WGSO (990
AM) is a
news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different media: word of mouth, printing, postal systems, broadcasting, electronic communication, or through the testimony of observers and witnesses to events. N ...
/
talk
Talk may refer to:
Communication
* Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people
* Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people
* Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct
...
/
sports
Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...
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 radi ...
based in
. The station, which is owned by Northshore Radio, LLC., broadcasts with 600
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...
s day and 310 watts night.
History
The station was originally an
AM daytimer and throughout its life went through a series of call letters and formats before going 24 hours in the 1980s. In 2001 they gave New Orleans its first Business Talk format. When it signed on January 20, 1947, it used the call sign WJMR owned by George Mayoral and broadcast from the Jung Hotel. WJMR would become the sister station of WJMR-FM and WJMR-TV (New Orleans' second television station in 1953, now
WVUE-DT
WVUE-DT (channel 8) is a television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, affiliated with the Fox network. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains primary studios on Norman C. Francis Parkway in the city's Gert Town sect ...
).
In the mid-1950s it was home to "Poppa Stoppa" whose program featured long runs of uninterrupted Rock and Roll music. In 1964, when WJMR-TV was sold the station call sign was changed to WNNR (Winner Radio); it returned to the WJMR call letters between 1969 and 1972 but became WNNR again on January 24, 1972. The station briefly became WLTS in the fall of 1984. On June 4, 1985, it became WYAT (capitalizing on the local street expression "Where y'at?"), broadcasting a syndicated
Oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as ...
format with some local D.J.s during the day.
On December 1, 1993 the station became WGSO, broadcasting an audio feed of CNN's Headline News. From 2001 until
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 the station was billed as "City Business 990," touting its relationship with the local "City Business" newspaper. 2004-2006 was known as "BizRadio 990" During this time there were local hosts during the day and syndicated programming and CNN newscasts overnight.
Post-Katrina (2007), the station used the "Voice of the Northshore" moniker, aiming its news & traffic reports at St. Tammany Parish. This was problematic, as the station's signal on the Northshore of
Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain ( ) is an estuary located in southeastern Louisiana in the United States. It covers an area of with an average depth of . Some shipping channels are kept deeper through dredging. It is roughly oval in shape, about from wes ...
is weak during the day and practically unlistenable at nighttime power. By 2009, the station changed management and adapted "Speakin' Easy New Orleans Style" as their moniker. Their lineup includes local programming during the day (including Jeff Crouere, Tom Fitzmorris and Tim McNally) and syndicated programs at night, such as
Michael Savage
Michael Alan Weiner (born March 31, 1942), known by his professional name Michael Savage, is a far-right author, conspiracy theorist, political commentator, activist, and former radio host. Savage is best known as the host of '' The Savage Na ...
,
Joy Browne
Joy Browne (born Joy Oppenheim; October 24, 1944—August 27, 2016), also known as Dr. Joy, was an American talk show host, specializing in advice counselling. She hosted a nationally syndicated call-in talk show for several decades, heard ...
, and Ronald Hoffman.
Transmitter
The transmission power of WGSO is 600 watts day and 310 watts night. At all times omnidirectional pattern is used.
External links
WGSO 990's websiteFCC History Cards for WGSO
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WGSO
WGSO (990 AM broadcasting, AM) is a All-news radio, news/Talk radio, talk/Sports radio, sports radio station based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The station, which is owned by Northshore Radio, LLC., broadcasts with 600 watts day and 310 watts nigh ...
News and talk radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1984