This article is about radio station WWWT. For the complete history of the Washington, D.C. 1500 kHz facility, which is the primary station in the multicast, see WTOP.
- WTWP redirects here; see also Washington Post Radio
WWWT is a multicast on three full-power radio stations and one low-power translator in the Washington, D.C. region. The collective unit includes: WWWT, broadcasting on the mediumwave AM band on 1500 kHz from just outside the District line in Wheaton, Maryland; WWWT-FM on 107.7 MHz from Warrenton, Virginia; WWWB on 820 kHz in Frederick, Maryland; and low-power W282BA FM 104.3 MHz from Leesburg, Virginia.
WWWT transmits with a power of 50,000 watts continuiously. While it is the most powerful AM radio station in the city, WWWT has a nighttime signal oriented north-south to avoid interference with KSTP-AM in St. Paul, Minnesota. This signal can be heard reliably on the East Coast of North America and is often heard by radio enthusiasts in Europe. In 2006, the station began broadcasting in digital "HD Radio", utilizing iBiquity Digital Corp.'s IBOC (in-band on-channel) technology.
WWWT is the flagship radio station for Washington Nationals baseball, Washington Capitals hockey and The George Washington University men's basketball. WWWT also serves as an affiliate station for Navy football.
All stations are owned by Bonneville International Corp. and its programming originates from Bonneville's broadcast complex in northwest Washington, DC.
History
"Washington Post Radio"
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All three stations in the current configuration—WWWT AM/FM, WWWB and W282BA—were former frequencies and simulcasts of Bonneville sister station WTOP. WTWP AM/FM were spun off of the WTOP simulcast on March 30, 2006 with the sign-on of "Washington Post Radio" as WTWP AM/FM. The primary AM station had been WTOP since 1940 (and dates its history back to Brooklyn, New York station WTRC in 1926), while WWWT-FM had operated as a simulcast of WTOP since 1998. WWWB had simulcast WTOP since 2001 (and carried the WTOP calls on the AM band following the sign-on of WTWP) before switching to a simulcast of WTWP as WTWT on June 28, 2007. Since the late 1990's, W282BA has been run as a low-power FM relay of the 1500/107.7 combination for the Leesburg, Virginia area.
As WTWP, these stations provided news and commentary during the weekday hours in a long-form style similar to that of National Public Radio, but on a commercial station staffed and programmed jointly by the Washington Post and WTOP. From 8 PM to 5 AM ET, the station was programmed as a general interest talk radio station, featuring hosts such as Clark Howard, Larry King and Jim Bohannon. On weekends, WTWP rebroadcast programs produced by Radio Netherlands and George Washington University.
WWWT: "Talk Radio 3WT"
The Washington Post reported that they would discontinue the Washington Post Radio service after Bonneville decided to pull the plug, citing financial losses and low ratings. [1]
Bonneville International officially launched personality driven talk format Talk Radio 3WT, with the WWWT call letters on September 20, 2007. The morning show with David Burd & Jessica Doyle was retained along with all live sporting events, The Tony Kornheiser Show and Pat Goss. Syndicated talkers Neal Boortz, Bill O'Reilly, Randi Rhodes & Phil Hendrie were initially added to the lineup, as was a simulcast of sister station KSL's Nightside with Michael Castner overnight program. Stephanie Miller was added in November after the Washington Nationals' season ended, and Glenn Beck was added, replacing Randi Rhodes on the 1500 and 107.7 frequencies, in January 2008. [2]
WWWT is one of the few talk stations in America, at least in major markets, in which the lineup is nearly equally divided among liberal and conservative hosts.
WWWT remains a member of the CBS Radio Network (WTOP was a charter affiliate and formerly owned by in the 1930s and 1940s, and WTWP was also an affiliate in its short life), and retransmits the audio portion of the CBS television shows Face the Nation and 60 Minutes. Also surviving the change in format were Larry King and Jim Bohannon, who were carried in the late-night time slots, although King's show was phased out (as part of a nationwide phaseout of all CNN television simulcasts) by Westwood One in 2008.
Station Profiles
Other uses
A P. D. Q. Bach album is presented as a broadcast from the fictional "WTWP Classical Talkity-Talk Radio," where the letters stand for "Wall To Wall Pachelbel." [3] It predates and has no connection to the stations discussed here.
External links
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