WMET
Encyclopedia
WMET is a radio station broadcasting on 1160 kHz in the mediumwave
AM
band, serving the Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area. Over several decades, it has gone through a number of radio formats, from progressive rock to all-comedy to a conservative talk-show format. Since May 3, 2010, it has been a Catholic religious radio
station.
WMET moved from the 1150 kHz frequency in 2003. Its transmitter is located in Gaithersburg, Maryland
. WMET has a daytime transmitter power of 50,000 watts and a 1500 watt directional signal at night.
(1600AM) in nearby Rockville, MD. He turned the station into one of the DC area's first progressive rock
stations. It was the only one on the AM band. The station also sponsored a series of rock concerts underneath the towers (which were on a grassy hillside in Gaithersburg, Maryland
) that were well-attended by area teens.
WMET has run through a variety of formats including an all-comedy format as WJOK in 1983. In recent years, station owner IDT had aired a conservative talk format including syndicated hosts Tony Snow
& G. Gordon Liddy
.
The Greaseman
was hired for the morning drivetime slot in November 2005. WMET switched to a brokered (paid) programming format in March 2006. Greaseman's show was among the few weekday programs to be retained in the transition but he later left on hiatus in November 2007. Until the spring of 2010, WMET aired Music of Your Life
standards in the slot, which remains available for live-streaming on the internet and other stations that carry it nationally.
On May 3, 2010, WMET switched formats to all-Catholic radio. The programming is operated by the Guadalupe Radio Network
of Midland, Texas
, and will provide 24-hour programming in English.
An article in The Washington Times
stated the following: "Two Texas millionaires are funding the Washington area's first Catholic radio station, which is scheduled to go on the air Wednesday." It quoted Donald Huffines as stating, "There are thousands of Protestant stations across the country but Catholics have been behind a little bit as to getting their message on the radio.... I told them [at Guadalupe] I'd help them in that endeavor." The article also stated, "Although Phillip Huffines is a Protestant, Donald Huffines converted to Catholicism a year ago from non-denominational Protestantism. His wife of 22 years, Mary Catherine, is a Catholic from birth and a fan of Catholic radio. Two years ago, they were approached by Guadalupe. "Spiritually, we were led to put a station in Washington," said Len Oswald, president of Guadalupe. "We felt there was a strong need in our nation's capital to have Catholic radio."
In May 2010, WMET programming consisted entirely of nationally syndicated Catholic radio programs. The owners stated their intent to showcase local Catholic programs as well, to include public service announcements, and to offer free air time to the Archdiocese of Washington
and the Diocese of Arlington
. WMET is the 14th station operated by the Guadalupe Radio Network in the United States. It has a larger population in its broadcast region than any of the other Guadalupe Radio Network stations.
According to a press release on April 28, 2010, "The new lineup starts with 'Son Rise Morning show' with Brian Patrick, then proceeds to 'Catholic Connection' with Teresa Tomeo, 'Women of Grace', 'The Doctor Is In' with Dr. Ray Guarendi & Dr. Colleen Kelly Mast, 'Al Kresta', and 'Catholic Answers Live.'"
The number of Catholic radio stations increased from seven in 2000 to 165 in 2010. Much of the growth is due to these stations being able to use content produced by the Eternal Word Television Network
and its radio broadcasting arm.
Mediumwave
Medium wave is the part of the medium frequency radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. For Europe the MW band ranges from 526.5 kHz to 1606.5 kHz...
AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
band, serving the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
metropolitan area. Over several decades, it has gone through a number of radio formats, from progressive rock to all-comedy to a conservative talk-show format. Since May 3, 2010, it has been a Catholic religious radio
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
station.
WMET moved from the 1150 kHz frequency in 2003. Its transmitter is located in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...
. WMET has a daytime transmitter power of 50,000 watts and a 1500 watt directional signal at night.
Previous formats
WMET first went on the air as WHMC (the Heart of Montgomery County) which broadcast at 1150 kHz. During the 1960s, WHMC was known as the "500 Watt Flower-pot". 'HMC, as it was nicknamed, hired disc jockey Barry Richards away from WINXWLXE
WLXE is a radio station broadcasting on 1600 kHz in the mediumwave AM band. Its studios and transmitters are located in Rockville, Maryland, and it serves the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. WLXE broadcasts music programming in the Spanish language...
(1600AM) in nearby Rockville, MD. He turned the station into one of the DC area's first progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
stations. It was the only one on the AM band. The station also sponsored a series of rock concerts underneath the towers (which were on a grassy hillside in Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg, Maryland
Gaithersburg is a city in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. The city had a population of 59,933 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth largest incorporated city in the state, behind Baltimore, Frederick, and Rockville...
