WWL AM & FM
Encyclopedia
WWL is a U.S.
radio station
in New Orleans, Louisiana
broadcasting at 870 kHz, a clear channel frequency on which it reaches large parts of the Gulf Coast
in the daytime, and much of the United States at night. It is regularly heard east of the Rockies every night, and sometimes is heard as far west as California. In April 2006, it began a simulcast
on WWL-FM
105.3 MHz in the New Orleans area. The station currently has a talk radio
format and is an affiliate of the CBS Radio Network
. WWL is now owned by Entercom Communications.
could operate a radio station, they had to receive permission from the Vatican
. The station was originally created as a laboratory for wireless technology. WWL began broadcasting as a 10-watt station at 833 kHz from the Marquette Hall on the Loyola campus on March 31, 1922. A piano recital was the first program on the air. The first broadcast day also included a three-minute request to listeners to support the construction of a new classroom building on campus. By 1924, WWL had 100 watts of power at 1070 kHz, and a year later the station was at 1090 kHz. The station's frequency went up to 1220 kHz along with the power at 500 watts in 1927. WWL, now at 850 kHz, increased power to 5000 watts on March 31, 1929 following the installation of a new transmitter in Loyola's Bobet Hall. In 1932, the station was at 10,000 watts of power, and in 1937 it reached 50,000 watts. WWL-AM affiliated with the CBS Radio Network on November 1, 1935. By 1946, WWL was settled at 870 kHz.
In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, the station was famous for the live broadcasts of local Dixieland
jazz
bands, including such notables as Papa Celestin
, Sharkey Bonano
, Irving Fazola
, Tony Almarico, and Lizzie Miles
. WWL's television partner WWL-TV
came on the air on September 7, 1957 and was also affiliated with CBS. The first WWL-FM at 101.9 MHz (now WLMG-FM) began in the 1960s with its own music format (on Oct. 21, 1960, WWL got a mention on the Route 66
TV series in the Episode, "The Swan Bed," in an opening scene when Todd and Buzz turn the car radio on and hear the announcer give the call letters). WWL's transmitter in Kenner, Louisiana
on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain
was moved to Estelle, Louisiana
in 1975.
Starting on March 14, 1971, WWL became home to the long running overnight country music program aimed at truck drivers called The Road Gang. It was originally hosted by Charlie Douglas. Later hosts included Dave Nemo and Big John Parker. The station helped popularize southern gospel
by late-night broadcasts of the Mull Singing Convention
.
Loyola sold WWL, WLMG-FM, and WWL-TV to separate companies in 1989 to build the university endowment. That same year, the university began broadcasting on WLDC within the university’s electrical grid. Keymarket Communications in Greenville, South Carolina
became the new owner of WWL and WLMG-FM. Baltimore, Maryland-based company Sinclair Broadcast Group
would assume ownership of both stations in 1996 and Entercom Communications in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
in 1999.
Loyola maintains its broadcasting legacy with Crescent City Radio
, an internet radio station broadcasting from the Communications/Music Complex on the corner of Calhoun and St. Charles Avenue.
WWL has been "monogrammed" into the Internal Revenue Code
. A section excluding certain types of income of nonprofit organizations from income tax mentions entities licensed by federal agencies (like the station's FCC license) and carried on by religious orders (like the Jesuits). The three subsections of this tax provision, 26 U.S.C. 512(b)(15), begin with W, W, and L, respectively. The exclusion was directed at WWL specifically, and the joke has been attributed to Senator Russell Long of Louisiana.
During the immediate effects and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
in late August 2005, WWL was for a time one of the few radio stations in the area remaining on the air. Announcer Garland Robinette
for a time kept broadcasting from an improvised studio built in a closet after the studio's windows were blown out.
After the hurricane, WWL's emergency coverage was simulcast
on the frequencies of numerous other radio stations. The broadcast was named "The United Radio Broadcasters of New Orleans
"; mostly WWL staff appeared on-air. The United Radio Broadcasters were a partnership between Entercom and competitor Clear Channel Communications
. The WWL website was completely rebuilt in only one day by the staff of other Entercom stations. The company also dispatched staffers from stations throughout the country to help WWL, and to provide their own stations coverage from the hurricane ravaged New Orleans area. For some time after Hurricane Katrina, WWL was simulcast on shortwave outlet WHRI, owned by World Harvest Radio International
.
