WGAW (1340 AM) is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

licensed to

Gardner, Massachusetts Gardner, officially the City of Gardner, is a city in Worcester County in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,287 in the 2020 census. Gardner is home of such sites as the Blue Moon Diner, Dunn State Park, Ga ...

. Established in 1946 as WHOB, the station is owned by Steven Wendell and carries a

talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

format.

History

The station signed on December 23, 1946 as WHOB. It debuted at 1490 kHz on the AM dial, and the call letters referred to one of the station's founders, District Attorney Owen A. Hoban. WHOB was originally owned by David M. Richman, a Connecticut businessman; studios were in the Colonial Hotel in Gardner. The station's format was a variety of local news, music, and sports. One of the early stars on WHOB was a local

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

(then called "hillbilly") music performer named Doc Snow (real name: Edgar Arsenault). He performed live with his band, the Bar X Cowboys, and later became one of the station's announcers. The station was sold to Emilien R. Robillard, a pharmacist, in 1954; the call letters were changed to WGAW (Gardner, Athol, Winchendon) on October 14, 1953. Subsequently, in 1957, the station was sold again, to Charles and James Asher, who also owned

WJDA WJDA (1300 AM) is a radio station in Quincy, Massachusetts, serving the Boston area with a Reggaeton format. The station’s studios are in Chelsea. History The station began in 1947 as a local station for the South Shore region, owned by Jame ...

in Quincy. In 1959, new owners again took over, with Judge C. Edward Rowe purchasing the station. By the early 1990s, WGAW was experiencing financial problems due to increased competition from FM stations. The station was being run by Judge Rowe's son Douglas, who also owned

WSRO WSRO (650 AM broadcasting, AM HD Radio) is a radio station now broadcasting classical music. Licensed to Ashland, Massachusetts, it serves the MetroWest, Massachusetts, MetroWest area. The station is owned by Alex Langer. WSRO also operates Broad ...

, a station in

Marlboro, Massachusetts Marlborough is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 41,793 at the 2020 census. Marlborough became a prosperous industrial town in the 19th century and made the transition to high technology industry in the ...

. To save money, WGAW was no longer doing local broadcasting. Rather, it was simulcasting the programming of WSRO.Mike Effland. "Gardner's WGAW Hopes for New Juice With Boost From WEIM." Worcester Telegram and Gazette, April 6, 1997, p. B1. Subsequent owners of WGAW have included Anastos Media Group of

Malta, New York Malta is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The town is in the central part of the county and is south of Saratoga Springs. The population was 17,130 as of the 2020 census. Malta, along with Stillwater, is home to the Luther ...

(an ownership group headed by New York City television news anchor

Ernie Anastos Ernie Anastos (born July 12, 1943) is an American news anchor and the host of the show ''Positively America with Ernie Anastos''. He anchored the news at 6 p.m. on WNYW in New York City. He was also the anchor of the 5 and 10 p.m. newscasts on Fo ...

), and Northeast Broadcasting of

Bedford, New Hampshire Bedford is a town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 23,322, reflecting a growth of 10% from 2010. Bedford is a suburb of Manchester, New Hampshire's largest city. History In 1733, the P ...

References

External links

GAW Gaw or GAW may refer to: People * Gaw (surname), a Gaelic-language surname Places * Gaw, Myanmar, a town in Thandwe District, Rakhine State * Gaw Township, a township of Rakhine State Other uses * Game & Watch, electronic handheld games ...

News and talk radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1946 Gardner, Massachusetts Mass media in Worcester County, Massachusetts 1946 establishments in Massachusetts {{Massachusetts-radio-station-stub