WACA (AM)
Encyclopedia
WACA is a radio station broadcasting on 1540 kHz in the mediumwave
AM
band. It is a Spanish language
news and talk station broadcasting as Radio America
. Its transmitter is located in Wheaton, Maryland
and it serves the Washington, D.C.
metropolitan area. WACA has a daytime transmitter power of 5,000 watts, reaching as far north as Frederick County
in Maryland
and as far south as Stafford
and Prince William
Counties in Virginia
.
WACA's signal is also available (via a special SCA
receiver) on a subcarrier
of 97.1 FM
.
is the station's owner-operator. A native of the Dominican Republic
, he came to the United States in the 1970s. While attending Montgomery College
in 1979, he worked as a DJ
at student parties and master of ceremonies
at weddings. The news staff at 1540 AM (then Radio Mundo, WMDO) discovered him at a wedding, and hired him as an anchor
in 1983. Carrasco later moved to Radio Borinquen (now Radio Viva, WILC
900 AM in Laurel
), rising to be general manager, and then returned to WACA to begin a 30-minute morning show, Calentando la Mañana (Heating Up the Morning) in 1987. Carrasco leased WACA and its transmitter in 1997, and then bought the station when the lease expired in 2000, naming it "Radio America."
station named for the son of its then-owner, Don Dillard. In the 1970s, it was an oldies
station, and then briefly "Disco
D-O-N". After that, it converted to Spanish, first as WMDO, "Radio Mundo", and then with the current WACA call sign
.
Mediumwave
Medium wave is the part of the medium frequency radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. For Europe the MW band ranges from 526.5 kHz to 1606.5 kHz...
AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
band. It is a Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
news and talk station broadcasting as Radio America
Radio America
Radio America is an American radio network specializing in conservative-oriented talk programming. A division of the American Studies Center, the network describes its mission as "to produce and syndicate quality radio programs reflecting a commitment to traditional American values, limited...
. Its transmitter is located in Wheaton, Maryland
Wheaton, Maryland
Wheaton is an unincorporated, urbanized area in Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, north of Washington, D.C., northwest of Silver Spring. Wheaton takes its name from Frank Wheaton , a career officer in the United States Army and volunteer from Rhode Island in the Union Army who rose to the rank of...
and it serves the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
metropolitan area. WACA has a daytime transmitter power of 5,000 watts, reaching as far north as Frederick County
Frederick County, Maryland
Frederick County is a county located in the western part of the U.S. state of Maryland, bordering the southern border of Pennsylvania and the northeastern border of Virginia. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 233,385....
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
and as far south as Stafford
Stafford County, Virginia
Stafford County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a U.S. state, and just across the Rappahannock River from the City of Fredericksburg. As of the 2000 census, the population was 92,446, increasing to 128,961 in 2010.. Its county seat is Stafford. In 2006, and again in 2009,...
and Prince William
Prince William County, Virginia
-National protected areas:* Featherstone National Wildlife Refuge* Manassas National Battlefield Park* Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge* Prince William Forest Park-Government and politics:...
Counties in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
.
WACA's signal is also available (via a special SCA
Subsidiary Communications Authority
Subsidiary Communications Authorization in the United States, and Subsidiary Communications Multiplex Operation in Canada, is a subcarrier on a radio station, allowing the station to broadcast additional services as part of its signal.-Background:"Subsidiary Communications Authorization" is the...
receiver) on a subcarrier
Subcarrier
A subcarrier is a separate analog or digital signal carried on a main radio transmission, which carries extra information such as voice or data. More technically, it is an already-modulated signal, which is then modulated into another signal of higher frequency and bandwidth...
of 97.1 FM
WASH
WASH is a Clear Channel Communications radio station located in Washington, D.C.. Known on-air as "Wash-FM", the station has an adult contemporary format. The station also streams its broadcast on the Internet....
.
Owner
Alejandro CarrascoAlejandro Carrasco
Alejandro Carrasco is a footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Chilean side C.D. Palestino.-Club career:Born in Santiago, Carrasco began playing professional football with Audax Italiano. He helped the club earn promotion from the Chilean second division during the 1995 season...
is the station's owner-operator. A native of the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, he came to the United States in the 1970s. While attending Montgomery College
Montgomery College
Montgomery College is a public, open access community college located in Montgomery County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C. in the United States. The college has three campuses, the largest of which is in Rockville; the other campuses are in Takoma Park/Silver Spring and Germantown...
in 1979, he worked as a DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
at student parties and master of ceremonies
Master of Ceremonies
A Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
at weddings. The news staff at 1540 AM (then Radio Mundo, WMDO) discovered him at a wedding, and hired him as an anchor
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
in 1983. Carrasco later moved to Radio Borinquen (now Radio Viva, WILC
WILC
WILC is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish Contemporary format, licensed in Laurel, Maryland, USA. The station is currently owned by ZGS Communications and features programming from CNN Radio...
900 AM in Laurel
Laurel, Maryland
Laurel is a city in northern Prince George's County, Anne Arundel County, and Howard County, Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore. Incorporated in 1870, the city maintains a historic district including its Main Street...
), rising to be general manager, and then returned to WACA to begin a 30-minute morning show, Calentando la Mañana (Heating Up the Morning) in 1987. Carrasco leased WACA and its transmitter in 1997, and then bought the station when the lease expired in 2000, naming it "Radio America."
History
1540 began as WDON, a countryCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station named for the son of its then-owner, Don Dillard. In the 1970s, it was an oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
station, and then briefly "Disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
D-O-N". After that, it converted to Spanish, first as WMDO, "Radio Mundo", and then with the current WACA call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
.