WIMG
 | |
| Broadcast area | Trenton, New Jersey |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1300 AM (kHz) |
| Programming | |
| Format | Gospel |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Morris Broadcasting Company of New Jersey, Inc. |
| History | |
Former call signs | WOAX (1922–1933) WTNJ (1933–1959) WAAT (1959–1971) WTNJ (1971–1979) |
Call sign meaning | Imagination |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 14635 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 3,200 watts (day) 1,300 watts (night) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
WIMG (1300 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Gospel music format. Licensed to Ewing, New Jersey, the station is currently owned by Morris Broadcasting Company of New Jersey, Inc.[2]
History
[edit]WIMG is the oldest radio station in New Jersey. On December 1, 1921, the U.S. Department of Commerce, which regulated radio at this time, adopted the first regulations formally establishing a broadcasting station category, which set aside the wavelength of 360 meters (833 kHz) for entertainment broadcasts, and 485 meters (619 kHz) for market and weather reports.[3] The station was originally licensed to the 360 "entertainment" wavelength on December 4, 1922, as WOAX, to Franklyn J. Wolff (Monument Pottery Company) in Trenton.[4] The original call letters were randomly assigned from a roster of available call signs.
In May 1923, the station was reassigned to 1250 kHz. On November 11, 1928, as part of a major reallocation implemented under the Federal Radio Commission's General Order 40, WOAX was assigned to 1280 kHz, sharing time on that frequency with WCAM in Camden and WCAP in Asbury Park.[5]
Beginning in 1930, WOAX was associated with, and carried some of the broadcasts, of WHAP in New York City, a controversial station run by a dissident faction of Christian Science that was aggressively anti-Catholic. At the time Franklin Ford, president of the defenders society, stated that the two stations were the first in a projected national network.[6] However, this ambitious plan was never realized, and in 1932 Ford arranged for WHAP to be sold.[7]
In 1933 WOAX's call sign was changed to WTNJ.[8] In March 1941, WTNJ and its two timeshare partners moved to 1310, with the implementation of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement.[9] In 1949, WTNJ was granted permission to move to 1300 kHz, which ended its time sharing, although the station was now limited to only broadcasting during daytime hours.
WTNJ's call letters changed to WAAT in 1959. WAAT operated with Top 40, country and middle-of-the-road formats at various times. The WTNJ call sign returned in 1971, and a year later the station moved to a soul music format.
In 1979 the station became WIMG ("Imagination Radio") with a format featuring old-time radio programming. This policy was short-lived, and R&B and adult contemporary formats were tried in later years. In the 1980s WIMG was granted a license to operate full-time; its community of license was changed to Ewing as part of that process. By the late 1990s the present ownership had acquired the station and the current gospel format was established.
References
[edit]- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WIMG". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WIMG Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ "Amendments to Regulations", Radio Service Bulletin, January 3, 1922, page 10.
- ^ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, January 2, 1923, page 3.
- ^ "Revised list of broadcasting stations, by frequencies, effective 3 a. m., November 11, 1928, eastern standard time", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928 to September 30, 1928, page 209.
- ^ "National Chain of Radio Stations To Combat Certain Catholic Ideas Projected By 'Defenders of Truth'", New Britain (Connecticut) Herald, August 19, 1930, page 11.
- ^ American Babel: Rogue Radio Broadcasters of the Jazz Age by Clifford J. Doerksen, 2005, page 67.
- ^ "Changes to list", Radio Service Bulletin, April 1, 1933, page 5.
- ^ "United States Assignments", Arrangement between the United States of America, Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Mexico, comprising recommendations of the North American Regional Radio-Engineering Meeting (supplemental to North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement [NARBA], Habana, 1937), page 1434.
External links
[edit]- Facility details for Facility ID 14635 (WIMG) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WIMG in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FCC History Cards for WIMG (covering 1922-1981 as WOAX / WTNJ / WAAT / WIMG)