WINE (940

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

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 st ...

broadcasting a

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prima ...

format, simulcast from WRKI (95.1 FM) until January 2023.

Licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

Brookfield, Connecticut Brookfield is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, situated within the southern foothills of the Berkshires, Berkshire Mountains. The population was 17,528 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The tow ...

, it serves the Danbury area. The station is owned by

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

. By day, WINE transmits with 680

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 Watt ...

s, but because

940 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 940 kHz: 940 AM is a Mexican and Canadian clear-channel frequency. XEQ Mexico City is the dominant Class A clear channel station on 940 kHz. See also List of broadcast station classes ...

is a Canadian and Mexican clear channel frequency, WINE reduces power at night to only four watts to avoid interference. The station's

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to th ...

is on Carmen Hill Road in Brookfield.

History

On , WINE signed on the air. Originally it was a

daytimer A clear-channel station is an AM radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. The system exists to ensure the viability of cross-coun ...

, required to go off the air at sunset. It was

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...

with co-owned FM station 95.1 WGHF, which had gone on the air in 1957. Later, the FM station began using the same

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assign ...

as the AM station, WINE-FM. In the 1970s and early 1980s WINE-AM-FM were

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " cont ...

stations. When the AM had to go off the air, WINE-FM continued playing the Top 40 hits at night. By the 1980s, WINE 940 became a full-service, adult contemporary station, while the FM station became

album rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-oriente ...

outlet WRKI. In the 1990s, WINE became part of an all-news network that included WNLK

1350 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1350 kHz: 1350 AM is a Regional broadcast frequency. Argentina * LRJ747 in Cordoba * LS6 in Buenos Aires Canada Italy * I AM Radio in Milano area Mexico * XECTZ-AM in Cuetzalan, Pu ...

Norwalk, Connecticut , image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in Fairfield County and Connecticut , coordinates ...

. Both became news/talk a few years later. After being sold to

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...

, WINE spent a few years as an adult standards station, along with now-defunct

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

WPUT

1510 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1510 kHz: 1510 AM is a North American (U.S.) clear-channel frequency. WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee, is the dominant Class A station on 1510 AM. KGA Spokane had been a Class A station, ...

Brewster, New York Brewster is a village and the principal settlement within the town of Southeast in Putnam County, New York. Its population was 2,390 at the time of the 2010 census. The village, which is the most densely populated portion of the county, was nam ...

. Both WINE and WPUT switched to an all sports format. At first it was part of the

ESPN Radio ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN". ...

Network. They switched to

CBS Sports Radio CBS Sports Radio is a sports radio network that debuted with hourly sports news updates on September 4, 2012, and with 24/7 programming on January 2, 2013. CBS Sports Radio is owned by Paramount Global and distributed by Westwood One. Programming ...

on January 2, 2013. WINE's nighttime signal is very weak at 4 watts. WPUT operated daytime only. WINE's longtime competitor is

800 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 800 kHz: 800 AM is a Mexican clear-channel frequency. XEROK Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, is the dominant station on 800 AM. See also List of broadcast station classes. In Argentina * LT4 ...

WLAD in Danbury. WLAD is now 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 ...

station. In addition to WRKI, WINE has a second FM sister station, Patterson, New York's WDBY, which has a booster station in Danbury. On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which

would acquire 53 Cumulus stations, including WINE, for $238 million. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition of

Dial Global Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The company w ...

; Townsquare and Dial Global were both controlled by

Oaktree Capital Management Oaktree Capital Management is an American global asset management firm specializing in alternative investment strategies. As of March 31, 2022, the company managed $164 billion for its clientele. The firm was co-founded in 1995 by a group that ...

. The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013. The station lost its CBS Sports Radio affiliation in June 2021, and for several weeks, went

dark Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown. Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low lum ...

, before returning with a simulcast of WRKI to retain the license. In January 2023, WINE went silent.Townsquare Media Turns Off Two More Northeast AMs
Radioinsight - January 13, 2023

References

External links

FCC History Cards for WINE
{{Townsquare Media Brookfield, Connecticut

INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center * Instituto Nacional de Estadística (disambiguation) * Instituto Nacional de Estatística (disambiguation) * Instituto Nacional ...

Radio stations established in 1964 1964 establishments in Connecticut Townsquare Media radio stations