WPHT
Encyclopedia
WPHT is a CBS Radio
station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, broadcasting on 1210 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it broadcasts in an omnidirectional pattern that allows it to cover most of the eastern half of North America
at night. It uses the nickname "Talk Radio 1210 WPHT." The station is owned by CBS Radio. Its transmitter is located in Moorestown, New Jersey
. WPHT's studios are located at 2 Bala Plaza in Bala Cynwyd, PA
. WPHT is the flagship radio station of MLB's Philadelphia Phillies
.
. In 1924, WCAU was sold to law partners Ike Levy and Daniel Murphy. Murphy later bowed out in favor of Ike's brother, Leon.
The station began its long association with CBS in 1927, when it was one of 16 charter affiliates of a network called the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System, airing the network's first program on September 18, 1927. The network struggled to find advertisers, however, and William S. Paley
, who had previously purchased time on the station for an entertainment program promoting his family's La Palina cigars, bought the network with $500,000 of his family's money and renamed it the Columbia Broadcasting System.
In 1933, WCAU moved to a new studio on Chestnut Street, the first building in the country designed for a radio station. A series of power increases brought the station to 50,000 watts. The Levy brothers eventually became major stockholders in CBS, and were members of the network's board for many years.
The Levys agreed to sell WCAU-AM-FM
to The Philadelphia Record
in 1946. However, the Record folded shortly thereafter, and its "goodwill"—including the rights to buy WCAU-AM-FM—passed to the Philadelphia Bulletin
, which already owned WPEN-AM
-FM, and had secured a construction permit for WPEN-TV (channel 10). In a complex deal, the Bulletin sold off WPEN and WCAU-FM, while changing WPEN-FM's calls to WCAU-FM
and WPEN-TV's calls to WCAU-TV
. The Levys continued to run the stations while serving as consultants to the Bulletin, and it was largely due to their influence that WCAU-TV took to the air on May 23, 1948 as a CBS affiliate. The stations moved to a new studio in Bala Cynwyd
in 1952.
In 1957, the Bulletin sold WCAU-AM-FM-TV to CBS. This came because the Bulletin had recently bought WGBI-TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania
and changed its call letters to WDAU-TV
to complement WCAU. However, the two television stations' signals overlapped so much that it constituted a duopoly
under Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) rules of the time. CBS had to get a waiver to keep its new Philadelphia cluster, however. In addition to significant overlap of the television stations' grade B signals, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of clear channel stations with overlapping nighttime signals.
In the 1960s, WCAU gradually began moving away from music programming; by 1967 it had become a talk
station with considerable strengths in news and sports (all of Philadelphia's major professional sports teams had WCAU as their flagship radio station at one time or another). Although the station's ratings were good, in the mid-1970s CBS made a corporate decision to move WCAU to an all-news
format. The station never caught up to established all-news outlet KYW
, and by 1980 was making moves to reclaim its heritage as a talk and sports leader. However, FM talk station WWDB
had established itself as a strong competitor, and WCAU struggled for years to attract listeners and establish a consistent image.
On August 15, 1990 CBS abruptly changed the WCAU call letters to WOGL after 68 years and dropped the talk format in favor of oldies
, partially simulcast with its FM sister station, by then WOGL-FM
. In 1993, the AM station began running sports talk after 7 PM. The station went all-sports as WGMP (The Game) on March 18, 1994. However, once again 1210 was taking on an entrenched competitor—this time WIP—and WGMP's largely syndicated program lineup won few listeners away from WIP's heavily local schedule.
A year later, CBS merged with Westinghouse Electric Corporation, thus making 1210 AM a sister station to its ancient rival, KYW. With this move, the higher-rated KYW became the flagship station of CBS Radio's Philadelphia cluster. Realizing that WGMP would never be able to compete against WIP, CBS began phasing out the sports talk shows in the summer of 1996. Finally, on August 23, 1210 AM went all-talk once again as WPTS (We're Philadelphia's Talk Station). The call letters changed again less than a month later to the current WPHT to avoid confusion with nearby Trenton, New Jersey's
WPST
. Ironically, only a year later, WIP became a sister station to WPHT when CBS bought its owner, Infinity Broadcasting Corporation
.
