WRSB (AM)

WRSB (1590 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish tropical format to the Brockport, New York, United States area. The station is currently owned by Brian McGlynn, through licensee Genesee Media Corporation, and is operated by William Santiago through his company Uno Communications.[1]

WRSB
CityBrockport, New York
Broadcast areaWest side of Rochester
Frequency1590 kHz
BrandingMega 97.5
Programming
FormatSpanish Tropical
Ownership
OwnerBrian McGlynn (programmed by Uno Communications)
(Genesee Media Corporation)
WOKR, WDNY (AM), WDNY-FM
History
First air date
1970 (as WADD at 1560)
Former call signs
WADD (1970-1976)
WWBK (1976-1980)
WJBT (1980-1984)
WASB (1984-2015)
WOKR (2015-2017)
Former frequencies
1560 kHz (1970-1979)
Call sign meaning
Rochester Spanish Broadcasting
Technical information
Facility ID15767
ClassB
Power1,000 watts day
1,000 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
43°11′44″N 77°57′5″W
Translator(s)97.5 MHz - W248BH (Rochester)
Links
WebcastListen live
Websitelamegaroc.com

History

The station went on the air in 1970 as WADD and was owned by a group of local businessmen. The station broadcast on 1560 kHz with a power of 1 thousand watts, utilizing a three tower in-line directional antenna array - daytime only to protect clear-channel WQEW. In 1976, the station was purchased by Canal Communications, inc. and the call letters changed to WWBK. The format was community-oriented pop. In 1979, WWBK obtained a construction permit allowing the change to 1,000 watts full-time operation on 1590 kHz. The facility was sold in 1979 and the call letters changed to WJBT on April 14, 1980. On May 24, 1984, the station changed its call sign to WASB.

After moving to 1590, it continued to use its directional array to protect the daytime signals of WGGO and WAUB, two stations on the same frequency to the south and east respectively. It is thus audible mostly in Orleans County, with a moderate signal in Genesee and Niagara Counties and almost no signal in the city of Rochester. The fringe signals of WGGO and WRSB interfere with each other in the city of Buffalo.

The station was purchased by Genesee Media Corporation on July 8, 2013 at a price of $450,000, which included WRSB, Canandaigua, NY. A call sign change to WOKR followed on January 22, 2015; the WOKR call was formerly used on TV channel 13 (now WHAM-TV) for most of its existence (they had been parked on a station in the Mohawk Valley for several years until a change in that station's ownership made the WOKR calls available for use in Rochester again).[2]

On August 1, 2017, the station swapped call signs with its simulcast partner, taking on the call sign WRSB.

On October 16, 2017 WRSB changed their format from sports to a full-service Spanish CHR, branded as "Mi 97.5,".[3] The station is one of two Spanish-language outlets in the Rochester market, the other being non-commercial low-power WEPL-LP on 97.1.

On January 1, 2019 WRSB changed their format to Spanish tropical, branded as "Mega 97.5".[4]

References
  1. "WRSB Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. "WOKR Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. Rochester to Gain First Commercial Spanish Station Radioinsight - October 6, 2017
  4. WRSB Revamps as Mega 97.5 Radioinsight - January 1, 2019


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