In April 2006, WWL permanently returned to the FM airwaves, simulcasting on the station then known as WTKL
105.3 (WWL had been simulcasting on 105.3 upon its return to air in late 2005, WTKL had returned to its oldies format for just 3 weeks prior to the change to WWL-FM).
and The Dave Ramsey
Show, both of which deal with financial and personal investment topics.
As a secondary ESPN radio
affiliate (the full-time ESPN radio affiliate is its sister station ESPN 1350 WWWL(AM), ESPN is aired each Monday night after Monday football from Westwood one
, ESPN radio is broadcast 11 pm to midnight and Sunday nights from 11 pm to midnight right after Westwood one's coverage of every Sunday Night Football game. Selected times may vary on Saturdays during LSU football, basketball, and baseball seasons.
After Saints football season and LSU football and basketball seasons, times will still vary until after LSU baseball season and is broadcast during football off-season times vary during off season on Saturdays and Sundays.
In November 2006, The Big 870 expanded its programming to the former WSMB, now branded WWWL.
WWL has for many years been the flagship station for broadcasts of New Orleans Saints
games, continuously since the 1995 season
. Jim Henderson
and ex-Saint Hokie Gajan
have been the broadcast team since 2000. Prior to the 1998 NFL Draft
, when son Peyton Manning
was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts
, Archie Manning
provided commentary on WWL's Saints coverage for many years.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio station
Radio station
Radio 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...
in New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
broadcasting at 870 kHz, a clear channel frequency on which it reaches large parts of the Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
in the daytime, and much of the United States at night. It is regularly heard east of the Rockies every night, and sometimes is heard as far west as California. In April 2006, it began a simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on WWL-FM
WWL-FM
WWL-FM is a simulcast of news/talk WWL in the New Orleans, Louisiana radio market, licensed to the New Orleans suburb of Kenner. The Entercom station broadcasts at 105.3 MHz with an ERP of 96 kW.-History:...
105.3 MHz in the New Orleans area. The station currently has a talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format and is an affiliate of the CBS Radio Network
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
. WWL is now owned by Entercom Communications.
History
Before the Jesuits at Loyola University New OrleansLoyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
could operate a radio station, they had to receive permission from the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. The station was originally created as a laboratory for wireless technology. WWL began broadcasting as a 10-watt station at 833 kHz from the Marquette Hall on the Loyola campus on March 31, 1922. A piano recital was the first program on the air. The first broadcast day also included a three-minute request to listeners to support the construction of a new classroom building on campus. By 1924, WWL had 100 watts of power at 1070 kHz, and a year later the station was at 1090 kHz. The station's frequency went up to 1220 kHz along with the power at 500 watts in 1927. WWL, now at 850 kHz, increased power to 5000 watts on March 31, 1929 following the installation of a new transmitter in Loyola's Bobet Hall. In 1932, the station was at 10,000 watts of power, and in 1937 it reached 50,000 watts. WWL-AM affiliated with the CBS Radio Network on November 1, 1935. By 1946, WWL was settled at 870 kHz.
In the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, the station was famous for the live broadcasts of local Dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bands, including such notables as Papa Celestin
Papa Celestin
Oscar "Papa" Celestin was an American jazz bandleader, trumpeter, cornetist and vocalist.-Life and career:...
, Sharkey Bonano
Sharkey Bonano
Joseph "Sharkey" Bonano was a jazz trumpeter, band leader, and vocalist....
, Irving Fazola
Irving Fazola
Irving Fazola was an American jazz clarinetist.-Biography:Fazola or Faz was born in New Orleans, Louisiana as Irving Henry Prestopnik. He got the nickname Fazola from his childhood skill at Solfege . He decided to use the nickname as his family name, and many fellow musicians were unaware that...