-radio station with a focus on issues local to the Delaware Valley
. The weekday lineup includes Chris Stigall
from 5:30 to 9am, Dom Giordano from 9am to Noon, Rush Limbaugh
from Noon to 3pm, Michael Smerconish
from 3pm to 7pm, Gary R'Nel from 7pm to 10pm, Rick Grimaldi/Rich Zeoli/R.J. McKay from 10pm to Midnight, and Coast to Coast AM
from Midnight to 5:30am.
Saturday shows include Rick the Fix-It Guy at 6am, "The Big Money Show" with Steve Cordasco from 7am to 10am, "The Mutual Fund Show with Adam Bold
" at 10am, and "Remember When" with Steve Ross and Jim Murray from 11pm to 1am.
Sunday shows include Sid Mark
's "Sunday with Sinatra" from 8am to 1pm, "The Crime Guys" with Walt Hunter
and George Anastasia from 8pm to 10pm and "Dr. Mazz" Anthony Mazzarelli from 10pm to Midnight
WPHT is the Flagship
station for all Philadelphia Phillies
baseball games. WPHT also airs Temple University
football and men's basketball. Some Philadelphia Flyers
and Philadelphia 76ers
games may be heard on WPHT when multiple teams are playing at the same time and their normal flagships, WIP and WIP-FM, are overbooked.
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, broadcasting on 1210 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it broadcasts in an omnidirectional pattern that allows it to cover most of the eastern half of North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
at night. It uses the nickname "Talk Radio 1210 WPHT." The station is owned by CBS Radio. Its transmitter is located in Moorestown, New Jersey
Moorestown Township, New Jersey
-Demographics:At the 2000 census, there were 19,017 people, 6,971 households, and 5,270 families residing in the township. The population density was 1,287.3 per square mile . There were 7,211 housing units at an average density of 488.1 per square mile...
. WPHT's studios are located at 2 Bala Plaza in Bala Cynwyd, PA
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd is a community in Lower Merion Township which is located on the Main Line in southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at US Route 1 . It was originally two separate towns, Bala and Cynwyd, but is commonly treated as a single community...
. WPHT is the flagship radio station of MLB's Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
.
History
The station first began broadcasting in May 1922 as WCAU, a 250-watt station operating out of electrician William Durham's home on 19th and Market Streets. It is Philadelphia's third-oldest radio station, having signed on two months after WIP and WFILWFIL
WFIL is a radio station and a former television station serving the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its transmitter is located in Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania....
. In 1924, WCAU was sold to law partners Ike Levy and Daniel Murphy. Murphy later bowed out in favor of Ike's brother, Leon.
The station began its long association with CBS in 1927, when it was one of 16 charter affiliates of a network called the Columbia Phonographic Broadcasting System, airing the network's first program on September 18, 1927. The network struggled to find advertisers, however, and William S. Paley
William S. Paley
William S. Paley was the chief executive who built Columbia Broadcasting System from a small radio network into one of the foremost radio and television network operations in the United States.-Early life:...
, who had previously purchased time on the station for an entertainment program promoting his family's La Palina cigars, bought the network with $500,000 of his family's money and renamed it the Columbia Broadcasting System.
In 1933, WCAU moved to a new studio on Chestnut Street, the first building in the country designed for a radio station. A series of power increases brought the station to 50,000 watts. The Levy brothers eventually became major stockholders in CBS, and were members of the network's board for many years.
The Levys agreed to sell WCAU-AM-FM
WMGK
WMGK, known as "Classic Rock 102.9 MGK" or "Philadelphia's Classic Rock: 102.9 MGK", is a Classic rock formatted radio station which is broadcast in the Philadelphia area. The station features popular Philadelphia radio personality John DeBella and former Howard Stern Show censor Andre Gardner. ...
to The Philadelphia Record
The Philadelphia Record
The Philadelphia Record was a daily newspaper published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 1877 until 1947. The Record was founded in 1877 as a one-cent daily newspaper...
in 1946. However, the Record folded shortly thereafter, and its "goodwill"—including the rights to buy WCAU-AM-FM—passed to the Philadelphia Bulletin
Philadelphia Bulletin
For the 2004 resurrection of the Bulletin, see The Bulletin .The Philadelphia Bulletin was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the...
