WAZL

WAZL

City	Hazleton, Pennsylvania
Broadcast area	Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton
Frequency	1490 kHz
First air date	December 19, 1932
Format	Religious (Catholic) (WQOR simulcast)
Power	1,000 watts
Class	C
Facility ID	132
Transmitter coordinates	40°56′26″N 75°57′57″W / 40.94066°N 75.965781°W / 40.94066; -75.965781
Owner	Edward and Carol Niewinski (J.M.J. Radio, Inc.)
Sister stations	WQOR
Website	jmj750.com

WAZL is an AM broadcasting radio station licensed to the city of Hazleton, Pennsylvania with service area extending to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton radio market. The station broadcasts a Catholic religious radio format. It broadcasts at a frequency of 1490 kHz with 1,000 watts of power using a non-directional antenna. WAZL is considered a Class C AM broadcasting station according to the Federal Communication Commission.

History

The radio station has a rich and long broadcast history dating back to 1932 serving the city of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. WAZL originally started broadcasting at a frequency of 1420 kilocycles and had to time share the frequency with WILM in Wilmington, Delaware in 1932. In 1941, a nationwide frequency reassignment took place by the Federal government which assigned WAZL to 1450 kc. where it stayed until 1948 when the station switched to its current broadcast frequency of 1490 kc.. WAZL was an affiliate of the NBC-Mutual radio network during its early history. From 1932 to 1994, studios were on the seventh floor in the Hazleton National Bank Building at 101 West Broad Street.

The station has struggled in recent years with the station going silent for a time until Route 81 Radio bought the station and put it back on the air in 2004 as a Full-Service operation serving the local Hazleton community.

In mid-July 2008, Route 81 Radio fell into financial difficulty and went into foreclosure. WS2K Acquisition, originally a 50% owner in Route 81 Radio, took over the license.^[1] Soon afterwards in August 2008, Hazleton Radio, Inc., a locally-owned corporation, took over management of the station under a LMA.^[2] On August 20, 2009, the Hazleton Standard Speaker reported the sale of WAZL to locally-owned Panorama Magazine. On April 25, 2011 the FCC approved the sale to WAZL Partners, LLP, switching to the music format to Classic Rock, before finally settling on Hot Adult Contemporary.

In October 2012, WAZL entered into a local marketing agreement with KMCS Broadcasting, LLC, who started stunting Christmas music on November 3, 2012 and then broadcasting an adult hits format on January 1, 2013. This sale fell through in April 2013. In May 2013, Geos Communications began an LMA with WAZL, changed the format to mainstream country, and filed with the FCC to purchase the station. On July 15, 2013, Geos Communications completed its purchase of WAZL, at a price of $30,000. Geos Communications was also the licensee of WGMF/WZMF (Gem 104) in Tunkhannock/Nanticoke, PA. On October 23, 2015, WAZL was sold to JMJ Radio, owners of WQOR AM 750 in Olyphant, broadcasting a Catholic religious format.

On December 17, 2015, WAZL switched from a simulcast of classic hits-formatted WGMF 1460 AM to a simulcast of Catholic religious-formatted WQOR 750 AM Olyphant, as a result of a sale to J.M.J. Radio, Inc. The sale was consummated on January 4, 2016.

References

↑ Scott Fybush. "Northeast Radio Watch - July 21, 2008 - Pennsylvania". Northeast Radio Watch (Rochester, New York). Retrieved August 11, 2008.
↑ Scott Fybush. "Northeast Radio Watch - August 11, 2008 - Pennsylvania". Northeast Radio Watch (Rochester, New York). Retrieved August 11, 2008.

External links

Query the FCC's AM station database for WAZL

Radio-Locator Information on WAZL

Radio stations in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre market

By AM frequency	590 630 730 750 800 910 980 1240 1280 1300 1340 1400 1440 1460 1490 1550 1590 1640

By FM frequency	88.1 88.3 88.5 88.9 89.9 90.3 90.7 90.9 91.3 91.7 92.1 92.9 93.5 93.7 94.3 94.9 95.3 95.7 96.1 96.5 97.1 97.9 98.5 99.5 100.1 100.3 100.5 101.3 102.3 102.7 103.1 104.3 104.5 104.9 105.7 105.9 106.1 106.9 107.3 107.7 107.9

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.550

By callsign	W205AG W235AA W262AI W282BK W291AP WARM WAZL WBAX WBHT WBHD WBSX WBWX WBZU WCDL WCIG WCIN WCLH WEJL WEJL-FM WEZX WPZX WFTE WFUZ WGGY WGMF WICK WILK WILK-FM WITK WKRF WKRZ WKZN WLKA WMGS WMQX WPEL WPEL-FM WPNX700 WPSN WQOR WRGN WRKC WSBG WSJR WTRW WUSR WVIA-FM WVMW-FM WWRR WXL43 WYCK WZZH WZMF

Pennsylvania radio markets Allentown–Bethlehem Altoona Bradford–Coudersport Chambersburg–Waynesboro Erie Harrisburg–Lebanon–Carlisle Lancaster Montrose New Castle Philadelphia Pittsburgh Reading Sayre–Towanda–Mansfield–Wellsboro Wilkes-Barre–Scranton Williamsport York Other Pennsylvania radio regions Bedford Indiana Johnstown Lewistown–Mifflintown Meadville–Franklin Punxsutawney–DuBois St. Marys–Emporium–Kane State College Stroudsburg Sunbury–Selinsgrove–Lewisburg Warren See also List of radio stations in Pennsylvania

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