, Tony Almarico, and Lizzie Miles
Lizzie Miles
Lizzie Miles was the stage name taken by Elizabeth Mary Landreaux , an African American blues singer.-Career:...
. WWL's television partner WWL-TV
WWL-TV
WWL-TV, virtual channel 4, is the CBS-affiliated television station serving New Orleans, Louisiana, southeast Louisiana and parts of southern and coastal Mississippi, and is the primary CBS station for South and Coastal Mississippi. It broadcasts on UHF digital channel 36...
came on the air on September 7, 1957 and was also affiliated with CBS. The first WWL-FM at 101.9 MHz (now WLMG-FM) began in the 1960s with its own music format (on Oct. 21, 1960, WWL got a mention on the Route 66
Route 66 (TV series)
Route 66 is an American TV series in which two young men traveled across America. The show ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. It starred Martin Milner as Tod Stiles and, for two and a half seasons, George Maharis as Buz Murdock. Maharis was ill for much of the third season, during which time Tod...
TV series in the Episode, "The Swan Bed," in an opening scene when Todd and Buzz turn the car radio on and hear the announcer give the call letters). WWL's transmitter in Kenner, Louisiana
Kenner, Louisiana
Kenner is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 66,702 at the 2010 census....
on the south shore of Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain is a brackish estuary located in southeastern Louisiana. It is the second-largest inland saltwater body of water in the United States, after the Great Salt Lake in Utah, and the largest lake in Louisiana. As an estuary, Pontchartrain is not a true lake.It covers an area of with...
was moved to Estelle, Louisiana
Estelle, Louisiana
Estelle is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 15,880 at the 2000 census. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area....
in 1975.
Starting on March 14, 1971, WWL became home to the long running overnight country music program aimed at truck drivers called The Road Gang. It was originally hosted by Charlie Douglas. Later hosts included Dave Nemo and Big John Parker. The station helped popularize southern gospel
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
by late-night broadcasts of the Mull Singing Convention
J. Bazzel Mull
Jacob Bazzel Mull was a Christian minister and religious broadcaster in East Tennessee.-Biography:Mull was the grandson of Wallace B. Mull, a circuit riding preacher in the 1800s...
.
Loyola sold WWL, WLMG-FM, and WWL-TV to separate companies in 1989 to build the university endowment. That same year, the university began broadcasting on WLDC within the university’s electrical grid. Keymarket Communications in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
became the new owner of WWL and WLMG-FM. Baltimore, Maryland-based company Sinclair Broadcast Group
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
would assume ownership of both stations in 1996 and Entercom Communications in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd is a community in Lower Merion Township which is located on the Main Line in southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at US Route 1 . It was originally two separate towns, Bala and Cynwyd, but is commonly treated as a single community...
in 1999.
Loyola maintains its broadcasting legacy with Crescent City Radio
Crescent City Radio
Crescent City Radio is an internet radio station based in New Orleans, Louisiana serving Metropolitan New Orleans and southern Mississippi as well as all of the United States and the world through its internet presence as a Freeform radio station with a diverse offering of locally produced...
, an internet radio station broadcasting from the Communications/Music Complex on the corner of Calhoun and St. Charles Avenue.
WWL has been "monogrammed" into the Internal Revenue Code
Internal Revenue Code
The Internal Revenue Code is the domestic portion of Federal statutory tax law in the United States, published in various volumes of the United States Statutes at Large, and separately as Title 26 of the United States Code...
. A section excluding certain types of income of nonprofit organizations from income tax mentions entities licensed by federal agencies (like the station's FCC license) and carried on by religious orders (like the Jesuits). The three subsections of this tax provision, 26 U.S.C. 512(b)(15), begin with W, W, and L, respectively. The exclusion was directed at WWL specifically, and the joke has been attributed to Senator Russell Long of Louisiana.
During the immediate effects and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
in late August 2005, WWL was for a time one of the few radio stations in the area remaining on the air. Announcer Garland Robinette
Garland Robinette
Garland Robinette is a journalist in the New Orleans area. He currently is host of "The Think Tank" on New Orleans radio station WWL ....
for a time kept broadcasting from an improvised studio built in a closet after the studio's windows were blown out.