, which already owned WPEN-AM
WPEN (AM)
WPEN is an AM radio station broadcast on 950 kHz. The station is licensed to Philadelphia and serves that market. WPEN is owned and operated by Greater Media and offers a Sports Talk format. The station is known as "950 ESPN"-The Early Years:...
-FM, and had secured a construction permit for WPEN-TV (channel 10). In a complex deal, the Bulletin sold off WPEN and WCAU-FM, while changing WPEN-FM's calls to WCAU-FM
WOGL
WOGL is an FM radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.The station plays mostly post 1964 pop leaning Oldies positioned Classic Hits music, including Motown, soul and rock and roll spanning roughly 1964–1985. An occasional pre-1964 song is played. WOGL is owned by CBS Radio...
and WPEN-TV's calls to WCAU-TV
WCAU
WCAU, channel 10, is an owned-and-operated television station of the NBC Television Network, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. WCAU has its studios on the border between Philadelphia and Bala Cynwyd. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 34 from a transmitter in the...
. The Levys continued to run the stations while serving as consultants to the Bulletin, and it was largely due to their influence that WCAU-TV took to the air on May 23, 1948 as a CBS affiliate. The stations moved to a new studio in Bala Cynwyd
Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd is a community in Lower Merion Township which is located on the Main Line in southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at US Route 1 . It was originally two separate towns, Bala and Cynwyd, but is commonly treated as a single community...
in 1952.
In 1957, the Bulletin sold WCAU-AM-FM-TV to CBS. This came because the Bulletin had recently bought WGBI-TV in Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
and changed its call letters to WDAU-TV
WYOU
WYOU is the CBS-affiliated television station for Northeastern Pennsylvania that is licensed to Scranton. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter at the Penobscot Knob tower farm near Mountain Top...
to complement WCAU. However, the two television stations' signals overlapped so much that it constituted a duopoly
Duopoly (broadcasting)
In United States broadcast television and radio, duopoly is a term used to describe a single company which owns two or more stations in the same city or community....
under Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) rules of the time. CBS had to get a waiver to keep its new Philadelphia cluster, however. In addition to significant overlap of the television stations' grade B signals, the FCC normally did not allow common ownership of clear channel stations with overlapping nighttime signals.
In the 1960s, WCAU gradually began moving away from music programming; by 1967 it had become a talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
station with considerable strengths in news and sports (all of Philadelphia's major professional sports teams had WCAU as their flagship radio station at one time or another). Although the station's ratings were good, in the mid-1970s CBS made a corporate decision to move WCAU to an all-news
All-news radio
All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks...
format. The station never caught up to established all-news outlet KYW
KYW (AM)
KYW is a class A AM radio station on 1060 kHz licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. KYW is owned by the CBS Radio unit of CBS Corporation, and has broadcasted an all-news format since 1965. The station's studios are located on Market Street in Center City Philadelphia, and it transmitters...
, and by 1980 was making moves to reclaim its heritage as a talk and sports leader. However, FM talk station WWDB
WRDW-FM
WRDW-FM, also known as Wired 96.5, is a Philadelphia radio station owned by Beasley Broadcast Group that plays a Rhythmic Top 40 musical format. Although they lean towards R&B/Hip-Hop, Wired also adds Rhythmic Pop tracks to their playlist...
had established itself as a strong competitor, and WCAU struggled for years to attract listeners and establish a consistent image.
On August 15, 1990 CBS abruptly changed the WCAU call letters to WOGL after 68 years and dropped the talk format in favor of 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....
, partially simulcast with its FM sister station, by then WOGL-FM
WOGL
WOGL is an FM radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.The station plays mostly post 1964 pop leaning Oldies positioned Classic Hits music, including Motown, soul and rock and roll spanning roughly 1964–1985. An occasional pre-1964 song is played. WOGL is owned by CBS Radio...
. In 1993, the AM station began running sports talk after 7 PM. The station went all-sports as WGMP (The Game) on March 18, 1994. However, once again 1210 was taking on an entrenched competitor—this time WIP—and WGMP's largely syndicated program lineup won few listeners away from WIP's heavily local schedule.
