WWBA

Not to be confused with Welsh Women’s Bowling Association.
WWBA
City Largo, Florida
Broadcast area Tampa Bay Area
Branding 820 News
Slogan When You Gotta Know Now
Frequency 820 kHz
First air date 1972
Format News/Talk
Power 50,000 watts day
1,000 watts night
Class B
Facility ID 51971
Transmitter coordinates 27°54′30.00″N 82°46′51.00″W / 27.9083333°N 82.7808333°W / 27.9083333; -82.7808333
Former callsigns WSST (1972-1985)
WRFA (1985-1994)
WYTA (4/94-10/94)
WNZE (1994-1996)
WZTM (1996-2000)
WMGG (2000-2009)
Affiliations ABC News Radio
Florida State University Seminoles Radio Network
WTSP
Owner Genesis Communications
(Genesis Communications of Tampa Bay, LLC)
Sister stations WHBO, WMGG
Webcast Listen Live
Website AM 820 News

WWBA (820 AM, "News Talk 820 WWBA") is a radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. Licensed to Largo, Florida, USA, it serves the Tampa Bay area. The station is currently owned by Genesis Communications of Tampa Bay, LLC. WWBA is one of two 50,000-watt stations based in the Tampa Bay area (WHFS is the other); however, it broadcasts on a directional antenna at 1000 watts at night, to protect WBAP from Fort Worth, Texas.

Programming

As a talk radio station, WWBA airs primarily syndicated conservative and libertarian talk shows such as those hosted by Michael Savage, Laura Ingraham, Dennis Miller and Rusty Humphries, which runs overnights. It is affiliated with ABC News Radio. WWBA also airs reports by Lou Dobbs. The station was also home to The Morning Magazine with Mark Larsen, which ended in December 2009. Another local talk show, "The Tampa Bay Experience", was canceled in July 2009.

The 820 AM frequency had carried various formats over the years since signing on in 1972 at 800 kHz—over the years, they carried Christian, country-western, talk radio, and sports radio, before settling into a Spanish-language Hot Hits format, as "La Preciosa 820".

On September 29, 2008, WWBA moved its talk programming from 1040 AM to 820 AM, after it was announced that that station's owners, Genesis Communications, would be purchasing 820 AM from Mega Communications. The owners transferred the WWBA call sign to 820 when the sale closed.[1]

The 1040 AM signal, which formerly aired primarily nationally syndicated programming, now airs mostly brokered infomercials.

On May 12, 2009, WWBA joined Radiolicious and started streaming on the iPhone and iPod Touch.[2]

In 2015, WWBA was granted radio broadcast rights to University of South Florida Athletics after WHFS converted to WBRN.

References

  1. Manning, Maggie (September 29, 2008). "Genesis Communications to buy powerful Mega radio station". Tampa Bay Business Journal.
  2. "Genesis Likes the Taste of Radiolicious". Radio World. May 12, 2009.
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