as WJFM, the station's owners petitioned the
FCCThe Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
to change the call letters to WANT (reflecting the original slogan, "You'll WANT to listen!"). The station first signed on the air on October 1, 1993, and the same day, revived sister station WCOR (as a simulcast), which had been off-the-air for over a year. The station was originally branded as "FM 99", and was later tweaked to "FM 98.9" to represent the station's actual dial position.
External links