WTMA
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| City of license | Charleston, South Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Charleston |
| Branding | News-Talk 1250 AM WTMA |
| Slogan | The Lowcountry's Big Talker |
| Frequency | 1250 kHz |
| First air date | June 1939 |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Power | 5,000 watts daytime 1,000 watts nighttime |
| Class | B |
| Callsign meaning | Where Talk Means Action. |
| Affiliations | ABC News |
| Owner | Cumulus Media (Radio License Holding CBC, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WSSX, WIWF, WWWZ |
| Website | WTMA.com |
WTMA (branded as 1250 WTMA: The Big Talker) is an AM radio station serving the Charleston market area with a News/Talk format. This station operates on AM frequency 1250 kHz and is under ownership of Cumulus Media.
History
WTMA began its broadcasting activities on June 16, 1939 as an NBC affiliate and is the Charleston, SC area's second oldest AM radio station, and of those two, the only one to maintain its current call letters. From the early '60s through 1981 it broadcast a Top 40 format but like many other AM Top 40 stations switched to an adult contemporary format until 1986 when FM became more popular. It tried a couple different formats including an R&B-flavored oldies format and country music until on June 1, 1989 it switched to a news/talk radio format. WTMA has since then maintained its news/talk format, as a Citadel Broadcasting Owned and Operated station, from Westwood One and its own local team.
In May 1999, WTMA lost Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Laura to newcomer WSCC. Still, the station jumped from 13th to 7th in the morning and from 16th to 12th with 25-54 listeners. Program director Jason Wilmot said WTMA was still the number one station for news.[1]
Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[2]
Syndicated talk programming on the station includes Herman Cain, Mark Levin, Michael Savage, John Batchelor, Red Eye Radio and Clark Howard.
WTMA broadcasts with 5,000 non-directional watts of power during the day, 1,000 directional watts of power at night. The station streams its programing through its website, WTMA.com as well as through iHeart Radio and free smartphone apps.
References
External links
- News-Talk 1250 AM WTMA official website
- Query the FCC's AM station database for WTMA
- Radio-Locator Information on WTMA
- Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for WTMA
- WTMA History Site
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