WETC (540

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...

) is an AM

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to the cities of Wendell and

Zebulon, North Carolina Zebulon ( ) is the easternmost town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 6,903 at the 2020 census. Zebulon is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region. In May 2022, Zebulon was ranked North Carolina's second ...

. It is owned by Divine Mercy Radio, Inc., a 501(c)(3) corporation. It is an all-volunteer, independently owned, non-commercial radio station that airs a

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. The station's signal targets the

Research Triangle The Research Triangle, or simply The Triangle, are both common nicknames for a metropolitan area in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region of the U.S. state of North Carolina. Anchored by the cities of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh an ...

region of

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, including the

Raleigh Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

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History

On June 16, 1959, WETC first

signed on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...

the air. It was a 250

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daytimer A clear-channel station is a North American AM radio station that has the highest level of protection from interference from other stations, particularly from nighttime skywave signals. This classification exists to ensure the viability of cross ...

. Because AM 540 is a

clear-channel A clear-channel station is a North American AM broadcasting, AM radio station that has the highest level of protection from Interference (communication), interference from other stations, particularly from nighttime skywave signals. This classifi ...

frequency reserved for

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and

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, WETC had to

sign-off A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonwealth countries exce ...

every evening at sunset to avoid interfering with

skywave In radio communication, skywave or skip refers to the propagation of radio waves reflected or refracted back toward Earth from the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer of the upper atmosphere. Since it is not limited by the curvatur ...

signals of other radio stations. It was later allowed to broadcast at night, but only with reduced power. WETC's call letters originally were said to stand for "We Entertain Tobacco Country". It was a long-time

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station. In 1992 it became the first radio station to target the

's Spanish-speaking community. It went completely Spanish by the late 1990s. WETC was owned by East Wake Broadcasting and later Carolina Regional Broadcasting before Prieto Communications bought it in 2004. Prieto Communications sold WETC to Marta Sanchez's Sanchez Broadcasting Corporation for consideration of the forgiveness of $1.45 million in debt; the transaction was consummated on January 4, 2013. WETC's programming was once

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of 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, simultaneously) ...

on AM 1490

WDUR WDUR (1490 AM) is an Indian/South Asian radio station in Durham, North Carolina, owned by Ravi Cherukuri, through licensee Arohi Media LLC. The station plays primarily Bollywood Hits while embracing the rest of the South Asian culture through ...

Durham, North Carolina Durham ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Durham County, North Carolina, Durham County. Small portions of the city limits extend into Orange County, North Carolina, Orange County and Wake County, North Carol ...

. That station now airs a

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n format. On March 25, 2016, WETC was granted a

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

from the

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(FCC) to increase its daytime power to 10,000

s. Effective August 31, 2018, Sanchez Broadcasting sold WETC to Divine Mercy Radio, Inc. for $850,000. On October 1, 2018, Divine Mercy Radio filed a Remain Silent Authority application with the FCC, citing major technical issues. At the time, the station was expected to remain off the air for 120 days while technicians made repairs. WETC resumed regular operations on February 4, 2019."540AM Status Update: We Are On the Air!"
(posting made on February 4, 2019 at WDMR.org)

References

External links

* * ( Guide to reading History Cards) {{Raleigh radio Catholic radio stations

ETC * Etc. or et cetera, a Latin expression meaning "and the other things" or "and the rest". ETC or etc may also refer to: Companies and organizations * ETC (Chilean TV channel), a Chilean cable television channel * ETC (Philippine TV channel), a ...

Radio stations established in 1959 1959 establishments in North Carolina