WTNT (AM)

Infobox Radio Station
name = WTNT


city = Bethesda, Maryland
area = Metropolitan Washington, D.C. area
branding = "McCain 570"
slogan =
airdate = April 9, 2001
frequency = 570 kHz HD Radio
format = Talk
power = 5,000 watts (day)
1,000 watts (night)
erp =
class = B
facility_id = 11846
owner = Red Zebra Broadcasting
licensee = Red Zebra Broadcasting Licensee, LLC
sister_stations = WTEM, WWRC, WXTR
webcast = [http://www.wtntam570.com/pages/listen.html Listen Live]
website = [http://www.wtntam570.com/ www.wtntam570.com]
callsign_meaning = TriNitroToluene, as in the explosive. Original slogan was "Dynamite Talk"
affiliations = Fox News Radio

WTNT is a radio station broadcasting on 570 kHz in the mediumwave AM band from Bethesda, Maryland, serving the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It has a daytime power of 5,000 watts. Its current programming is conservative talk radio, and its ownership is Red Zebra Broadcasting, who recently purchased 3 Washington D.C.-area stations including WTNT from Clear Channel Communications on July 1, 2008.

History

In the 1960s through the early 1990s, WTNT was WGMS, broadcasting classical music. A proposal in the 1970s to convert WGMS to a Top-40 station upset many of its influential listeners; WGMS received an exception from the then-existing rule to simulcast its programming with its sister station, WGMS-FM.

WGMS was sold to Washington, D.C. venture capitalists Steven and Mitchell Rales, which converted the music station into WTEM, a sports-talk station, in 1992. Chancellor Broadcasting purchased the station in August 1996. Chancellor Broadcasting restructured and became known as AMFM Inc. in 1999. In 2000, AMFM Inc. merged with Clear Channel Communications.

As Chancellor gained ownership of more stations in the area, WTEM moved to 980 kHz and WWRC was reassigned to 570 kHz on March 9, 1998. On April 9, 2001, WWRC moved to 1260 kHz and the callsign of 570 kHz was replaced by WTNT.

Current programming on WTNT includes Mike Gallagher, Mancow and Michael Savage. The station serves as the flagship for Laura Ingraham and for George Mason Patriots men's basketball. WTNT airs Washington Redskins football games as an affiliate station. WTNT also airs Virginia Cavaliers football & men's basketball plus any Baltimore Orioles games not aired on WTEM.

As of September 15, 2008, WTNT-AM is branded as "McCain 570" while maintaining its conservative talk plus news coverage from Fox News. The temporary branding is expected to last throughout the 2008 Presidential Election. [ [http://www.radio-info.com/news/index.php?date=2008-09-15 Radio-Info.com News for September 13, 2008] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.wtntam570.com WTNT Website]
*AMQ|WTNT
*AML|WTNT
*AMARB|WTNT