) that were well-attended by area teens.
WMET has run through a variety of formats including an all-comedy format as WJOK in 1983. In recent years, station owner IDT had aired a conservative talk format including syndicated hosts Tony Snow
Tony Snow
Robert Anthony "Tony" Snow was an American journalist, political commentator, television news anchor, syndicated columnist, radio host, musician, and the third White House Press Secretary under President George W. Bush. Snow also worked for President George H. W. Bush as chief speechwriter and...
& G. Gordon Liddy
G. Gordon Liddy
George Gordon Liddy was the chief operative for the White House Plumbers unit that existed from July–September 1971, during Richard Nixon's presidency. Separately, along with E. Howard Hunt, Liddy organized and directed the Watergate burglaries of the Democratic National Committee headquarters in...
.
The Greaseman
The Greaseman
Doug "The Greaseman" Tracht is an American radio, television, and movie personality. Tracht is best known for his morning show on WWDC-FM in Washington, D.C., during the 1980s where he took over the morning drive time slot from Howard Stern and his controversial comments made on that show.Tracht...
was hired for the morning drivetime slot in November 2005. WMET switched to a brokered (paid) programming format in March 2006. Greaseman's show was among the few weekday programs to be retained in the transition but he later left on hiatus in November 2007. Until the spring of 2010, WMET aired Music of Your Life
Music of Your Life
Music of Your Life is a satellite-delivered radio network featuring the Adult Standards music format. Created by record executive and jingle writer Al Ham, and now under the direction of Marc Angell, Music of Your Life has more than 50 AM, FM and HD-2 radio station affiliates, and has been in...
standards in the slot, which remains available for live-streaming on the internet and other stations that carry it nationally.
Current format
WMET was purchased in February 2010 for $4 million by the Dallas-based Huffines Media, owned by land developers Donald and Phillip Huffines. WMET had previously been owned by Delaware-based CTM Media Holdings.On May 3, 2010, WMET switched formats to all-Catholic radio. The programming is operated by the Guadalupe Radio Network
Guadalupe Radio Network
Guadalupe Radio Network is an American radio network based in Midland, Texas. It is owned by La Promesa Foundation.The Guadalupe Radio Network provides Catholic religious radio programming to its stations. As of August 2010, it included fourteen radio stations in the United States...
of Midland, Texas
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
, and will provide 24-hour programming in English.
An article in The Washington Times
The Washington Times
The Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
stated the following: "Two Texas millionaires are funding the Washington area's first Catholic radio station, which is scheduled to go on the air Wednesday." It quoted Donald Huffines as stating, "There are thousands of Protestant stations across the country but Catholics have been behind a little bit as to getting their message on the radio.... I told them [at Guadalupe] I'd help them in that endeavor." The article also stated, "Although Phillip Huffines is a Protestant, Donald Huffines converted to Catholicism a year ago from non-denominational Protestantism. His wife of 22 years, Mary Catherine, is a Catholic from birth and a fan of Catholic radio. Two years ago, they were approached by Guadalupe. "Spiritually, we were led to put a station in Washington," said Len Oswald, president of Guadalupe. "We felt there was a strong need in our nation's capital to have Catholic radio."
In May 2010, WMET programming consisted entirely of nationally syndicated Catholic radio programs. The owners stated their intent to showcase local Catholic programs as well, to include public service announcements, and to offer free air time to the Archdiocese of Washington
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington is a particular church of the Roman Catholic Church in the United States. It comprises the District of Columbia and Calvert, Charles, Montgomery, Prince George's and Saint Mary's counties in the state of Maryland....
and the Diocese of Arlington
Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Arlington is a diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the southern United States. The Diocese of Arlington comprises 68 located in the 21 northern-most counties within the Commonwealth of Virginia, including the Northern Virginia counties of Arlington, Clarke,...
. WMET is the 14th station operated by the Guadalupe Radio Network in the United States. It has a larger population in its broadcast region than any of the other Guadalupe Radio Network stations.
According to a press release on April 28, 2010, "The new lineup starts with 'Son Rise Morning show' with Brian Patrick, then proceeds to 'Catholic Connection' with Teresa Tomeo, 'Women of Grace', 'The Doctor Is In' with Dr. Ray Guarendi & Dr. Colleen Kelly Mast, 'Al Kresta', and 'Catholic Answers Live.'"
The number of Catholic radio stations increased from seven in 2000 to 165 in 2010. Much of the growth is due to these stations being able to use content produced by the Eternal Word Television Network
Eternal Word Television Network
The Eternal Word Television Network is an American cable television network which presents Catholic-themed programming. It was founded in 1980 by Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, PCPA...
and its radio broadcasting arm.