Broadcast area Albany, New York Facility ID 8726 City of license Schenectady Area Albany Sister stations WABY, WAIX, WJKE | First air date 1942 (as WSNY) Class C Frequency 1240 kHz Format Sports radio Branding Sporty 1240 AM | |
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Former callsigns WSNY (1942-1975)WWWD (1976-1988)WVKZ (1988-2012) Owner Empire Broadcasting Corporation | ||
WPTR (1240 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a business news format known as "Empire News Network". Located west of Schenectady, New York, USA, the station serves the Albany area as well as Schenectady. The station is owned by Empire Broadcasting Corporation.
Contents
History
WPTR began as long running middle-of-the-road station WSNY in 1942. In 1968, WSNY flipped to Top 40, going into direct competition with more powerful and established stations WPTR (now WDCD) and WTRY (now WOFX). The format was initially a success. However, by the early 1970s, FM Top 40 began to take hold in the Albany market as well; by 1973, in addition to WPTR and WTRY, WSNY had to contend with WABY (now WAMC), WGFM (now WRVE), and WHSH (now WPYX). In 1974, WSNY left the air. In 1976, the station returned to the air as WWWD, with kind of a top 40/oldies hybrid format. WWWD began to add vast amounts of off-track betting racing to their schedule during the 1980s. In early 1988, the station became WVKZ and partially simulcasted WVKZ-FM (now WDCD-FM), with their rock based top 40 format. WVKZ drifted through various formats during the 1990s, including classic country and talk, before flipping to oldies in 2004. In February 2009, WVKZ started broadcasting Scott Shannon's True Oldies network after broadcasting as "Real Oldies" since 2004.
Ernie Anastos sold his Albany-area stations—WVKZ, WABY, WQAR, and WUAM and its translator W291BY—to Empire Broadcasting Corporation in June 2012 at a purchase price of $1.2 million. The transaction consummated on September 7, 2012. On September 8, 2012, the station adopted the historic WPTR call letters, formerly used on the stations now known as WDCD, WAJZ, and WDCD-FM.
On June 7, 2013 WPTR changed their format to sports.
On June 27, 2016 WPTR changed their format from sports to a simulcast of business news-formatted WAIX 1160 AM Mechanicville, branded as "Empire News Network".
History of call letters
The call letters WPTR were previously assigned to an AM station (later known as WDCD (AM)) in Albany, New York.