Broadcast area Jersey Shore | Frequency 1600 kHz | |
City Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania Branding Fox Sports Williamsport Translator(s) 104.1 W281AR (Williamsport) First air date August 1, 1979 (as WJSA) | ||
WEJS (1600 AM) is a sports radio station in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, United States branded as Fox Sports 1600. WEJS' first air date was August 1, 1979.
Contents
History
The then-WJSA was originally an AM only radio station authorized to operate during the daytime at 1600 on the dial. Though not a Christian format, the station did air some daily devotional programs. In the fall of 1980 the station's owner, Williamsport businessman Ken Breon, sought the help of John Hogg as broadcast engineer and programing consultant, then within the year as General Manager. Under Mr. Hogg's management and with Mr. Breon's agreement and involvement, the station changed format to full-time Christian programming. The AM station also extended its hours of operation and improved coverage.
The birth of WJSA-FM
24 years ago, Mr. Hogg identified an available FM frequency which would provide extended coverage and allow 24 hours a day service. Two years later the FCC granted the application and Light for Life... WJSA-FM began broadcasting on November 1, 1984 with a power of 3,000 Watts at 93.5 FM. A new company to operate the facilities was formed, Covenant Broadcast Company, a partnership between Ken Breon and John Hogg.
Expanding the FM coverage
Almost immediately Mr. Hogg identified the opportunity for several stations in the area to upgrade their signal strength by changing frequencies. This required cooperation of those stations and FCC approval took the next 12 years! In the early spring of 1997 this power upgrade was realized and Light for Life...WJSA's frequency was changed to 96.3 FM with a power equivalent of 25,000 Watts.
2014 changes
Effective January 17, 2014, Covenant Broadcast Company sold WJSA to Todd Bartley's Pioneer Sports Productions, LLC at a purchase price of $50,000.
On January 21, 2014, the station's call sign was changed to the current WEJS. The station dropped the Christian radio simulcast with former sister station WJSA-FM (96.3 FM) and FM translator W263AG (100.5 FM), and started broadcasting a sports radio format as 1600 AM ESPN.
Bartley transferred WEJS' license to his wholly owned Colonial Radio Group of Williamsport, LLC on August 17, 2015.
On March 1, 2017 WEJS switched affiliations from ESPN Radio to Fox Sports Radio.