After the hurricane, WWL's emergency coverage was simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on the frequencies of numerous other radio stations. The broadcast was named "The United Radio Broadcasters of New Orleans
United Radio Broadcasters of New Orleans
United Radio Broadcasters of New Orleans was a consortium of radio stations in Greater New Orleans, Louisiana, formed in response to the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. It began on 1 September 2005...
"; mostly WWL staff appeared on-air. The United Radio Broadcasters were a partnership between Entercom and competitor Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
. The WWL website was completely rebuilt in only one day by the staff of other Entercom stations. The company also dispatched staffers from stations throughout the country to help WWL, and to provide their own stations coverage from the hurricane ravaged New Orleans area. For some time after Hurricane Katrina, WWL was simulcast on shortwave outlet WHRI, owned by World Harvest Radio International
World Harvest Radio International
World Harvest Radio International is a shortwave radio station in the United States, broadcasting conservative religious programming worldwide in the English language on a number of frequencies...
.
In April 2006, WWL permanently returned to the FM airwaves, simulcasting on the station then known as WTKL
WWL-FM
WWL-FM is a simulcast of news/talk WWL in the New Orleans, Louisiana radio market, licensed to the New Orleans suburb of Kenner. The Entercom station broadcasts at 105.3 MHz with an ERP of 96 kW.-History:...
105.3 (WWL had been simulcasting on 105.3 upon its return to air in late 2005, WTKL had returned to its oldies format for just 3 weeks prior to the change to WWL-FM).
Programming
WWL-AM continues to cover the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast region with local news and talk programming. Two syndicated radio programs are included in the program schedule: The Mutual Fund Show with Adam BoldAdam Bold
Adam Bold is an American author and businessman. He is the founder and minority shareholder of The Mutual Fund Store, and host of The Mutual Fund Show, a national weekly talk radio show focused on actively managed mutual fund investments...
and The Dave Ramsey
Dave Ramsey
David L. Ramsey III is an American financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker.Ramsey's syndicated radio program The Dave Ramsey Show is promoted with a tagline that "It's about your life and your money," and it is heard on over 450 radio stations throughout the...
Show, both of which deal with financial and personal investment topics.
As a secondary ESPN radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
affiliate (the full-time ESPN radio affiliate is its sister station ESPN 1350 WWWL(AM), ESPN is aired each Monday night after Monday football from Westwood one
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
, ESPN radio is broadcast 11 pm to midnight and Sunday nights from 11 pm to midnight right after Westwood one's coverage of every Sunday Night Football game. Selected times may vary on Saturdays during LSU football, basketball, and baseball seasons.
After Saints football season and LSU football and basketball seasons, times will still vary until after LSU baseball season and is broadcast during football off-season times vary during off season on Saturdays and Sundays.
In November 2006, The Big 870 expanded its programming to the former WSMB, now branded WWWL.
WWL has for many years been the flagship station for broadcasts of New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
games, continuously since the 1995 season
1995 NFL season
The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...
. Jim Henderson
Jim Henderson (Sportscaster)
Jim Henderson is an American sportscaster, currently employed with the New Orleans television station WWL-TV Since May 1, 1978. He covers a range of output, from sports coverage to fishing. He is also the radio voice of the New Orleans Saints....
and ex-Saint Hokie Gajan
Hokie Gajan
Howard Lee "Hokie" Gajan is a former American football running back who played five seasons in the National Football League. He was drafted out of Louisiana State University by the New Orleans Saints in the 1981 NFL Draft...
have been the broadcast team since 2000. Prior to the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
, when son Peyton Manning
Peyton Manning
Peyton Williams Manning is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League . Manning holds the record for most NFL MVP awards with four. He was drafted by the Colts as the first overall pick in 1998 after a standout college football career with the...
was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League ....
, Archie Manning
Archie Manning
Elisha Archibald "Archie" Manning III is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League, playing for the New Orleans Saints from 1971 to 1982, then for the Houston Oilers and Minnesota Vikings...
provided commentary on WWL's Saints coverage for many years.