A year later, CBS merged with Westinghouse Electric Corporation, thus making 1210 AM a sister station to its ancient rival, KYW. With this move, the higher-rated KYW became the flagship station of CBS Radio's Philadelphia cluster. Realizing that WGMP would never be able to compete against WIP, CBS began phasing out the sports talk shows in the summer of 1996. Finally, on August 23, 1210 AM went all-talk once again as WPTS (We're Philadelphia's Talk Station). The call letters changed again less than a month later to the current WPHT to avoid confusion with nearby Trenton, New Jersey's
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
WPST
WPST
WPST is a radio station broadcasting a Top 40 format. Licensed to Trenton, New Jersey, USA, the station serves the Philadelphia, Central Jersey area. The station is currently owned by Nassau Broadcasting Ii, LLC and features programing from Westwood One...
. Ironically, only a year later, WIP became a sister station to WPHT when CBS bought its owner, Infinity Broadcasting Corporation
Infinity Broadcasting Corporation
Infinity Broadcasting Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1972 until 2005. It was founded by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus. It became associated with popular radio personalities like Howard Stern, Don Imus and Mike Francesa. Infinity merged with CBS Corporation in 1997 and later...
.
Format
Today, WPHT is a mostly conservative talkConservative talk
Conservative talk radio is a talk radio format in the United States and Canada devoted to expressing conservative viewpoints of issues, as opposed to progressive talk radio...
-radio station with a focus on issues local to the Delaware Valley
Delaware Valley
The Delaware Valley is a term used to refer to the valley where the Delaware River flows, along with the surrounding communities. This includes the metropolitan area centered on the city of Philadelphia. Such educational institutions as Delaware Valley Regional High School in Alexandria Township...
. The weekday lineup includes Chris Stigall
Chris Stigall
Chris Stigall is a conservative radio talk show host. He hosted the KCMO Morning Show with Chris Stigall in the Kansas City market, and will be hosting a similar show on WPHT in the Philadelphia market beginning in 2011....
from 5:30 to 9am, Dom Giordano from 9am to Noon, Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
from Noon to 3pm, Michael Smerconish
Michael Smerconish
Michael A. Smerconish is an American radio and television personality, newspaper columnist, author and MSNBC Political Analyst. His talk radio show is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at The Big Talker 1210 AM WPHT. He began his full time radio career in 2002...
from 3pm to 7pm, Gary R'Nel from 7pm to 10pm, Rick Grimaldi/Rich Zeoli/R.J. McKay from 10pm to Midnight, and Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM
Coast to Coast AM is a North American late-night syndicated radio talk show that deals with a variety of topics, but most frequently ones that relate to either the paranormal or conspiracy theories. It was created by Art Bell and is distributed by Premiere Radio Networks. The program currently...
from Midnight to 5:30am.
Saturday shows include Rick the Fix-It Guy at 6am, "The Big Money Show" with Steve Cordasco from 7am to 10am, "The Mutual Fund Show with Adam Bold
Adam Bold
Adam Bold is an American author and businessman. He is the founder and minority shareholder of The Mutual Fund Store, and host of The Mutual Fund Show, a national weekly talk radio show focused on actively managed mutual fund investments...
" at 10am, and "Remember When" with Steve Ross and Jim Murray from 11pm to 1am.
Sunday shows include Sid Mark
Sid Mark
Sid Mark is an American radio disc jockey based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, who hosts weekly radio programs featuring the music of Frank Sinatra. His Philadelphia-area shows include Friday with Frank, airing Friday evenings, Sunday with Sinatra, airing Sunday mornings, and The Sounds of...
's "Sunday with Sinatra" from 8am to 1pm, "The Crime Guys" with Walt Hunter
Walt Hunter
Walt Hunter is a Philadelphia native and an investigative reporter with KYW-TV. He joined the station in 1980 as a crime reporter and was named best television reporter by Philadelphia Magazine in 2004. He has received eight Philadelphia Emmy Awards.-References:...
and George Anastasia from 8pm to 10pm and "Dr. Mazz" Anthony Mazzarelli from 10pm to Midnight
WPHT is the Flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
station for all Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
baseball games. WPHT also airs Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
football and men's basketball. Some Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
and Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are a professional basketball team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . Originally known as the Syracuse Nationals, they are one of the oldest franchises in the NBA...
games may be heard on WPHT when multiple teams are playing at the same time and their normal flagships, WIP and WIP-FM, are overbooked.
External links
- WPHT website